Read on Twitter
Clearlake and PIF have an excellent relationship. And the latter are driving many high-profile moves to Saudi on behalf of Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli. #CFC see an opportunity to offload some players to Saudi. And PIF have multiple Chelsea players on their radar. 
With all these high-profile deals the club is often selected quite late in the process, but the aim is to populate all four clubs with stars to create Riyadh and Jeddah rivalries with global appeal. Next season there will new TV deals, and an English highlights show is expected.
These transfers are fluid. Player input matters, too, but PIF, and the Saudi Pro League, are driving many of these moves. By the time the club president flies in, it's often for final negotiation or even just handshakes and photos. This was certainly the case with Ronaldo.
A good example of this is also N'Golo Kante and Al-Nassr. They thought they had a chance for ages, and were even the 'frontrunner' at one point. But suddenly it was radio silence and they realised they were powerless to sign him. Now he's joining Al-Ittihad.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
