Ivan Toney’s deadline day move to Saudi Arabia could see him land the UK equivalent of £1 million a week after bonuses are included.

The England striker signed for Al-Ahli last week on a dramatic final day of the summer window. The 28-year-old was minutes away from missing out on leaving Brentford as Victor Osimhen also pushed for a move to the Saudi club.

Toney’s four-year deal will land him basic pay of around £400,000 per week after tax. It is understood add-ons and performance-related bonuses would take his salary to towards £500,000 across his contract. To earn the same take-home pay in the UK after tax would need wages close to £1 million per week.

It is an astonishing pay rise for a player who was on less than £50,000 a week at Brentford, where he played for four seasons having joined them from Peterborough United in League One.

Toney’s £40 million move to the Middle East will make him one of the best-paid English players in the game, although the move itself was within minutes of collapsing. Al-Ahli also negotiated with Napoli over Osimhen and had to decide between the two strikers. With a deal getting close for the Nigerian international, an agreement with Brentford over a fee was made in the nick of time and Toney’s move was back on.

Toney was in the last year of his contract at Brentford and risked being stuck for a season if a deal was not agreed. Thomas Frank had left him out of his match-day squads at the start of this campaign as his future was uncertain.

After passing his medical and signing a long-term contract, Toney will become the second England player to head to the Saudi Pro League after Jordan Henderson.

As reported by Telegraph Sport, players and managers have to stay in Saudi Arabia for a full tax year to pick up tax-free earnings in the Middle East. Returning earlier risks HMRC claiming 45 per cent on earnings.

Moussa Diaby’s move to Al-Ittihad was the other big move from the Premier League to Saudi Arabia in the summer, although the rate of players moving away from England slowed down compared to the previous year.

Toney’s first game is against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr after the international break, with his new team-mates at Al-Ahli including Roberto Firmino and Édouard Mendy, whom he faced in the Premier League.

Lee Carsley overlooked Toney for his first England squad as interim manager as he had not played club football this season.