Ilenikhena seals Al-Ittihad move as Monaco land 33m-euro boost | OneFootball

Monaco have sold George Ilenikhena to Saudi Premier League side Al-Ittihad for 33m euros, easing their need to sell this winter. According to L'Équipe, he has made 15 Ligue 1 appearances this season.

He stayed on the bench against Juventus, 0-0, and Rennes, 4-0, last week, and knew a move was coming. The Franco-Nigerian, 19, heads to Saudi Arabia and will not link up with Simon Adingra, 24, who arrived on Monday from Sunderland on a one million euro loan with a 17m euro option.

Earlier in January, Al-Hilal first approached and were said to have even found an agreement with Monaco, but the player and his family were unconvinced while a Bundesliga move remained their priority. Stuttgart and Leipzig were said to have explored offers of around 20m euros.

Monaco had invested roughly that amount in July 2024 to sign him from Royal Antwerp and sought more to stay within UEFA financial fair play. The chief executive said on 14 January they needed to sell a player before July or risk UEFA sanctions. Core starters and academy prospects were not for sale, leaving Ilenikhena as one of the few high-value options.

With Al-Hilal turning to Rennes forward Kader Meïté, Al-Ittihad arrived in the final 72 hours of the window and swiftly agreed terms with Monaco. Limited to three Ligue 1 starts, Ilenikhena accepted. Monaco also expect four million euros from a sell-on on Saïmon Bouabré’s move from Neom to Al-Hilal.

Source: L'Équipe