Jesse Lingard has not ruled out a move to the Saudi Pro League after leaving Nottingham Forest.
The attacking midfielder, who has 32 senior caps for England, is set to become a free agent with his one-year deal at the City Ground coming to an end. He made 17 Premier League appearances for Steve Cooper's side last term, but failed to find the net.
Lingard appears in no hurry to decide on his next move, having only signed a short-term deal with Forest after the expiry of his Manchester United contract. He has spoken of the need for a "project" which suits him, and understands why other Premier League stars have already opted for the Saudi Pro League.
"I'm considering all options," Lingard told Sky Sports. "I've never ruled any team out, any club out, so for me it's just picking the right team that's going to be right for me - I just want to play football at the end of the day, that's all I want to do.
"The project's got to be well-suited for me, the team's got to be going in a good direction. Literally, it's just regular game time - I'm still hungry, working hard out here...
"Saudi Arabia are doing big things, and in the next year or so it will be one of the hotspots to go to. I'm not really surprised that loads of big names are moving out there. Obviously it's something I'm going to consider as well, I've not ruled that out either - like I say, it's just got to be right for me at the end of the day."
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Were Lingard to move to Saudi Arabia, he would be following in the footsteps of a number of former Premier League stars. His former Man Utd team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo is at Al Nassr, while Kalidou Koulibaly, N'Golo Kante and Ruben Neves have all made moves of their own.
Koulibaly, who has joined Al Hilal, raised the issue of game time at Chelsea with the Blues adding further centre-backs since his arrival from Napoli in 2022. Following his exit, the Senegalese defender hit out at the club after a chaotic season which incorporated multiple managerial changes.
"They expected the Koulibaly from Napoli, but I don’t think my season has been that bad," he told Corriere dello Sport. "I needed time: in one year, I couldn’t demonstrate what I would have wanted due to the choices of the manager and the club.
“I had no guarantees of always playing: I’ve always been serious and professional, but I don’t like being on the bench doing nothing. I prefer a place where they want me, where I’m at the centre of a project and I can be an example to young people.”
Further big name players could soon trade top European leagues for Saudi Arabia, with Chelsea duo Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech close to moves. However, some other targets - including Luka Modric - have opted to stay in Europe.
