Mason Greenwood: Man Utd forward moving to Saudi Arabia would be 'very surprising'
By Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport
Mason Greenwood potentially moving to a club in Saudi Arabia would be "very surprising", a senior league source has told BBC Sport.
Forward Greenwood, 21, will leave Manchester United by mutual agreement after a six-month internal investigation into his conduct.
Saudi teams have spent lavishly on big-name signings this summer and Greenwood has been discussed internally.
However, the league feels it would not be the right move currently.
The acquisition of players in Saudi Arabia works differently to elsewhere, with the league doing the bidding or deals for players before assigning which club they will play for.
Last year also saw the inaugural season of the Saudi Women's Premier League.
Women's football in Saudi is "breaking records," the first female vice-president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (Saff) Lamia Bahaian said on Friday.
The Saff recorded an 86% rise in registered female players last year, while the number of women's clubs nationally also rose by 56%.
The source added: "The government have created a women's league, which is about to start its second season on 11 October. That is also an important difference because it is being seen as for the whole community.
"That is an incredible change, women's football was totally frowned upon; now there is a national team with a Fifa ranking.
"Women are playing without head coverings and there are male fans in the stands, that is a big cultural shift."
Meanwhile, Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard has said on Instagram reports his side are looking to sign Greenwood as "fake news".
Mason Greenwood moving from Manchester United to a Saudi Arabian club would be "very surprising", a senior league source has told BBC Sport.
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