How could Al Hilal line up in 2023-24 season

The Saudi giants go into the next season on the back of a blockbuster transfer window.

Al Hilal started their summer recruitment plans with an astronomical bid for Lionel Messi. The Argentine icon rejected the offer as he decided to join Inter Miami. But that didn’t stop Al Hilal from making a host of top-class additions to their squad ahead of the 2023-24 season.

The shocking arrival of Ruben Neves showed the team is not just focused on signing over-30-year-old players. That trend was then continued by the signing of Malcom, who left Zenit Saint Petersburg to continue his football in Saudi Arabia.

Before speculating on Al Hilal’s possible lineup for the new season, let’s check out the full list of players who have joined Al Hilal during the summer transfer window.

Which players have joined Al Hilal this summer?

Name	Price	From
Neymar	€90m	PSG
Malcom	€60m	Zenit
R. Neves	€55m	Wolves
A. Mitrovic	€50m	Lazio
K. Koulibaly	€23m	Chelsea
Y. Bono	€21m	Sevilla

Al Hilal Lineup for 2023-24 Season

Yassine Bono was heavily linked with a move to Bayern Munich, but a €21 million offer from Al Hilal edged out the German giants in the transfer race. The Morocco international becomes Al Hilal’s new No.1 keeper.

In defence, Kalidou Koulibaly forms a centre-back duo with Ali Albulayhi as Yasser Al-Shahrani and Saud Abdulhamid play on the left and right flanks, respectively.

Lucas Digne is also heavily linked with a move to Al Hilal. Al Shahrani could find himself on the bench if the Aston Villa left-back completes a move to the Riyadh club.

In midfield, Ruben Neves will play alongside Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who has joined Al Hilal from Lazio. Another ongoing transfer saga is that of Marco Verratti, whose possible arrival could even tempt Jorge Jesus to use a 3-4-3 formation. For now, however, Mohamed Kanno is the best choice to complete Al Hilal’s three-man setup in midfield.

The team’s attacking trio will see Neymar and Malcom play on the opposite flanks, with Aleksandar Mitrović being the team’s target striker.

Al Hilal XI: Y. Bono, K. Koulibaly, A, Albulayhi, Y. Al-Shahrani, S. Abdulhamid, M. Kanno, R. Neves, S. Milinkovic-Savic, Neymar, Malcom, A. Mitrovic.