AFPAl-Hilal fans are about to witness a historic transfer. The Saudi giants stand on the brink of landing their first foreign signing of the summer window.
Dutchman Crysencio Summerville is the man in question. The West Ham United winger is closing in on a long-term move to "the Boss".
Summerville will join Al-Hilal for 80 million euros, according to The Athletic, making him the second most expensive deal in the history of the Saudi league.
The Dutch star surpassed Colombia's Jhon Duran, signed by Al-Nassr from Aston Villa for 77 million euros. He remains behind Brazil's Neymar da Silva, whom Al-Hilal landed from Paris Saint-Germain for 90 million.
Strangely, Al-Hilal's offer nearly doubled what Roma had put on the table. The Italian club sent their third and final bid yesterday, Tuesday, worth 46 million euros, before "the Boss" stepped in and sealed the deal, according to the reliable journalist Ben Jacobs.
Barring a bigger move from Al-Hilal themselves, the Dutch winger looks set to be the most expensive deal of the summer transfer window in the Saudi league, given the financial restrictions imposed on the other clubs.
Al-Hilal's fans fear that Summerville may repeat what Neymar did, when he joined the club in the summer of 2023, arriving from Paris Saint-Germain for 90 million euros.
That fee made Neymar the most expensive deal in the history of the Saudi league. The money never showed on the pitch, though, right up until he left Al-Hilal in January 2025.
Injuries piled up on the Brazilian across a season and a half. He managed just 7 matches for the team, a mere 428 minutes, scoring one goal and setting up three more.
Al-Hilal ran out of options and cut Neymar loose. He moved to Brazil's Santos, and every penny they had spent went to waste, with nothing to show for it.
The second most expensive deal in the history of the Saudi league, which Somerville could break, was that of Colombia's Jhon Duran, whom Al-Nassr signed in January 2025 from Aston Villa for 77 million euros.
Duran caught the eye from the moment he arrived at Al-Awwal Park, dazzling with his goals and rare ability. Yet the admiration faded fast. His behaviour saw to that, and he was gone after just half a season.
In those few months, the Colombian striker managed only 18 appearances, totalling 1,541 minutes. He scored 12 goals, collected four yellow cards and one red.
Two unsuccessful stints followed his short spell with Al-Nassr, first at Turkey's Fenerbahce and then Russia's Zenit. The 22-year-old scored a combined seven goals in 30 matches before moving to Benfica.
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Al-Hilal fans fear a repeat of the story of their two most expensive signings. They worry that Summerville's arrival will bring nothing but noise and no substance, and that he will fall short of the level hoped for next season.
One thing feeds that fear. The Dutch winger only truly shone last season, scoring 7 goals and providing 5 assists in 34 matches with West Ham.
Summerville's first season at the London club told a different tale. He managed just a single goal in 22 matches, playing 989 minutes and delivering only two assists.
Granted, he impressed at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico with the Netherlands, scoring twice and providing two assists in 4 matches. Even so, he failed to start in two of them.
The fans of "the Leader" hope that Summerville's efforts last season will not prove an exception. They want him to avoid the fate of players like Neymar and Duran, who arrived to plenty of noise but produced no substance.
