Saudi Pro League transfer deadline: Demarai Gray, Mohamed Salah and other potential deals

Everton winger Demarai Gray is understood to be on the verge of sealing a move from the Premier League to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ettifaq. With the Saudi Pro League transfer window closing late on Thursday, we look at five other rumoured deals that could go through before the deadline.

The football transfer story of the past couple of weeks. Liverpool are said to have rejected a “verbal offer” worth £150 million ($188m) for their star man to join Al Ittihad, the Saudi champions. An increased bid is reported to be coming from the kingdom, but Liverpool have been staunch in their stance that Salah is not for sale (he has two years left on his contract). Plus, it feels as if any potential transfer, socially of this stature, has been left too late this window; with the Premier League deadline passed, Liverpool could not replace Salah until January at the earliest. The Egyptian, one of Europe’s top players and the world’s most famous Arab footballer, has obvious appeal to Saudi. However, more likely one for future.

Cast aside somewhat surprisingly by Manchester United, the Spanish goalkeeper remains a free agent. De Gea spent 12 years at Old Trafford and, while Andre Onana was brought in this summer given his superior ball distribution, it is a shock no European club has plumped for his predecessor. Still only 32, De Gea has been linked with a move to Saudi, where a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr is mooted. The Riyadh side currently have Nawaf Al Aqidi as their No 1, in the continued absence of injured Colombian David Ospina. De Gea would undoubtedly represent an upgrade; Al Aqidi was particularly culpable in Nassr’s opening defeat to Al Ettifaq.

A story that has rumbled all summer, the Italian midfielder has for some