The 2026 summer transfer window in the Saudi market saw a sweeping dominance by the capital club Al-Hilal in terms of the most expensive deals, alongside the recruitment of stars, particularly from the English Premier League.
Al-Hilal's summer saw the acquisition of Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli from English club Arsenal, as the capital club also signed Dutch winger Crescensio Samerveld from London club West Ham United.
Al-Hilal did not stop there, but also reinforced its striker position by signing English international and Aston Villa top scorer Ollie Watkins, after several attempts by the “Asian leader” to convince Aston Villa officials to sell the player.
The other capital club and last season’s Saudi League champion, Al-Nassr, made a foreign signing by bringing in Portuguese midfielder Samu Costa from Real Mallorca to replace the departure of veteran Croatian Marcelo Brozovic, who left after the end of his contract.
The capital club struggled with player registration issues, alongside financial problems and crises that affected the club’s ability to make big signings, unlike its rival Al-Hilal, which dominated the transfer market.
Saudi club Al-Qadsiah, which is seeking to establish itself among the league’s elite, made a strong signing, specifically from the English Premier League, by signing Dutch international Tijjani Reijnders from Manchester City.
Moving to the western region, specifically the Saudi city of Jeddah, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli entered the transfer market, but the “Royal” club was relatively stronger in terms of the most expensive deals.
Portuguese winger Francisco Trincao is considered the most expensive deal between the two Jeddah giants, having been brought in this summer, followed by new arrival Edward Spertsyan.
To find out the top 10 most expensive deals in the Saudi League after the end of the summer transfer window, click here or view the attached album in the topic
