Sabers Drawn: Is Al Hilal Eyeing Inter’s Ace Duo in a Winter Plot Twist?
1 January 2026
Background
Fresh reports question whether Al Hilal is pursuing Inter Milan stars Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij to strengthen their defense in the upcoming winter transfer window.
It was claimed that Inter coach Simone Inzaghi personally favored bringing the Italian Acerbi and the Dutch De Vrij to the Saudi club to bolster the squad for the remainder of the season.
Denial and current squad
However, the Saudi daily Al-Yawm denied the rumors after contacting sources close to Inzaghi.
The paper noted that Acerbi and De Vrij are not candidates to move to Hilal, given the presence of two foreign centre-backs: Kalidou Koulibaly and Yusuf Acikisik.
Hilal already has a deep pool of centre-backs, including local players Hassan Tambakti, Ali Al-Bulayhi, and Ali Lagami, alongside the foreign duo.
Some earlier reports had suggested Inzaghi had assured Inter management that he would not sign any of their players after taking over Hilal last summer.
Note: this remains unconfirmed; the transfer saga continues to unfold like a plot twist in a telenovela—stay tuned.
Punchline 1: If transfers were jokes, this one would be a pun-derful punchline that keeps getting recycled.
Punchline 2: And if in doubt, remember: even a solid defense needs a goalkeeper who understands social media memes as well as ball placement.
