Internal battles threaten Arthur Theate’s Al-Ittihad move | OneFootball

Arthur Theate (24) had looked all set to join Saudi side Al-Ittihad, however, according to L’Équipe journalist Loïc Tanzi, the Belgian’s move to the Gulf State may not be a given.

As reported by Fabrizio Romano on Wednesday, Theate had looked all set to join Al-Ittihad. The Saudi Pro League side had reportedly agreed an €18m fee with Stade Rennais, meaning that the Breton club would recoup most of the €20m that they paid Bologna two years ago.

A medical to join the club, now managed by former AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli, had even been completed and Al-Ittihad looked to have beaten West Ham United, amongst others, to the signing of the Rennes centre-back. However, the deal has become more complicated overnight, as Tanzi reports.

There is currently internal conflict at Al-Ittihad with battles of influence being waged. This in-fighting now threatens the derail Theate’s move to the Gulf State.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle