Early Sunday morning, Al-Ittihad announced the dismissal of coach Laurent Blanc, hours after their 2-0 El Clásico defeat to Al-Nassr.
Local coach Hassan Khalifa will take over as interim coach until a world-class coach is hired to succeed Blanc.
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported that Al-Ittihad is intensifying negotiations with only two world-class coaches, without revealing their identities.
Meanwhile, other reports indicated that one of the candidates is Sergio Conceição, the former Porto and AC Milan coach, who is open to working in the Saudi League.
Marca newspaper reported that Xavi Hernandez is the preferred choice on the Al-Ittihad board, and that negotiations between the two parties are ongoing in the final hours.
Laurent Blanc led Al-Ittihad to a domestic double last season, but this season began with a loss in the Saudi Super Cup, followed by a loss in the AFC Champions League to Al-Wahda, and finally in the league El Clásico to Al-Nassr.
