Al-Ahli have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, as the Saudi side continue their search for a midfield option.
The Argentina hardman was their top priority after Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski snubbed their advances according to the Daily Mail.
Fabrizio Romano backed up the Pro League side’s interest Yesterday when he confirmed that the midfielder was now the Saudi side’s top target but negotiations were never easy.
It has proven to be a difficult negotiation and according to Romano this morning the deal is off.
The Italian journalist has claimed that the negotiation for the £26 million midfielder was ‘broken’ on Monday night and the deal is now off.
De Paul would have been a superb signing for Al-Ahli who were already looking for midfield additions.
Matthias Jaissle’s side are still attempting to sign Paris Saint Germain midfielder Marco Verratti and, according to L’Equipe, the Saudi side had agreed personal terms with the Italian midfielder despite Al-Hilal also trying to sign the former Pescara midfielder.
De Paul’s stance revealed
According to the same post by Romano, De Paul is prepared to stay at the Spanish side and fight for his place after speaking to Diego Simeone, the Atletico Madrid manager.
Al-Ahli have already spent close to £123million this summer on a host of players from the Premier League and European clubs, most notably Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez.
They are still looking to add a defensive midfield lynchpin to their star quality on their return to the Saudi top flight, as per Romano.
De Paul will not be the target, however, the former Udinese man played 30 La Liga games last season, he scored two goals and provided seven assists for Simeone’s side.
The Argentine’s versatility makes him a fantastic option for Simeone and he will remain in Spain this summer.