An Algerian and a former Liverpool star: two new candidates to control Al-Ittihad's midfield tempo

"The Tigers" search for a new signing

Two new stars have entered the list of candidates to fill the midfield of Saudi side Al-Ittihad in the new season.

The club have been linked with a string of midfielders, the latest being Colombian Richard Ríos of Benfica. Egyptians Emam Ashour and Marwan Attia are also on the radar, along with Moroccans Azzedine Ounahi and Sofyan Amrabat.

According to Saudi journalist Majed Hood, two fresh names have joined that list: Algerian Anis Hadj Moussa, the Feyenoord midfielder, and Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, the former Liverpool star.

Hadj Moussa has been tipped for a move to several clubs this summer, though press reports insist Feyenoord have no intention of letting him go.

Wijnaldum, meanwhile, is still hunting for a new club this summer after Al-Ettifaq let him go when his contract expired at the end of last season.

He remains an ideal fit. He knows the Saudi league inside out, having spent three years with Al-Ettifaq between 2023 and 2026, though the standout chapter of his career came at Liverpool between 2016 and 2021.

Al-Ittihad want another midfielder despite already landing Rakan Kaabi from Al-Feiha and Senegalese Dion Lopy from Spanish side Almería.

The push follows the Tigers' decision to part with Brazilian midfielder Fabinho once his deal ran out last season, compounded by long-term injuries to Mali's Mamadou Doumbia and Saudi Arabia's Hamed Al-Ghamdi.