5 Barcelona players set to receive Saudi Pro League offers | OneFootball

Clubs from Saudi Arabia are exploring bids for as many as five Barcelona players heading into the summer transfer window, a report has revealed.

Barcelona have been largely unaffected by the exodus of players to Saudi Arabia in recent years. Midfielder Franck Kessie joined Al Ahli for €12.5m (£10.7m) in the summer of 2023 and young midfielder Unai Hernandez was sold to Al Ittihad for €5m (£4.3m) in January.

SPORT state Saudi officials are hoping to add to that list in the summer as Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ittihad have all held meetings with Barcelona to explore potential transfers.

The biggest proposal, both in terms of value and player profile, involves Raphinha. The Ballon d'Or candidate is a target for Al Hilal, who are looking to take advantage of the slow progress in negotiations over a contract extension in Catalonia.

Raphinha has rejected Saudi Arabia in the past and there is confidence that he will do so again, having established himself as one of the team's most important figures.

Araujo and Kounde could receive offers / THOMAS COEX/GettyImages

Al Nassr are chasing a new centre-back and have looked at both Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo but, like Raphinha, the pair are expected to rebuff all advances. The same, however, cannot be said for Andreas Christensen, who is aware he will be available for transfer this summer.

Finally, Al Ittihad continue to chase midfielder Frenkie de Jong, another player who is in talks over a contract extension with the La Liga leaders.

The indications are, yet again, that De Jong will commit to Barcelona and decline the chance to move to the Middle East.

Barcelona are confident that Raphinha, Kounde, Araujo and De Jong are all committed to the project but there is an awareness that the vast wealth on offer in Saudi Arabia could complicate things, both in terms of transfer fees and proposed salaries.

It is no secret that Barcelona need to sell players to raise money this summer, but the club hope to avoid losing any big names and instead plan to sell the likes of Christensen, Clement Lenglet, Inaki Pena and Ansu Fati.