Liverpool are set to lose sporting director Richard Hughes when his contract expires in 2027, leaving him to join former Bournemouth friend Saudi Arabia.
Richard Hughes to swap Liverpool for Saudi Arabia (Image: Liverpool FC, Getty Images)
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes is expected to head to the Saudi Professional League this summer, his last transfer window.
Hughes moved to Anfield in March 2024, penning a contract until the summer of 2027, after which he will leave for Al Hilal and join former Bournemouth team-mate Simon Francis.
Francis has joined Al Hilal and is leading the club’s transfer efforts, with The Athletic reporting that Francis and the club are currently operating on the belief that Hughes will indeed move and join Hilal.
Francis and Hughes were teammates at Bournemouth during their playing days and were colleagues in the club’s technical department. Francis eventually replaced Hughes as technical director at Bournemouth when he left for Liverpool.
Hughes remains focused on his role at Liverpool, which is his current transfer business and supporting the club’s new head coach, Andoni Iraola. It is understood that this will be the last transfer window before a transition period for his replacement to settle into the role.
Hughes, along with FSG’s football chief executive Michael Edwards, helped hire Arne Slott after Jurgen Klopp’s departure and oversaw last summer’s transfer business, which saw the Reds break British transfer records for the second time. They have since sacked Slot and brought in Iraola, whom Hughes knew from his time at Bournemouth.
Simon Francis (left) is ready to welcome Richard Hughes (centre) to Al Hilal
Al Hilal is managed by former Inter manager Simone Inzaghi and boasts star players such as Karim Benzema, Darwin Nunez, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly. Ironically, Nuñez has been linked with a move, with the Reds being touted as a surprise destination.
Al Hilal won the Saudi Professional League four times in five years, but that streak ended with a victory in 2024. Last year, they won the King’s Cup and remain one of Saudi Arabia’s elite teams.
They have not hesitated to invest in European talent on and off the pitch. Inzaghi will reportedly leave Inter Milan in 2025 on a deal worth around £20 million a year.
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