The Saudi league piles on the pressure from afar: Arab star sparks a crisis inside Feyenoord ahead of Barcelona

Who is he?

Anis Hadj Moussa's stand-off with Feyenoord has taken a sharp turn. The Algeria forward sat out the match against NEC Nijmegen as he pushes for a move to the Saudi Pro League, chasing a huge financial offer lodged by one of the kingdom's clubs during the summer window.

Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" report that the Saudi club have upped their bid to 37 million euros for the 24-year-old, who has grown into one of Feyenoord's most important attacking players since Japan's Ayase Ueda left for Lille. The gulf between his current wages and what awaits him in Saudi Arabia looks to be driving his determination to go.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst tried to douse the flames before the Nijmegen game. Feyenoord's head coach insisted the player had shown no desire to leave. His absence from the match said otherwise, dragging the row back into the open and confirming that the forward's future has become a battleground inside the club.

Van Bronckhorst spoke with Hadj Moussa hours before kick-off and told him he wanted no part of him for the game, according to the reports. The player had dug in, refusing to shift on his wish to travel to Saudi Arabia and finish the transfer.

Family pressure is thought to have shaped his stance, sharpened by the size of the money waiting for him in the Saudi league next to his Feyenoord earnings. The Dutch club, though, are in no mood to let him walk cheaply.

The Saudi offer may have hit 37 million euros, but Feyenoord want more before they sanction the sale. That could keep the saga simmering over the coming days.

With no resolution in sight, Hadj Moussa is now unlikely to feature in the eagerly awaited clash with Barcelona. The Saudi window remains open, handing the player and the club chasing him more time to get the deal over the line, with the Algerian's future at Feyenoord still hanging in the balance.