Saudi Arabia are reportedly pursuing Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Jr with an offer of more than €1 billion.
Reuters and ESPN reported that the player is willing to hear the offer from the kingdom, which will be the biggest deal in the sport.
Vinicius, 24, has apparently been approached by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund about the possibility of moving to the Saudi Pro League on a five-year contract worth around €200m a season plus bonuses.
According to Reuters, the deal could include a separate 10-year contract to become an ambassador for the 2034 World Cup, which is set to be held in the country – the second time the global finals will be held in the Middle East.
While a formal offer has yet to be presented, Vinicius has reportedly given permission to PIF to approach Real Madrid.
According to the reports, while Vinicius is "happy and motivated" in Madrid, the lucrative offer must be looked at carefully.
However, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said these are just rumours and added Vinicius is focused on performing for Real Madrid.
"The Saudi rumours do not affect Vinicius at all. He's a fantastic player who wants to help Real Madrid be at the top, as he did in the last few years," Ancelotti said ahead of the Uefa Super Cup final against Atalanta on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia has been making major moves in the world of football with the aim of turning the SPL into a league that attracts the world's best players.
The process started with the PIF taking majority ownership of the country's four main clubs: Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr.
The kingdom announced expansion plans this year. The kingdom's ministry of sport launched the latest phase of the "sports clubs investment and privatisation project" to bring in fresh investment at 14 more clubs.
Six clubs were made available for investments from August – Al Zulfi, Al Nahda, Al Okhdood, Al Ansar, Al Orouba, and Al Kholoud.
After that, eight more clubs – Al Shoalah, Hajar, Al Najmah, Al Riyadh, Al Rawdhah, Jeddah, Al Taraji, and Al Sahel – will be up for privatisation at a later stage.
The scale matches the ambition of the SPL, which has witnessed several significant transfer deals. Al Hilal spent €90m to buy star forward Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain.
That came alongside Karim Benzema moving to Al Ittihad after Cristiano Ronaldo signed a historic deal at Al Nassr.
Saudi Arabia also tried to persuade Kylian Mbappe to move to the SPL but the France captain turned down lucrative offer and joined Real Madrid in June.
The proposal for Vinicius is said to be similar to the one made to Mbappe. If he does agree, the Brazilian could link up with former Premier League players Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino at Al Ahli.
Vinicius, who is under contract until 2027 after signing an extension in 2022, is a contender to win the Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world after helping Real to a Champions League and La Liga double last season.
