Thirty million euros, and a seat on the bench
George Ilenikhena was meant to be one of the faces of Al-Ittihad’s project. AS Monaco cashed 30 million euros to send him to the Gulf, a heavy fee for a Nigerian striker with fewer than 30 senior games behind him.
It has not gone to plan. A crowded attack, tactical calls that never quite favoured him, minutes that dried up. Ilenikhena has watched more football in Jeddah than anyone there intended. He has shown flashes though, including a brace against Al-Najma in the King’s Cup last night inside barely an hour on the pitch.
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Bologna and Trabzonspor both got a no
Foot Mercato report the player wants back to Europe and has stopped pretending otherwise. Several clubs have tested the water in recent days, because the window is nearly shut.
Bologna went in with a loan carrying a 22 million euro option to buy. Rejected on the spot. Trabzonspor tried a version of the same idea with the option set at 15 million, same answer. Al-Ittihad have no appetite for any structure that pushes the money out to next summer.
Sevilla’s offer sits ten million short
Sevilla have been watching this one for weeks. The Andalusians have reportedly put a verbal bid on the table worth 10 million euros plus 3 million in bonuses, with a hefty sell-on clause attached. Saudi expectations sit nearer 20 million, most of it up front.
The door is not closed. Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante’s club need cash, and quickly, which reshapes any negotiation. Selling Ilenikhena at a loss means conceding the signing was a mistake. Keeping a striker who has already decided he wants out carries its own bill.
Sevilla have spent a year hunting a centre-forward capable of carrying the line across a full season. They think they have found him sitting on a bench in Jeddah.
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