Informed sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Abha Club submitted an offer to Al-Qadisiyah in order to loan the young player Ammar Al-Yaihibi, as part of the club’s moves to enhance its local options during the current transfer period.
The move comes at a time when Al-Qadisiyah strengthened its attacking options by contracting with Abdulaziz Al-Eliwa. This opens up more space for the possibility of Al-Yhaibi leaving in search of participation minutes and a greater opportunity to appear.
According to the sources, the player’s file has witnessed advanced movements during the past hours, in light of Abha’s desire to add a young element capable of playing in more than one offensive position.
Abha continues its movements in the market in conjunction with the technical conditions that the team is going through, after the recent results and the number of injuries that reduced the options of the technical staff.
Al-Ahly Saudi club is close to signing Frenchman Ibrahim Diaby, the Belgian Cercle Brugge midfielder, in a deal valued at approximately 13.5 million euros, including bonuses.
According to the French newspaper L'Equipe, on Sunday, Diaby; The 19-year-old is already in Saudi Arabia, and is undergoing a medical examination in preparation for completing his transfer to Al-Ahly, and will sign a 4-year contract with the option to extend for an additional season.
Diaby, who graduated from the Paris Saint-Germain Academy, left the French club for Cercle Brugge last season in order to start his professional career, before he is now approaching a new experience in the Saudi League.
In another file, Al-Ahly tried during the past hours to also sign a contract with Montenegrin midfielder Andrea Bulatovic, who is 19 years old. Negotiations with the French club Lens have reached an advanced stage, but the deal is not expected to be completed.
On the other hand, Frenchman Pape Cabral will continue with Monaco during the current season, after the possibility of him moving to Al-Ahly was on the table during the last period.
Those close to the player confirmed that the criticism issued by the Saudi club fans regarding his potential transfer deal, in addition to the departure of Al-Ahly’s sporting director, contributed to the complexity of the final stage of the negotiations.
Cabral, for his part, decided to stay with Monaco and not pressure to complete his transfer to the Saudi League, after receiving reassurances from French club officials regarding the position he would obtain within the team during the current season.
Frenchman Karim Benzema was ready to return to his former club, Olympique Lyonnais, during the summer transfer period, and spend one season with the team without receiving a salary, but his commitment to a contract with the Saudi League extending until 2030 prevented the move from being completed.
According to the French newspaper "L'Equipe", Lyon officials have already studied the possibility of bringing back Benzema this summer, an information that was confirmed by those around the player who won the Ballon d'Or in 2022. The 38-year-old striker was very enthusiastic about the idea of ending his career in the club in which he grew up, and without financial compensation, due to his connection to Lyon and the city in which he was born.
Benzema had not yet been released from his contract with Al Hilal, before he became a free player a week ago after ending the final year of his contract by mutual consent, while receiving his full financial dues.
The French striker's relationship with Italian coach Simone Inzaghi was not at its best, at a time when the latter wanted to sign a new striker, which was finally achieved by including Englishman Ollie Watkins, 30 years old, from Aston Villa for approximately 60 million euros, equivalent to about 261 million riyals.
During his experience in Saudi Arabia, Benzema won the league title and two cup championships, in addition to receiving the best player award in the league. However, during the recent period, he began to feel some fatigue regarding his experience in the competition, despite the fact that during the summer he underwent an intensive personal physical preparation program, in preparation for what he expected to be the last season of his career.
The main obstacle to Benzema's return to France is his continued association with a Saudi football promotional contract until 2030, a contract that the player wants to respect and fulfill his obligations.
Under these circumstances, Benzema's retirement from football has become one of the most likely possibilities, especially since his promotional contract extends until 2030, when the player will have reached 43 years old.
Benzema is still closely linked to Lyon, his first club and city, and returns to it whenever he has the opportunity, while his picture adorns a huge mural on a building in the Bron area, where he grew up and started playing football.
His potential return would have been a major sporting and marketing gain for Lyon, as the club expected his presence to lead to a significant increase in seasonal subscriptions and shirt sales.
Benzema previously spoke last December about the possibility of returning to Lyon, explaining that taking such a step is not easy after he left behind a distinguished image, and that sometimes it is better to leave things as they are.
Benzema left Lyon in 2009 after winning four French League titles and winning the tournament's Best Player award, to move to Real Madrid, where he won five Champions League titles in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022, before achieving his biggest dream of winning the Ballon d'Or.
