With Vinicius Junior having been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League during the transfer window, a club chief has now explained the broken-down negotiations.
Al-Ahli chief Khaled Al-Issa confirmed that the Middle Eastern side attempted to land the services of the Brazilian winger, and said that something happened and negotiations were brought to a halt.
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Reports had suggested that the Saudi were club intent on signing the Real Madrid star as they had been looking to replace Allan Saint-Maximin, who joined Turkish outfit Fenerbahce on loan.
Instead, however, Al Ahli brought in English striker Ivan Toney from Premier League side Brentford for a reported fee of £40 million (around R934 million).
Al-Issa explained why the team changed their focus from trying to land a winger to bringing in a centre-forward, while also revealing that Nigerian attacker Victor Osimhen had also been a part of the conversation.
"The competent technical committee, which includes the technical director, decided to leave Maximin because it was easier in terms of the sale process, and the amount of the deal could be borne by any other club," the club president said while speaking to Koora Rotana per GOAL.
"There was a desire to bring in a very big winger, Vinicius, from Real Madrid, but during the negotiations something unexpected happened, which was the Saudi players leaving to go professional in accordance with the scholarship program, and the striker Firas Al-Braikan was scheduled to leave."
"Our priority shifted from the winger to the spearhead based on the departure of Al-Braikan, and we entered into negotiations with Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen, and it ended with Toney's arrival," added Al-Issa.
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