The big story of the summer transfer window was undoubtedly the emergence of Saudi Arabian clubs in the market. Many notable players made the move to the Middle East, which will see them earn 10s/100s of millions during their time there.
Atletico Madrid were one of the many clubs that did business with Saudi Arabia, with Yannick Carrasco having joined Al-Shabab earlier this month. However, multiple others could have swapped Spain for the Middle East.
According to Marca, both Rodrigo De Paul and Alvaro Morata were wanted by clubs in Saudi Arabia. However, despite being offered lucrative contracts, the pair each turned them down in order to remain at Los Colchoneros.
Despite reports throughout the summer to the contrary, Atletico did not receive any offers from Saudi Arabia for Mario Hermoso, Marcos Llorente and Saul Niguez. The report suggests that the environments of these three players leaked the Saudi interest in order to improve their contracts, although it does not appear to have worked, if that was the case.
Atletico Madrid will know that their players are likely to come under interest from Saudi Arabia in the future, especially if their unlimited spending keeps up. Until then, they will be safe in the knowledge that they have loyal individuals at the club.
