Nayef Akrad refused to go to Saudi Al-Ittihad

Morocco international Nayef Akrad, the English West Ham defender, has rejected a move to Saudi club Al-Ittihad.

French newspaper Foote Mercato revealed that Akrad has officially received an offer to wear the Saudi Al-Ittihad shirt, during which he will receive an annual salary of 5 million euros.

He hinted that Nayef Akrad has expressed his desire to move to the Spanish league if his side leave West Ham during the current transfer window.

The French newspaper confirmed that Nayef Akrad has indeed been in contact with Villarreal and Real Sociedad to leave on loan with an option to buy.

He explained that West Ham had set a condition that the team would borrow Akrad to buy out his contract after the loan ended.

Nayef Akrad’s name was also linked with a move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nasr for some time, but the deal ultimately did not go through.

Al-Ittihad Club wants to add a new defender to compensate for the departure of its Egyptian player Ahmed Hegazi to the Saudi NEOM club active in the Yellow League.

Nayef Akrad was eventually called up to the Moroccan national team roster to participate in the qualifiers for the 2025 African Cup of Nations.

Morocco’s national team will play against Gabon and Lesotho in the first two rounds of continental qualifiers next September.