Gary Neville has demanded the Premier League block transfers to Saudi Arabian clubs amid questions over the integrity of the division.
A number of high-profile players from the English top-flight have begun completing mega-money deals to the Middle East, including N'Golo Kante and Ruben Neves. Kick-starting this trend in December was Cristiano Ronaldo, who will soon be joined by his former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema in the division.
Chelsea are currently the club offloading the most players to the Saudi Pro League, with Kante already gone and Edouard Mendy, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Kalidou Koulibaly and Romelu Lukaku also been tipped to follow the same path. This, in particular, has caused controversy due to alleged links between Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Londoners.
The PIF, who last month announced they would be taking over four high-profile Saudi sides, allegedly hold a stake in Clearlake Capital - the private equity firm that holds a 60 per cent ownership of Chelsea.
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Of the opinion that any further negotiations between Premier League and Saudi Pro League clubs until it can be proved there is no reason for concerns to be expressed, Neville told BBC Sport: "The Premier League should put an instant embargo on transfers to Saudi Arabia to ensure the integrity of the game isn't being damaged. Checks should be made on the appropriateness of the transactions.
"If it comes through that process, obviously transfers could open up again. But I do believe, at this moment in time, transfers should be halted until you look into the ownership structure at Chelsea and whether there are beneficial transfer dealings that are improper."
Offering an insight into the Premier League's stance on the matter, the i have reported transfers will be 'scrutinised', though there are no plans at present for an embargo. The article adds the Premier League is 'confident' in its new Fair Market Value rules, which regulates deals while removing the requirement of a ban.
Mohamed Salah is one of the only Liverpool players to so far be linked with a Saudi switch, with claims from the Middle East already emerging over their intentions to lure the Egyptian to their league. Salah is under contract at Anfield until 2025, having committed to a three-year deal last summer.
