Report – Reason behind Real Madrid captain’s Saudi Arabia move being held up | OneFootball

Following the retirement of Toni Kroos, it appears to be only a matter of time before Real Madrid lose yet another club legend in the form of Nacho Fernandez.

The veteran defender, currently on international duty with Spain, is poised to make the move to Saudi Arabia, just a few weeks after leading Real Madrid to the club’s 15th UEFA Champions League title.

Nacho awaiting an offer from Al-Ittihad

A recent report from MARCA has offered a crucial update on the future of Nacho, giving an explanation as to why the move is taking so long.

It appears Nacho is still awaiting the Saudi Arabian government to finalise its budget for its clubs – a process that may be completed by the end of the week or the one after that.

Nacho is still waiting for an offer from Al Ittihad (Photo by Rafa Babot/Getty Images)

Although Al Ittihad have finalised the details of their offer to Nacho, the club cannot officially make a move until the Saudi government closes its budget.

Al Ittihad pick Inigo Martinez as alternative

While the report does not mention any possibilities of the move falling through, it does claim that Nacho is not the only defender on Al Ittihad’s radar.

The Saudi Arabian giants have identified Inigo Martinez as a potential alternative. But for now, Nacho remains the absolute priority.

Meanwhile, Al Ittihad had asked Karim Benzema about his former teammates Nacho and Lucas Vazquez. While the former may soon make the move to the Middle East, Vazquez is likely to extend his contract at Real Madrid.

Speaking of Los Blancos, the club are closely monitoring this evolving situation. In the background, they have already started looking for defensive reinforcements, with Leny Yoro, in particular, emerging as a priority.