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Khalid Al-Ghannam to Al-Ittihad

Quiet since 21 July 2026. Last report: Ben Jacobs. Probability when it went quiet: 7%.

Al-Ittihad's pursuit of Khalid Al-Ghannam has cooled rather than caught fire. The 25-year-old Saudi international was in advanced talks to leave Al-Ettifaq a fortnight ago, with the price already talked down from an initial $15m ask to around $10m and Ettifaq willing to accept instalments. Since then the club have gone quiet on paying up, and the latest word is that no breakthrough has arrived, largely because Al-Ittihad's own budget won't stretch. Al-Qadsiah are now alert to the situation and Al-Ahli have made past enquiries, so Al-Ittihad's advantage is no longer guaranteed. Everything here traces back to Ben Jacobs, whose credibility rating sits at 83 out of 100. His two dispatches, eleven days apart, are consistent with each other and track the deal's drift from momentum to stall. That is a single strong voice rather than corroboration across multiple outlets, so treat the framework as reliable but not yet independently verified elsewhere. The chance of this getting done feels slim for now. A fee near €8m against a market value of roughly €3m was always going to need Al-Ittihad to stretch financially, and the reporting is explicit that budget constraints are the actual blocker, not Ettifaq's willingness to sell. With two other Pro League clubs now circling, Al-Ittihad risk losing exclusivity if they cannot move quickly. Al-Ittihad have paid this kind of money before, taking Al-Ettifaq players twice for €7m apiece, and adding a Mallorca forward for €8m in 2024. An €8m fee for Al-Ghannam would sit comfortably inside that pattern, even if it is well above his valuation. Wa

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