Bilal El Khannouss rejected move to Al-Ittihad | OneFootball

Sky Germany report that Al-Ittihad submitted a €40m offer for VfB Stuttgart’s Bilal El Khannouss on Tuesday night. However, the Morocco international swiftly rejected a move, as he doesn’t want to move to the Saudi Pro League.

El Khannouss – who joined Stuttgart on a permanent deal for €15m from Leicester City in July – scored nine goals and provided a further nine assists in 44 matches across all competitions for the Swabian side last season.

Naturally, after starring for Morocco at the FIFA World Cup 2026, the 22-year-old was subject to considerable interest throughout the summer. Newcastle United enquired about signing El Khannouss, while Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Crystal Palace were among the English Premier League clubs showing an interest.

Additionally, Galatasaray also made an offer to sign El Khannouss, but Stuttgart were reportedly unwilling to entertain offers less than €65m.

After losing Chema Andres to Brighton and Hove Albion on deadline day, keeping El Khannouss beyond the summer is business well done by VfB.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder