Al Hilal 'enraged officials' after trying to sign FIVE Chelsea players at once

Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal are said to have launched an outrageous "bulk offer" for five Chelsea players, enraging officials as a result.

Clubs in Saudi Arabia, particularly those largely controlled by the Public Investment Fund, are causing absolute chaos in the transfer market by splashing out huge money on some of the biggest names in Europe.

Champions Al Ittihad have brought in Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Jota, while Al Nassr kicked off the madness by signing Cristiano Ronaldo in a staggering £173 million-a-year deal before recently drafting in Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic.

Steven Gerrard signed a contract to become new Al Ettifaq manager and reports indicate as though his former Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson could be edging towards an outrageous £700,000-a-week deal.

Al Hilal's proposal was too much for Kalidou Koulibaly to turn down and they paid a league £47 million record fee for Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, in addition to snapping up Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio.

Image: Getty

However, the New York Times say Al Hilal made an extraordinary attempt to sign FIVE Chelsea players in one go.

The unique offer would have been a first of its kind but ultimately did not materialise. It's said officials were left "enraged" as they felt the numbers involved were much higher than the value of the players.

The players have not been named, but Koulibaly's services were secured for £25 million and he's been joined in Saudi by ex teammates Kante and Edouard Mendy - the latter moving to Al Ahli in a £16 million transfer.

Image: Getty

Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also all been courted by Saudi sides.

But the five-player bundle prompted concerns from SPL chiefs as they felt it would distort the market to the point where Saudi clubs would regularly have to pay over the odds for players.

The report goes on to add that league officials made a list of recommended players, predominantly those in their 30s and soon to be out of contract.

What's more, they issued teams with a set of ground rules when looking to lure players to the division - one being that any player commanding an annual salary of more than $3 million (£2.29 million) must have the deal signed off by the league.

Topics: Saudi Pro League, Chelsea, Premier League, Kalidou Koulibaly

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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