Al-Hilal have completed the signing of teenage attacking midfielder Saïmon Bouabré from fellow Saudi Pro League side NEOM SC in a deal worth €23.00m, strengthening the Riyadh giants with one of the league’s most highly valued young prospects. The France and Cote d’Ivoire dual national joins for a fee nearly six times his current market valuation of €4.00m, underlining Al-Hilal’s determination to invest heavily in emerging talent as they refresh their squad.
The move keeps Bouabré in the Saudi Pro League, with the transfer registered on 2026-02-02 and his new contract with Al-Hilal running until 2029-06-30. There is no indication in the data of an extension option, meaning that, as things stand, the 19-year-old is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of that deal unless new terms are agreed.
Bouabré arrives at Al-Hilal after a rapid rise at NEOM SC. Having joined the club from AS Monaco in the same 25/26 season, his market value surged from €300,000 at Monaco’s U21 side to €4.00m with NEOM SC by the end of 2025, a reflection of his impact in Saudi Arabia’s top flight. The data positions him primarily as an attacking midfielder, operating in the central creative role and favouring his right foot.
Born in Saint-Étienne and standing at 1.74m, Bouabré was developed through a succession of French and Monegasque youth systems. He started in AS Saint-Étienne’s youth ranks before moving to Andrézieux-Bouthéon, then SC Air Bel, and later joining AS Monaco’s youth setup. Within Monaco, he progressed from U17 to U19 and then U21, eventually earning promotion to the senior AS Monaco squad ahead of his switch to NEOM SC. That pathway has given him experience across French youth football and in the professional structure linked to Ligue 1, even though his senior breakthrough has been made abroad in Saudi Arabia rather than in France or Cote d’Ivoire.
At NEOM SC, Bouabré featured in the Saudi Pro League, showcasing the attacking qualities that convinced Al-Hilal to invest so aggressively. His role as an advanced midfielder aligns with Al-Hilal’s possession-based, front-foot approach, where creativity between the lines is vital. The significant gap between his market value and the €23.00m outlay indicates Al-Hilal are buying not just present ability, but long-term potential and resale value.
For Bouabré, the confirmed transfer cements his status as a fully established expatriate professional rather than a prospect waiting for a chance in France or a first move to Cote d’Ivoire’s domestic scene. His career trajectory has already taken him from European academies to the Saudi Pro League, and this step to its most prominent club further distances him from any immediate return to his home country’s leagues.
The move also tightens Al-Hilal’s grip on emerging talent within Saudi Arabia’s top division, while leaving NEOM SC with a substantial transfer income and a notable gap in their attacking structure. If Bouabré continues the development that saw his value jump so dramatically in 2025, the contract running through 2029-06-30 positions him to become either a long-term pillar of Al-Hilal’s midfield or a major asset in future transfer windows, with the possibility of a high-profile move or a free-agency departure at the end of his deal.
