Atlético may sell world champions to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian club "Al-Ahli" is showing interest in the central midfielder of Madrid's "Atletico" and the Argentine national team, Rodrigo de Paul, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano in his Twitter.

According to the source, representatives of the Saudi club have already started negotiations with "Atletico". The Argentine player is interested in the move, and therefore his agent is also involved in the negotiations. "Al-Ahli" decided to buy de Paul after failing to acquire midfielder Piotr Zielinski from "Napoli" and the Polish national team.

29-year-old de Paul has been playing for "Atletico" since the summer of 2021. He transferred to the Spanish club from Italian side "Udinese". The transfer fee was 35 million euros. In total, he has played 88 matches for the Madrid club in all competitions, scored seven goals, and provided 10 assists. His contract with the club is valid until the summer of 2026.

De Paul has been playing for the Argentine national team since 2018. He has played 54 matches for the Argentine national team, scored two goals, provided eight assists, and received eight yellow cards. With the Argentine national team, de Paul became a champion of the World Cup in 2022, won the Finilissima-2022, and also became the winner of the Copa America in 2021.