Chelsea tempt Saudi Pro League free agent back to the big time in shock January move

Robin Bairner

Updated: 22 Oct 2025 06:52 BST
6 min read

Chelsea have been linked with a surprise January transfer for a Saudi Pro League star who would offer scoring power from midfield, but the Blues face competition from Serie A side Juventus.

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The Stamford Bridge outfit are seeking to expand their midfield options beyond Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, and according to Corriere dello Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), Enzo Maresca’s side will move for Sergej Milikovic-Savic during the next transfer window.

Milikovic-Savic was once tipped as being the world’s next great midfield star while with Lazio, but after a series of failed moves to Manchester United ultimately moved to Saudi with Al-Hilal in 2023.

Current ETV

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

M, DM (C)

Al-Hilal

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

M, DM (C)

Al-Hilal

ETV Range

€8.3M - €11.2M

Now boasting an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €11 million, he will be out of contract with his current club at the end of June as things stand. Negotiations are said to have reached a standstill, with Milinkovic-Savic unsure of staying in the Saudi Pro League or making a move back to Europe.

Chelsea are poised to take advantage of this situation, according to Italian reports, and are weighing up the possibility of a cut-price move for him at that point. Juve are another major club cited as having an interest, despite signing Adrien Rabiot from Marseille this summer.

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A post shared by Sergej Milinkovic Savic (@sergej___21)

Is this a realistic deal?

Milinkovic-Savic to Chelsea would be a shock move, given the Serbia international has largely disappeared from the radar in recent years.

He has, however, been posting impressive numbers in Saudi Arabia. At his best, he was noted for his scoring power in Italy, and that remains formidable with Al-Hilal, where he posted 31 goals and 24 assists in his first two seasons.

While this type of output might interest a club like Chelsea, particularly as he has a relatively low transfer fee, the Blues’ model has been built around signing young players with the idea that they will guarantee transfer profits in the future. Milinkovic-Savic, at 30, is a completely different age profile.

It would, therefore, be a major surprise to see him playing at Stamford Bridge come January.

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