<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Brazilian superstar Neymar will be unveiled to fans at Al-Hilal on Saturday as he becomes the latest world-famous footballer snapped up by the big-spending Saudi Pro League.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>The flamboyant forward, 31, will be welcomed at Al-Hilal's 68,000-capacity stadium in Riyadh alongside two other new signings, fellow Brazilian Malcolm and Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.</div><div><br></div><div>Excitement has been high for Neymar, who joins a string of huge names approaching the twilight of their careers to be lured by oil-rich Saudi's giant contracts.</div><div><br></div><div>Neymar joined Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona in 2017 for a world-record fee of 222 million euros ($242 million), scoring 118 goals in 173 matches despite a series of injuries.</div><div><br></div><div>He will earn 100 million euros a season in Saudi Arabia, according to a source close to the negotiations, while PSG will pocket 100 million euros in the deal.</div><div><br></div><div>Cristiano Ronaldo set the Saudi Pro League's plans in motion when he joined Al-Nassr in January in a two-and-a-half-year deal said to be worth 400 million euros.</div><div><br></div><div>It opened the floodgates for a jaw-dropping summer transfer window when the Saudi league, previously a footballing backwater, snapped up some of the biggest names in the sport.</div><div><br></div><div>Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema was a gala signing for Al-Ittihad in June, followed by Riyadh Mahrez, Sadio Mane, N'Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and others.</div><div><br></div><div>Al-Hilal are the second biggest spending club worldwide in the current transfer window, trailing only Chelsea, and four Saudi teams -- Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad -- have spent nearly more than 560 million euros between them, according to Transfermarkt.com.</div><div><br></div><div>The four clubs are owned by the Public Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth vehicle, which has been snapping up assets as part of an aggressive drive to diversify the economy of the world's biggest oil exporter.</div><div><br></div><div>Two global superstars resisted the Saudi advances: Lionel Messi, who opted for Inter Miami, and his former PSG team-mate Kylian Mbappe, who reportedly refused to meet Al-Hilal officials.</div><div><br></div><div>Off the field, Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard joined Al-Ettifaq, ex-Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo became the Saudi league's director of football and Roma coach Jose Mourinho joined the board of Saudi's Mahd Sports Academy.</div><div><br></div><div>The buying spree has understandably caught the attention of other leagues, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expressing concern that the Saudi transfer window closes on September 20 -- three weeks after Europe.</div><div><br></div><div>Al-Hilal are coached by Portugal's Jorge Jesus, who is in his second spell at the club, while the squad has five international players recently lured from Europe -- Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Malcom and Bounou.</div><div><br></div><div>Al-Hilal have traditionally been one of Saudi Arabia's top clubs and have been crowned Asian Champions League winners on four occasions. - AFP&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>