This summer, there have been several Saudi Pro League transfers that have taken people by surprise mainly due to the calibre of players involved. One that sticks out is Karim Benzema's move to Al-Ittihad at the start of the summer which seemed to cause a ripple effect that has seen many other world stars make the move.
One transfer that could trump Benzema's move to Al-Ittihad would be if Fulham winger, Willian, made the move to the Pro League. Of course, Willian isn't in the same league as Benzema in terms of pedigree, reputation or ability, however, if the 34-year-old was to move after only signing a new contract with Fulham two weeks ago then it would be classed as a huge surprise.
Despite penning that new contract a fortnight ago, a move now away from Craven Cottage looks to be on the cards again after Premierleaguebrasil exclusively revealed that Willian inserted a clause in his new deal that states he can move from Fulham should he receive an “irrecusable” offer from elsewhere. And according to reports in Brazil, Al Shabab have been in contact with Willian's agent with a mouthwatering contract offer
The contract on offer to the ex-Chelsea man is said to be worth £200,000 per week. This would certainly qualify as “irrecusable” as it would mean the winger would more than double his salary if he made the move to Saudi Arabia which means he now has a decision to make just two weeks after expressing how happy he was about being able to continue with Fulham in the Premier League for another season.
🇸🇦 Saudi club Al Shabab want to sign Willian and offer him £200,000 per week
It's been 11 days since he signed a deal with Fulham…😅 pic.twitter.com/2zLjYHR0jv
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 3, 2023
Is Willian going to leave Fulham?
Two weeks ago when Willian signed his new contract with Fulham, fans were overjoyed about the prospect of the Brazilian continuing with the club after an excellent season last year. His new deal is on better terms than the one he was on last year and he also has the option to extend it by a further year next summer if he still happy in London.
However, it now looks as if he could be on the move before he has the new Premier League season even begins. It is understood that the 34-year-old has told Al-Shabab that he will make the move should they reach an agreement with Fulham and this is where things could get interesting.
As already mentioned, there is a clause in Willian's contract that states he can leave Fulham if he receives an out-of-this-world contract offer. What's more, the clause also states that he can simply leave for free which means Fulham wouldn't even get any money for him. Out of respect for the club, Willian may well insist on Al Shabab paying some kind of fee to Fulham for his services considering he will be leaving them in the lurch just two weeks after signing a new deal.
If the transfer does go ahead, then Marco Silva may well feel aggrieved that he turned down an offer of £20m per season from Al-Ahli last week. The Portuguese manager stayed loyal to Fulham but with Willian now potentially on the way out and Aleksandar Mitrovic also pushing for a move to Saudi Arabia he could find himself in a precarious position quite soon.
