A major controversy erupted in Saudi football circles in recent hours following a report in the Okaz newspaper that Al-Ittihad officials have decided to release Youssef En-Nesyri at the end of the current season, just two months after his transfer to the Jeddah-based club.
En-Nesyri arrived in the final moments of the winter transfer window to replace Karim Benzema, who left for Al-Hilal. Unfortunately for him, Al-Ittihad is experiencing one of its worst seasons, having dropped to sixth place in the Saudi Professional League standings and been eliminated from the King’s Cup semi-finals by Al-Kholoud.
It has been reported that the Saudi club’s management is dissatisfied with En-Nesyri’s performance so far, having scored only four goals in ten matches across all competitions, and that Al-Ittihad will attempt to sign another world-class striker in the upcoming summer transfer window.
According to the website Kooora, citing a source close to En-Nesyri, these rumors are baseless. The source emphasized that Al-Ittihad’s management has repeatedly assured the Moroccan international that he is a key player for the team and that there is no intention of letting him go.
The source considered these rumors to be normal given Al-Ittihad’s declining performance, as discussions have also arisen regarding the future of almost all of the club’s foreign players.
There has been no contact of any kind between Al-Ittihad’s management and the 28-year-old En-Nesyri or his agents regarding his future, noting that the player’s contract with the Saudi club still has two years remaining.
