The top Saudi Pro League targets - in pictures

Host of world stars on shortlist for move to Middle East

TOP SAUDI PRO LEAGUE TARGETS. Karim Benzema. Age: 35. Position: Attacker. Clubs: Lyon, Real Madrid. Club career stats: 816 appearances; 435 goals. France stats: 97 caps; 37 goals. Current situation: Just announced that he is leaving Real Madrid after 14 seasons and has moved to Saudi Arabia champions Al Ittihad. AFP

Sergio Ramos. Age: 37. Position: Defender. Clubs: Sevilla, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain. Club career stats: 805 appearances; 112 goals. Spain stats: 180 caps; 23 goals. Current situation: Has also just left PSG and is free agent. AFP

N'Golo Kante. Age: 32. Position: Midfield. Clubs: Boulogne, Caen, Leicester City, Chelsea. Club career stats: 431 appearances; 24 goals. France stats: 53 caps; two goals. Current situation: Has one year left on his current Chelsea contract and only managed nine games in injury-hit season at Premier League. Moved to Al Ittihad. Getty

Sergio Busquets. Age: 34. Position: Midfield. Clubs: Barcelona. Club career stats: 747 appearances; 20 goals. Spain stats: 143 caps; two goals. Current situation: Free agent after spending his entire career at Barca. Linked with move to Al Hilal. EPA

Hugo Lloris. Age: 36. Position: Goalkeeper. Clubs: Nice, Lyon, Tottenham Hotspur. Club career stats: 747 appearances; 20 goals. France stats: 145 caps. Current situation: Has one year left on his Spurs contract but just announced that he wants to leave Premier League club. EPA

Sadio Mane. Age: 31. Position: Attacker. Clubs: Metz, Red Bull Salzburg, Southampton, Liverpool, Bayern Munich. Club career stats: 504 appearances; 206 goals. Senegal stats: 95 caps; 35 goals. Current situation: Had poor first season in Germany with reports suggesting Bayern keen to offload player. Linked with move to Saudi Arabia and return to Premier League. EPA

Luka Modric. Age: 37. Position: Midfield. Clubs: Dinamo Zagreb, Zrinjski Mostar, Inter Zapresic, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid. Club career stats: 747 appearances; 120 goals. Croatia stats: 164 caps; 23 goals. Current situation: Contract with Real ends this summer with reports suggesting he will be leaving for Saudi Arabia. EPA

Angel Di Maria. Age: 35. Position: Winger/attacking midfielder. Clubs: Rosario Central, Benfica, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus. Club career stats: 772 appearances; 162 goals. Argentina stats: 131 caps; 29 goals. Current situation: Set to leave Juve as free agent after one season with interest from Saudi Arabia and the US. AFP

Roberto Firmino. Age: 31. Position: Attacker. Clubs: Figueirense, Hoffenheim, Liverpool. Club career stats: 553 appearances; 168 goals. Brazil stats: 55 caps; 17 goals. Current situation: Just left Liverpool as free agent, linked with move to Spain and Saudi Arabia. PA

The stage is set for a momentous summer of transfer activity and a transformative one for the Saudi Pro League and Middle East football in general.

In December, Al Nassr stunned the football world by completing a record-breaking deal to bring five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo to the kingdom.

The 37-year-old was reported to have signed a contract worth around $214 million a year after leaving Manchester United on a free transfer following a television interview in which he criticised the club's owners and manager Erik ten Hag.

“I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia,” Ronaldo said after joining the club.

In recent months, Ronaldo's old La Liga rival Lionel Messi had been strongly linked with a move to Saudi powerhouses Al Hilal and was even suspended by his French club Paris Saint-Germain after taking an unauthorised family holiday in the kingdom. Messi has just played his final match for the reigning Ligue 1 champions.

On Sunday, it was announced that current Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema would be leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season with Saudi state broadcaster Al Ekhbariya reporting that champions Al Ittihad are expected to sign the 35-year-old striker.

Then on Monday, a source close to the negotiations told the AFP news agency that Saudi authorities are “in contact with more than 10 players, many of them won the World Cup or the Champions League, to join the Saudi league next season”.

In the gallery above, we take a look at the top 10 potential targets for the Saudi Pro League over the summer.