Real Madrid star Luka Modric has resisted the lure of Saudi Arabia, reportedly turning down one of the "biggest ever proposals in football".
The Middle Eastern country are making huge moves in the transfer market, following up their huge signing of Cristiano Ronaldo to Al Nassr in December with a series of high-profile additions to the Saudi Pro League.
In recent times, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante have both signed mega deals with champions Al Ittihad, while Kalidou Koulibaly and Ruben Neves have joined Al Hilal.
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The wishlist of players for the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) - who now have control of four leading clubs - appears to be endless.
Alvaro Morata, Riyad Mahrez, Heung-Min Son, Bernardo Silva, Thomas Partey, and Roberto Firmino are just some of the massive names linked with a lucrative Saudi switch as the league looks to emulate China's splash in football a few years back.
Croatian captain Modric also had a deal on the table from Saudi according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Now 37, one could have forgiven the former Spurs man for finishing his career with a mammoth paycheck - especially given Jude Bellingham just arrived for more than £100 million.
However, Modric is said to have knocked back the proposal - said to be one of the biggest ever seen in the game - as he wants to continue at Real for another season.
Modric has penned a new one-year extension at the Santiago Bernabeu, which will take his service in the Spanish capital to 12 years.
The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner is closing in 500 hundred appearances for Los Blancos and has been instrumental in five Champions League triumphs and three La Liga wins.
When the announcement was made on social media, Modric reacted by taking to Twitter by writing: "Home Sweet Home".
Modric's decision will prove popular with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who has been critical about the way Saudi Arabia are going about things.
He said: “I think that it’s mainly a mistake for Saudi Arabian football.
“Why is that a problem for them? Because they should invest in academies, they should bring coaches, and they should develop their own players.
“The system of buying the players that almost ended their career is not the system that develops football.”
Topics: Luka Modric, Real Madrid, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Karim Benzema
Josh Lawless