Naughty Arabs are coming to raid Paris: Al-Ahly to offer Verratti $55 MILLION per season

Saudi Arabia is a football-mad country, and their clubs' owners are determined to bankroll an unthinkable shopping spree which could dramatically raise the standard of football and the media coverage of the Saudi Pro League. The latest player to be tempted by a jaw-dropping offer from Arabia is Paris Saint-Germain's midfielder Marco Verratti.

Directors of Al-Hilal have travelled to the French capital to tempt PSG and their Italian star to give up playing in Europe in favour of a sensational move to the Middle East. A few weeks ago, they were in Paris to persuade Romelu Lukaku to come, and now they want another big star. Verratti is under contract at Parc des Princes until June 2026, but the Saudis have enough money to make the Ligue 1 holders think hard. According to L'Equipe, the club from Riyad will offer the 30-year-old midfielder an eye-watering salary of $55 million per season!

Although no official offer is yet on the table of the PSG owners, the Italian is believed to be tempted by the idea. L'Equipe's sources say Verratti has had a conversation about a potential move with Kylian Mbappe during a dinner in the fancy French destination of Cannes. Meanwhile, PSG's football advisor Luis Campos doesn't consider Verratti quintessential and wouldn't mind using the freed-up budget to pursue other targets.

On the pitch, he misses sitters. Off the pitch, he lacks common sense

The upcoming arrival of Luis Enrique to the PSG bench could, however, make a difference. The Spanish coach, likely to be appointed as Christophe Galtier's successor, has never been stingy with compliments. He's a big fan of Verratti's style - and he spoke about it publicly.

Al-Hilal will have to be very persuasive, as they were recently with the Senegalese Kalidou Koulibaly, bought from Chelsea, or the Portuguese Ruben Neves, recruited from Wolverhampton. Their enormous wealth is a big asset at any negotiation table. Take note, Marco!