Al Ahli join race to sign PSG’s Marco Verratti | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano revealed last week that Al Hilal were nearing the signing of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti (30), however, according to L’Équipe, they will now face competition from Saudi rival Al Ahli.

Sports Zone and Goal reported that Al Hilal’s opening offer for the Italian international midfielder fell way short of PSG’s valuation. Les Parisiens value Verratti at around €80m, but Al Hilal’s offer only came to around €30m. Verratti wants to make a move to the Gulf State, but a transfer is dependent on an agreement being completed between all relevant parties.

Al Hilal have already agreed terms with the player and the Saudi club have been locked in discussion with the Ligue 1 champions for several weeks, although an agreement is yet to be reached. Al Ahli now look set to join the race. The club have made concrete advances in the past few days as they look to strengthen their midfield. The club, managed by former RB Salzburg manager Matthias Jaissle, have already added Riyad Mahrez, Allan Saint-Maximin and Édouard Mendy to their squad this summer. Jaissle will soon speak to Verratti directly ahead of a proposed move.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle