Al Hilal on the Brink: First Winter Signing Inches Closer as Rivals Fall Short
8 January 2026
Overview
"The Leader" beat "The World" and "The Tigers" after a tight duel.
Al Hilal are close to sealing their first winter signing this season, edging past rivals Al Nassr and Al Ittihad.
The race to sign Morad Hosawi, Gulf's midfielder, has heated up during the winter window amid his strong form since the start of the campaign.
Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Hilal are close to finalizing Hosawi's deal, after entering serious negotiations with Gulf's management in recent hours.
The report added that the blue-chip moves have brought the parties closer, increasing the expectation that the midfielder will wear the club's crest soon.
Hosawi, 24, has appeared for Gulf 11 times in the league and cup, scoring twice and assisting as many. He made his first Saudi national team call-up in November last year and played twice at the 2025 Arab Cup, without scoring or assisting.
Should the talks succeed, the winter market in Saudi football could be shaken.
Punchline 1: If this lands, the trophy shelf gets bigger.
Punchline 2: If it fizzles, blame the calendar for the holidays.