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Journalist Florian Plettenberg has claimed that Saudi Arabian clubs are expected to move big in the transfer window with the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema being just the start.
According to Plettenberg, clubs in the Saudi Pro League are also chasing the signature of Angel Di Maria, Sergio Ramos, Roberto Firmino, Robert Lewandowski, and Luka Modric.
Karim Benzema recently announced his departure from Real Madrid as the forward will not be penning a contract extension with the club. According to the aforementioned source, the former France international is set to join Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, the recently crowned league champions.
The forward, however, could be followed by a host of other players in the Middle East. Florian Plettenberg tweeted the following in that regard:
"News Benzema: Several team mates were aware of the interest from Al-Ittihad for a long time. Ronaldo and Benzema, they are just the beginning: Ramos, Di Maria, Lewandowski, Firmino, Modric are all on the list of Saudi Arabia. A transfer of Benzema was the project of the highest bosses from Saudi-Arabia."
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first mega star to arrive on the shores of Saudi Arabia back in December. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Riyadh-based side Al-Nassr on a free transfer after his contract with Manchester United was terminated midway through the season.
Ronaldo had a massive impact at Al-Nassr, not only on the field but off the field as well. Clubs now wish to follow them and sign their own superstars on free transfers.
At the time of writing, Firmino, Di Maria, Ramos and Luka Modric are all out of contract at the end of the month. Sergio Ramos and Roberto Firmino have already announced their exit from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Liverpool, respectively.
Robert Lewandowski, on the other hand, has a contract with Barcelona until the summer of 2026.
It is worth mentioning that according to Fabrizio Romano, Lionel Messi also has a big-money offer on the table from Saudi side Al-Hilal. Messi, who recently announced his exit from PSG on a free transfer, is currently weighing up his options.
Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo could be title rivals next season
Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were teammates at Real Madrid for nine seasons. The pair, however, could be title rivals in the Saudi Pro League next season should the former France forward complete his rumored move to Al-Ittihad.
Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr had a closely contested title race in the recently concluded 2022-23 season of the Saudi Pro League. Al-Ittihad secured the league title with a game remaining in the campaign. They ended the season with 70 points from 30 matches and were five points clear of Al-Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, had a solid start to his life in Saudi Arabia. The former Juventus star ended his first season with a tally of 14 goals and two assists from 19 matches across all competitions.
