Tottenham’s Son Heung-min dismisses rumours of Saudi Arabia move
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Al-Ittihad are keen to sign South Korea forward Son for around £50 million (S$85 million), reports say.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min has shut down rumours that he could follow some of Europe’s top players to Saudi Arabia any time soon, adding that money is not his concern at the moment.
Al-Ittihad are keen to sign the South Korean for around £50 million (S$85 million) and are preparing to offer him a long-term deal worth £25 million a year, the British media has reported.
“I have many things to do in the English Premier League,” Son said on Tuesday, after South Korea’s 1-1 friendly draw with El Salvador.
“Money doesn’t matter to me now, and the pride of playing football, to play in my favourite league is important.”
The Saudi Arabian side have signed French striker Karim Benzema from Real Madrid on a three-season deal, worth US$165 million (S$220 million), according to local media. Chelsea’s World Cup-winning midfielder N’Golo Kante then followed in his compatriot’s footsteps, Al-Ittihad confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
“Kante’s addition to Al-Ittihad is considered one of the most high profile and impactful signings in the club’s history,” the statement added.
“It is part of the club’s efforts to establish itself as a top choice for world-class players in the Saudi Professional League.”
Kante is the latest in a line of European stars choosing to ply their trade in the desert kingdom, which is making big-money moves across elite sport. A dynamic and industrious midfielder, he won the World Cup with France in 2018.
He also won the Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea, as well as back-to-back Premier League titles with Leicester City and the Blues.
Kante has signed a three-year deal with Al-Ittihad, though the club gave no details of how much the Frenchman will earn.
Before Benzema’s arrival, the Saudi Professional League had already signed up five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January.
His fellow Portuguese international Ruben Neves, currently with English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, is set to join Al-Hilal.
Argentina legend Lionel Messi declined to make a similar move despite a lengthy Saudi courtship, and has instead joined Inter Miami in the United States.
With its oil riches, Saudi Arabia – a conservative monarchy frequently criticised over its human rights record – has swiftly achieved a prominent role in world sports.
In football, the presumed goal is hosting the World Cup, which is intended to lift Saudi Arabia’s profile and prestige as it tries to diversify its oil-reliant economy by attracting tourists and investors.
In the coming years, Saudi Arabia will organise the men’s Asian Cup football, the Olympic-style Asian Games and even the Asian Winter Games in 2029.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), the state’s sovereign wealth vehicle, holds an 80 per cent stake in Champions League-bound Newcastle United.
In golf, the PIF bankrolls LIV Golf, whose clash with the PGA Tour nearly caused a rupture in the sport.
A surprise merger between the rival tours earlier in June settled a legal battle, only a year after LIV Golf launched with several stars who had left the PGA after receiving big-money offers from the upstart series. REUTERS, AFP
