Chancel Mbemba turns down ‘colossal’ offer from Al-Ittihad | OneFootball

According to a report from L’Équipe, Chancel Mbemba (31) has turned down a “colossal” contract offer from Al-Ittihad to join the club for the next five months. 

The Saudi Arabian side are looking to bolster their chances in the AFC Champions League, and sent a transfer offer to Lille OSC to buy out the remaining months of the centre-back’s contract. However, Mbemba has refused this opportunity. 

The French outlet explains that due to the quota on foreign players in Saudi Arabia, Mbemba would have only been eligible to play in Champions League games. A situation that did not interest the centre-back. 

Mbemba has made 14 appearances for Lille since he joined the club from Olympique de Marseille as a free agent. Five of these appearances have come in the UEFA Europa League, helping Lille to progress into the playoff round in the competition where they will play Red Star Belgrade. 

GFFN | Nick Hartland