Al-Ittihad return to the Khaled Al-Ghannam deal.. and Al-Ettifaq turn a blind eye

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A Saudi national team player is attracting interest from several clubs.

Al-Ittihad have revived their pursuit of Al-Ettifaq winger Khalid Al-Ghannam for the summer transfer window.

Press reports had claimed Al-Ittihad walked away from the Al-Ghannam deal this summer, with German coach Jens Wissing refusing to give his final approval.

Reliable journalist Ben Jacobs tells a different story. In a post on his official "X" account, he confirmed that Al-Ittihad are still working on the Al-Ghannam deal but won't overspend, hamstrung by the financial restrictions placed on them.

According to Jacobs, the Saudi winger has also caught the eye of two Roshn League clubs: Al-Qadsiah and Al-Ahli.

Al-Ettifaq, meanwhile, have brushed the noise aside. They have drawn up a special programme to rebuild Al-Ghannam's fitness after he missed the first stage of pre-season, plus the start of the second stage in Spain, according to the Saudi newspaper "Arriyadiyah".

The 25-year-old earned some extra rest recently after featuring for Saudi Arabia at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, before their group-stage exit.

Interest in the Al-Ettifaq star has been building since his standout campaign last season, when he finished as the top-scoring Saudi player in the Roshn League with 13 goals.

Al-Ghannam has turned out for a host of Saudi clubs. He spent one season with Al-Qadsiah's first team, three years at Al-Nassr, and further spells with Al-Fateh and Al-Ettifaq, as well as a loan at Al-Hilal the season before last.