Has the Saudi Pro League bubble burst already? Lack of big-money transfers suggests growing pains for ambitious project

Pro League director of football Michael Emenalo admitted in May that Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne were the "types of players" that the league would target this summer. "This particular coming window," Chelsea's former technical director told The Telegraph, "if there’s an opportunity to spend significantly on someone that we think will bring exactly what we need or what is needed, then we will do that."

However, Salah somewhat surprisingly decided to stay at Liverpool, and it is believed that the Egyptian winger, whom Al-Ittihad tried to sign last September for £150m ($190m), will end up extending a contract that expires at the end of the season.

As for De Bruyne, the 33-year-old made no secret of his interest in a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. "At my age, you have to be open to everything," he explained to HLN. "You're talking about incredible amounts of money in what may be the end of my career. Sometimes you have to think about that.

"If I play there for two years, I will be able to earn an incredible amount of money. Before that I had to play football for 15 years. I may not even reach that amount yet.

"Then, you have to think about what that could mean next. I still have one year left on my contract, so I have to think about what could happen. My eldest son is now eight years old and knows nothing but England. He also asks how long I will play for City. Once the moment comes, we will have to deal with it in a certain way."

However, it now appears highly unlikely that City will allow De Bruyne to depart before the close of the transfer window, with Guardiola making it very clear that he wants to hold onto his key creator.

Al-Nassr were also frustrated in their bid to sign Ederson from City - despite the Brazil goalkeeper's reported interest in a money-spinning move to the Middle East, having already won pretty much all there is to win in Europe. The goalkeeper's international colleague, Richarlison, was nowhere near as keen, though.

Even with current club Spurs on the verge of signing Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth, which will likely mean even less game time for the struggling striker, Richarlison rejected the chance to join an unnamed Saudi side earlier this week.

"There has been an offer, but my dream of playing for the Selecao and in the Premier League speaks louder," he told ESPN Brasil.

The Richarlison snub serves as a reminder of the difficulties that the Pro League still has in attracting players in or approaching what should be their peak years. Even someone like Romelu Lukaku, who is 31 and has spoken positively about the Saudi Arabian league in the past, is still holding out for a reunion with Antonio Conte at Napoli rather than accepting an offer from a Middle Eastern side because he believes he still has much to offer - and arguably prove - at the highest level.

In that sense, it's hardly surprising that the Pro League is still bringing in ageing stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is coming off the back of a brilliant season at Marseille, and former Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez.

Emenalo remains acutely aware that Saudi Arabia is an attractive destination for veterans looking to "extend their careers" and N'Golo Kante's return to the France fold in time for Euro 2024 made plenty of people sit up and take notice, as it suggested that previously injury-prone players could benefit from playing in a less physically demanding league.

However, there have been other, more significant signings than Aubameyang and Nacho in recent weeks. Indeed, the pair have joined newly-promoted Al-Qadsiah, who are backed by the national oil company Saudi Aramco and have also signed Ezequiel Fernandez (22) and Julian Quinones (27), from Boca Juniors and America, respectively.

Elsewhere, after failing with their bid to sign Ederson, as well as Juventus' Wojciech Szczesny, Al-Nassr instead snapped up Bento, the highly-rated 25-year-old Brazil goalkeeper. In addition, Benzema's Al-Ittihad have made clear their intent to atone for last year's dismal title defence by paying €60m for Aston Villa winger Moussa Diaby (25) and an additional €12m for Algeria midfielder Houssem Auoar (26).

These deals are representative of the Pro League's drive to not only add quality but also lower the average age of the overseas signings, with a great emphasis now being placed on young players across the league.

Of course, the lack of any real statement signings has inevitably attracted plenty of attention, particularly in Europe. Al-Ittihad may been busy, but looking at the other three members of the Pro League's big four, all of whom are owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Bento remains Al-Nassr's only acquisition, while neither Al-Ahli nor defending champions Al-Hilal have completed a single transfer.

It would be a surprise if that were still the case come the end of the European transfer window. A flurry of activity is anticipated in the coming days and weeks, as a relatively quiet summer to date can be attributed to both the Euros and the Copa America running into the middle of July. One major move could easily spark a transfer merry-go-round.

However, Emenalo did say all along that the Saudi market would slow down after last summer's splurge. The plan was always to announce themselves as a major force, "compete aggressively" for top players and then "allow them time to adapt and perform".

For that very reason, Al-Hilal, for example, are not planning any massive deals because they are effectively viewing Neymar, who missed nearly all of last season through injury, as a new addition to a team that won the league undefeated.

The consensus is that most of the top Pro League teams already have sufficient quality in their squads to challenge for the AFC Champions League and, in Al-Hilal's case, the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

It would also be naive to think that Saudi Arabia has suddenly lost interest in transforming the Pro League into one of the world's top leagues - or that PIF no longer has the means to turn that dream into a reality.

Football is the cornerstone of a multi-sports state-sponsored project aimed at completely altering the way in which the kingdom is perceived all across the world. That process has already been under way for some time now and will culminate in what the government hopes will be both a spectacular and successful staging of the 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia.

A thriving domestic league is considered essential in that regard, which is why the focus has shifted somewhat away from incessant superstar signings towards improving and developing local talent. Consequently, while there have been fewer deals involving overseas players in the Pro League this summer, there has been an awful lot of internal trading.

There is also an ongoing drive to raise the standard of the league in every possible way, with Emenalo targeting improvements in governance, public relations, marketing, infrastructure, stadia, training-ground facilities and academies.

“We have to raise the level of training and development of young players coming through,” he said in a Q&A with the league's official website. “I want to make sure that, professionally, we are competing against and with the best."

There seems little chance, then, of the Pro League going the same way as its Chinese counterpart. The league has several significant obstacles to overcome, chief among them keeping the existing stars happy while encouraging others to join. Jordan Henderson's decision to leave Al-Ettifaq after just six months certainly did little to help the SPL's image in European circles, while Aymeric Laporte has been linked with a return to Spain after his heroics at Euro 2024.

However, Emenalo remains steadfast in his belief that it can become the game's "top league". It's not as if PIF lacks money or ambition, as we've seen from its attempts to take a strong hold of golf, boxing and various other sports.

Still, having caught the attention of the footballing world last summer, the challenge now is holding onto it. Whether that's possible without a constant supply of high-profile players remains to be seen, but Saudi Arabia will clearly spare no expense in finding out.