Al-Ahli Saudi step up interest in Fenerbahce prospect Sadiq Cherif

Al-Ahli Saudi have joined VfB Stuttgart and English clubs Ipswich Town and Coventry City in showing interest in Fenerbahce’s highly rated French teenager Sadiq Cherif.

The 19-year-old forward is being monitored by a growing number of clubs during the current transfer window, with Fenerbahce facing increased interest in one of their most promising young players.

Turkish journalist Yagız Sabuncuoglu reported that VfB Stuttgart and Al-Ahli Saudi are among the sides to have made approaches for Cherif. His name had previously been linked with Ipswich Town and Coventry City.

Speaking on YouTube, Sabuncuoglu said Fenerbahce should consider selling the player without suffering a financial loss and could instead make a profit from the deal.

“I said the same thing when I first broke the news: sell Sadiq Cherif without suffering any financial loss. In fact, you can also make a profit from this deal,” he said.

Sabuncuoglu added that he had previously revealed the interest from Ipswich Town and Coventry City, while also reporting that two further offers had been submitted one from a Saudi club and another from a Bundesliga side.

“We previously broke the news about Ipswich Town and Coventry’s interest in the player, and I added another piece of information at the time about two additional offers; one from a Saudi club and the other from the Bundesliga. We revealed a few days ago that the German club was Stuttgart, while the other team was Al-Ahli Saudi,” he said.

The Turkish journalist believes recent changes to the Saudi Pro League’s rules on registering foreign and young players have increased Cherif’s appeal to clubs in the country.

He described the Fenerbahce teenager as the “golden boy” and a strategic priority, arguing that the amended regulations could allow Saudi clubs to use young players more directly by moving them between their senior teams and youth levels.

That change could give Cherif greater scope to start a new challenge and find a club where he would have a clearer route to regular first-team football.

“Because of this amendment to the regulations, clubs can now immediately field two players in the lower age groups and two players in the first team under the young-player rule,” Sabuncuoglu said.

“This means that the two young players currently at most clubs in the first team will no longer be considered or will be replaced.”

The changes have therefore added an extra dimension to the competition for Cherif, with Al-Ahli Saudi now competing against Bundesliga and English opposition for the teenager’s signature.

Fenerbahce must decide whether to retain one of their leading prospects or take advantage of the current interest and negotiate a potentially profitable transfer. No agreement has been reported with any of the interested clubs.