Not everyone has heeded the call of money. Which footballers have so far resisted huge offers from Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia is dominating this year’s transfer window, attracting one star after another. The pockets of some clubs seem bottomless. But not everyone has been tempted by the huge offers.

Indeed, Saudi clubs are thriving in the transfer market and have managed to snap up some big names in European football. In some cases, these were individuals in advanced football age without a valid contract, but in others they were footballers in their prime.

We could include midfielder Ruben Neves or Sergei Milinkovic-Savic. However, some footballers have not heeded the very bold call.

Lionel Messi

According to recent reports, Messi was presented with a crazy offer that could have seen him earn more than €1.5 billion over two seasons. However, the Argentine footballer rejected Al Hilal’s offer and preferred the American MLS, where he signed a contract with Inter Miami.

Luka Modric

The Croatian playmaker’s contract with Real Madrid expired at the end of June. Luka Modric has made it quite clear on several occasions that his only desire is to continue in the Spanish capital.

The midfielder could earn €200 million a year in Saudi Arabia. However, he turned down the offer and extended his contract with the White Ballet for a year.

Robert Lewandowski

Even the star Polish striker in the service of Barcelona rejected a huge offer from the Middle East. The unnamed club offered a payroll of around 150 million euros a year.

Lewandowski didn’t want to leave the Catalan outfit right after the first season, so he quickly rejected the offer.

Romelu Lukaku

What about the Belgian goalscorer? This is a question that Chelsea have been asking themselves every day lately. An almost certain transfer to Inter collapsed after it was revealed that Lukaku was also in talks with Juventus.

However, the latter will only be able to afford him when another striker, Dusan Vlahovic, leaves the club. Romelu Lukaku is a very unpopular figure at Juventus and several dozen fans even protested against his arrival outside the training centre.

Despite all this, he rejected several offers from Saudi Arabia hovering around 50 million euros a year.

Son Heung-Min

Another footballer who slammed the door in front of all suitors is Tottenham Hotspur’s footballer. He commented on his future at a recent press conference, where he noted that money is not a priority for him and he wants to continue to stay in the Premier League.

Jamie Vardy

The English goalscorer has been the subject of active interest from FC Khaleej. The 36-year-old footballer made it clear immediately that such a transfer was not an option and brushed it off the table.

One of the reasons was that his family could not imagine life in Saudi Arabia. Whether he will remain at Leicester after relegation to the second tier is unclear. What is certain, however, is that his steps will not lead to a similar destination.

Ángel di María

The Argentine midfielder became a free agent after his contract with Juventus expired. Di María has decided to strengthen the club where he started his European career and has joined Benfica Lisbon.

Source: tribuna.com