Aleksandar Mitrovic was Fulham's key player up front, scoring 14 Premier League goals last season as the Cottagers finished in the top half; the Serbian striker wants to leave the west London club after five and a half years; Al Hilal have already signed Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly
Wednesday 12 July 2023 15:51, UK
Fulham have rejected a £25.5m bid for Aleksandar Mitrovic from Al-Hilal and have told Sky Sports News the striker is not for sale.
Sources close to the player have told us Mitrovic wants to leave the Premier League side and join the Saudi Pro League.
The Serbia international scored 14 league goals last season to help Fulham finish in the top half of the table.
Mitrovic's goals also played a key role in helping the west London club to return to the top flight from the Championship on two occasions.
The forward joined Fulham, initially on loan in February 2018, before signing permanently for around £25m later that year.
Al Hilal have been one of the busiest Saudi Arabian clubs in this transfer window - and have already claimed one major Premier League coup in Wolves captain Ruben Neves.
The Portuguese midfielder, who was captain at Wolves, completed a £47m move to the Pro League club earlier this summer.
Al Hilal have also signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea, while Sky in Italy report that Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is close to a £34.5m move to the same club.
Milikovic-Savic, who is Mitrovic's international team-mate with Serbia, is reportedly set to sign a contract worth over £17m per year.
The other high-profile player Al Hilal have is former Sporting Lisbon and Benfica forward Andre Carillo, who has 92 caps for Peru and spent the 2017-18 season on loan at Watford.
Saudi Arabia are signing some of world football's most high profile players this summer - but why is this happening and does this spending power pose a threat to big European clubs?
In 2023 alone, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to the Middle Eastern nation on a free transfer, with Ballon D'Or winner Karim Benzema turning down another season at Real Madrid to join him in the country.
Meanwhile, a host of Chelsea players - including N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy - have swapped Stamford Bridge for Saudi Arabia, while the likes of Heung-Min Son, Bernardo Silva and Mitrovic have been targeted.
Back in June, Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol analysed this transfer market trend...
Who will be on the move this summer ahead of the transfer window closing at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
