40m EUR and he’s off. To think we bid £47m for him last year and it was rejected.
Was this confirmed by top sources?
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hmm, don’t recall Orny doing an official Twitter post on it last summer, so it probably just a smokescreen. 
Though I do remember him saying that SMS rejected us and Newcastle last year. 
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Going to Saudi in his prime. Disappointed.
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Not long at all. Club World Cup is probably the start before talks of converting the Champions League into a worldwide affair become real.
Yeah, really wanted to see him in a bigger league/bigger club… Although seeing him in the CL this season with Lazio would be nice too…
Shame 
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Something like this is clearly the desired endgame for the Saudis. Whatever the revised international club competitions end up looking like - expanded CL, new Superleague, Club World Cup, etc - they want a permanent seat at the table.
The goal here isn’t to have a four team domestic league with lots of known stars to entertain a domestic audience, its to use that league as leverage for influence in the established competitions and regulatory bodies of global football, like with LIV Golf.
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I don’t remember that personally.
Think Relevo’s Matteo Moretto broke the news in December that we were exploring a deal for him this summer. Don’t think it went beyond that.
Edit:
https://twitter.com/MatteMoretto/status/1603138893171367947
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Calls from whom, exactly? You’d think Saudi teams would wait to see if they could dominate in the Asian CL first.
Once they win one and make that uncompetitive, that’s when the calls may begin.
By whom…couldn’t say anyone specifically but likely someone who at least has a serving interest with the Saudis.
I think what is far more likely is them blowing up the poo league if they don’t get the 2030 World Cup.
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It was an open goal Sham. An open goal.