Reports from Saudi Arabia have unveiled that a Saudi prince had pledged to cover the salary of Algerian forward Baghdad Bounedjah, a player for Qatar’s Al-Sadd, with the intention of transferring him to Saudi club Al-Shabab.
However, the deal, which was supposed to be completed during the current winter transfer window, fell through.
Saudi sports commentator Talal Al Alsheikh revealed on the “Sports Scoop” program that Al-Ahli Saudi Club had reached an agreement with the Algerian player and Al-Sadd on all aspects of the deal.
Al Alsheikh further disclosed that Prince Abdulrahman bin Turki had undertaken to cover the entire cost of the transfer.
The Saudi critic emphasized that Prince bin Turki had deposited Bounedjah’s full salary into Al-Ahli Saudi Club’s account until the end of the season.
Despite this, the deal was not finalized due to an unusual condition imposed by the Saudi recruitment committee.
The same committee demanded that the entire amount be deposited into Al-Shabab’s account for a year and a half to approve the deal.
Subsequently, Prince Abdulrahman bin Turki proposed issuing a postdated check to salvage the deal.
However, the committee did not respond to the proposal until the final 24 hours of the winter transfer window.
Al Alsheikh clarified that such a condition had never occurred before in any country and is unprecedented in the history of player transfer deals.
It is anticipated that the 32-year-old player will leave Al-Sadd at the end of his contract, at the conclusion of the current season, following the agreement between the parties to terminate the contract and not to renew it.
Bounedjah has notably won nine titles with Al-Sadd, cementing his status as a prolific forward in the Qatar Stars League.
طلال آل الشيخ: #الشباب اتفق مع بغداد بونجاح ونادي السد على كامل الصفقة.. وتعثرت بسبب الاشتراطات الغريبة للجنة الاستقطاب #طلال_ال_الشيخ_كشف_المستور
— ليوث العاصمة (@GROUPALSHBAB) February 7, 2024
