Is The Paris Saint-Germain Star Move to Saudi Arabia League?

It turned out that Cristiano Ronaldo was just the start. Saudi Arabian football made waves earlier this year when Al-Nassr signed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner - but it was nothing compared to the tidal wave generated by a £700 million ($870m) summer spending spree that saw the likes of Karim Benzema and Neymar join Ronaldo in the Middle East.

With Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) both taking over and providing huge financial backing to four of the country's biggest clubs - Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad - the scale of the project became abundantly clear.

Michael Emenalo, the Saudi Pro League's director of football, is not expecting the January transfer window to be "very busy", arguing that most of the competition's teams now "have what they need". However, the former Chelsea technical director admitted that any attempts to make "additions of the highest level" will be fully supported.

For a short time, it actually appeared as if Kylian Mbappe might move to Saudi Arabia. However, while Paris Saint-Germain accepted a €300m (£260m/$330m) bidfrom Al-Hilal last July, the forward had no intention of even discussing terms over a possible transfer.

That's probably still the case but it would not be a surprise to see Al-Hilal - or one of their fellow Pro League teams - try again in January. After all, PSG's need to sell Mbappe is more pressing than ever before, with the Ligue 1 champions now facing up to the grim reality of losing the world's most valuable footballer for nothing when his contract expires at the end of the season.

The fact remains, though, that Mbappe is holding all the cards here. He's free to start talking with other clubs from January 1 - and all of Europe's elite will be tempted by taking the World Cup winner on a free transfer next summer, even accounting for his colossal wage demands. So, if the 24-year-old doesn't finally move to Real Madrid, expect him to end up at one of the Premier League's powerhouses