A press report revealed new developments that have reshaped the winter transfer scene within Al-Ittihad Club, after a single deal caused major moves, which were almost finalized, to be stalled before the transfer window closed.

The Saudi sports newspaper reported that Al-Ittihad Club's technical committee has decided to keep the French player N'Golo Kanté in the team, which led to halting his transfer deal to the Turkish club Fenerbahçe.

This decision came in conjunction with the stalled contract negotiations with the Portuguese player Gustavo Sá from Famalicão, which led to the collapse of the agreement to include the Moroccan player Youssef En-Nesyri in the team, despite previous understandings between the parties.

The newspaper confirmed that the club's management intends to issue an official statement in the coming hours to explain the reasons for the failure of Kante's departure deal and the non-completion of the exchange with Fenerbahçe.

The Turkish club had announced in an official statement the completion of all steps for N'Golo Kanté's transfer to them, in exchange for Youssef En-Nesyri joining Al-Ittihad, including medical examinations and official approvals.

The Fenerbahçe statement indicated that the entry of incorrect data into the International Transfer System (TMS) by the rival club prevented the registration of the two deals, despite the Turkish club completing all the required procedures.

The statement added that communication with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) did not result in a resolution, leading to the collapse of the two deals without an official explanation, and prompting Fenerbahçe to issue an apology to its fans.

It is noted that the club was planning to compensate for the departure of the Frenchman Karim Benzema, who moved to Al-Hilal after terminating his contract, by signing Youssef En-Nesyri, before the plan completely changed.

In a related context, Al-Ittihad Club officially announced its signing of French player Georges Ilienkhna from Monaco, as part of efforts to strengthen the team's lineup for the current season.