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Liverpool’s Michael Hughes Set for Al-Hilal Move After £449 m Spend

7/3/2026

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Summary

Hughes Eyes Al-Hilal

Liverpool sporting director Michael Hughes is expected to leave for Saudi club Al-Hilal.
Hughes remains under contract with Liverpool until June 2027 while Al-Hilal prepares a lucrative offer.
He oversaw a £449 million spending spree in the 2025 summer window and helped appoint Arne Slot.
He continues to lead Liverpool’s summer recruitment drive.
Fenway Sports Group will begin searching for a successor as Hughes’s final act at Anfield concludes.

Summary

Hughes Targets Al-Hilal

The Public Investment Fund sold a 70 percent stake in Al-Hilal to Kingdom Holding Company, while Simone Inzaghi now earns about £20 million a year as the club’s manager.
Al-Hilal won league titles in five seasons, the latest in 2024, plus the 2025 Kings Cup, and signed Benzema, Nunez, Neves and Koulibaly.
Hughes’s expected move illustrates a rising trend of European executives taking senior roles in Saudi clubs.

History

Historical Context

On 1 September 2008 the Abu Dhabi United Group bought Manchester City for about £200 million, immediately splashing £32.5 million on Robinho and launching a spending surge that delivered the club’s first league title in 44 years in 2012. The success prompted the Premier League to tighten Financial Fair Play rules by 2013, a precedent shaping today’s Gulf-backed club investments.

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Hughes Eyes Al-Hilal

Liverpool sporting director Michael Hughes is expected to leave for Saudi club Al-Hilal.
Hughes remains under contract with Liverpool until June 2027 while Al-Hilal prepares a lucrative offer.
He oversaw a £449 million spending spree in the 2025 summer window and helped appoint Arne Slot.
He continues to lead Liverpool’s summer recruitment drive.
Fenway Sports Group will begin searching for a successor as Hughes’s final act at Anfield concludes.

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