Tom Weber
Tom Weber
Updated: 9 Jun 2025 15:24 BST
4 min read
Victor Osimhen, Simone Inzaghi, Al-Hilal
© IMAGO
Al-Hilal are targeting three Premier League rejects after failing to land their top targets so far this summer.
The Saudi giants expected this special Club World Cup transfer window to pan out very differently. After being rejected by Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah, Al-Hilal wanted to use their budget on Bruno Fernandes, Theo Hernandez and Victor Osimhen.
All three were to be signed ahead of the Club World Cup in the US, but the Riyadh outfit have managed to land none of them. Fernandes was the first to reject a move, despite Al-Hilal's willingness to spend an eye-watering amount of money on him.
Hernandez followed suit by refusing to greenlight a move to the Middle East despite Al-Hilal swiftly reaching an agreement with AC Milan for the left-back. Now, Osimhen, too, has snubbed the Saudi behemoth.
Al-Hilal made the Nigerian superstar several lucrative contract offers, with an annual wage as high as €40 million on the table, but Osimhen turned down every single bid, leaving the club scrambling for alternative targets.
Al-Hilal want Nunez, Sancho and Angelino
Talks with some of these contingency solutions are already taking place. According to Ben Jacobs, Al-Hilal are set to sign Roma left-back Angelino for €23m in lieu of Hernandez. The Spaniard previously had a spell on the books at Man City, but never made a competitive appearance.
Meanwhile, Foot Mercato is reporting that Al-Hilal are targeting misfiring Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez for the striker position, while Viktor Gyokeres is also a name under consideration.
Nunez was ready to make the move to the Saudi Pro League in January when Al-Hilal's city rivals Al-Nassr came calling, but Liverpool ultimately decided to turn down their offer so as not to disrupt squad harmony. Nunez is now expected to be sold and is open to joining Al-Hilal.
The French outlet also reports that Chelsea and Man Utd flop Jadon Sancho is being eyed. He was previously targeted by Saudi clubs after falling out with former Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag, but was not willing to move to the Middle East at the time.
It remains to be seen if he has changed his stance two years on, but it is already clear that he will not remain at Man Utd after being sent back by Chelsea following a season-long loan.
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