Shielding His Striker: Al Hilal Blocks Al Nassr’s Move for Hamdan in Fresh Talks

Update

Al Hilal has moved again to safeguard the services of striker Abdullah Al-Hamdan and block their archrival Al-Nassr, which has begun attempts to snatch him in the near future.

Reports indicated that Al Nassr has begun contacting Hamdan to secure his services for free after the end of his contract with Al Hilal, following a renewal offer being rejected.

According to the Saudi daily Al Yaum, Al Hilal will start a new round of negotiations with the Saudi forward, aiming to persuade him to renew and stay with the team for a further spell.

Background

This move comes at the request of Italian coach Simone Inzaghi, who relies on Hamdan as a third striker after Uruguay's Darwin Nunez and Brazil's Marcos Leonardo.

The initial offer rejected by the 26-year-old included a renewal for a longer period, with a salary of 12 million riyals, which Al Hilal plans to raise in the second round of negotiations.

Abdullah Hamdan, who can play as a center forward and on the wings, has been with Al Hilal for almost five years, since moving to the club in February 2021, coming from the youth team.

Since joining the Leaders, the international striker has appeared in 142 matches, scoring 13 goals and providing 10 assists.

Punchline 1: If patience were a sport, this transfer saga would win the Olympics.

Punchline 2: And if contracts had theatre, this one would need a bigger stage for the finale.