Pep Guardiola expects more 'top quality' stars to join Saudi Pro League

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Saturday that the Saudi Pro League had "completely changed the market" and he expects more high-profile players to move to the kingdom in the future.

Portuguese great Cristiano Ronaldo was the first global name to move to Saudi as the country made its first major move in the quest to become one of the top football destinations in the world.

Since then, superstars like Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Ruben Neves and many others have migrated to the Middle East.

On Friday, Manchester City's veteran winger Riyad Mahrez became the latest big name to move to Saudi, joining Al Ahli on a deal that runs until 2027.

Algerian international Mahrez joined Al Ahli for a fee understood to be worth up to £30 million. Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane also looked poised to join the exodus.

For Guardiola, this has become the new norm.

"The Saudi league completely changed the market," Guardiola was quoted as saying by AFP in Seoul on the eve of City's friendly with Atletico Madrid.

"A year ago when Cristiano Ronaldo was the first player, no one could imagine how many top, top quality, extraordinary players were going to play in the Saudi league.

"In the future, it will happen more and more and that’s why clubs need to be aware of what is happening."

Saudi football also tried to rope in Argentine great Lionel Messi before he moved to Major League Soccer in the US. They are still trying to sign the best footballer in the world - Kylian Mbappe - with a world-record offer of €300m, even though a deal seems unlikely.

While City bid goodbye to Mahrez, they also saw defender Nathan Ake extend his contract with the club to 2027.

The Netherlands international has prolonged his previous deal by two years,