The management of Al-Ittihad Club has put several options on the table to strengthen the defense line, after failing in their recent attempts to reach an agreement with Al-Nassr for the final acquisition of defender Abdulilah Al-Omari following a successful loan period last season.

Al-Ittihad faced high financial demands from Al-Nassr, which requested 70 million riyals for the remaining part of Al-Omari's contract, despite a prior agreement between the two parties to complete the deal for only 10 million.

After the negotiations stumbled, Al-Ittihad's management opened channels of communication with Al-Hilal to explore the possibility of signing veteran defender Ali Al-Bulaihi, where Al-Hilal showed relative flexibility despite rejecting the initial offer of 3 million riyals.

Additionally, Al-Ittihad is considering a third option, which involves approaching Abdullah Madu, the defender from Al-Ettifaq, although negotiations have not yet entered an official stage, and the management is still evaluating all available options.

The management of Al-Ittihad aims to resolve the defensive reinforcement file before the start of the new season, to secure the backline in a manner that befits the aspirations of the team seeking to compete for local and continental championships.