Julen Lopetegui is ready to land in Saudi Arabia; Marcos Leonardo is not only wanted by AS Roma; and Kalvin Phillips has many clubs in Europe now chasing him. Here are some of the main stories over the last few days of the transfer market from TribalFootball's transfer expert Rudy Galetti.
AL ITTIHAD CHOOSE FORMER SPAIN COACH
Al Ittihad are certainly experiencing a difficult moment in their season. The less than exciting performances in the League and the recent lost in the AFC Champions League against Air Force (2-0) saw Nuno Espirito Santo lose his job, sacked by the Saudi club.
Now Al Ittihad are desperately looking for a replacement: there were several profiles on the list - evaluated and approached - like Alfred Schreuder, the coach who terminated his contract with Al Ain days ago, and Laurent Blanc, but the real target of the Saudis is – from the beginning - Julen Lopetegui.
After rejecting the first proposal - explaining that he doesn't like leading a team once the season has started - the Spanish manager said yes, on the salary, to the second richer proposal. Now, the Saudi club and the coach are discussing the duration of the contract and will try to take advantage of the international break to close the deal that - unless a sensational twist – is just a matter of time.
Not for nothing, the management of Al Ittihad booked tickets for the former coach of the Spanish National Team to land in Saudi soon and finalise the agreement.
MARCOS LEONARDO - ITALY ON THE HORIZON
Marcos Leonardo continues to be a very followed profile by Italian teams. Last summer, AS Roma made a serious attempt to convince the Brazilian to land in Italy, but the difficulties in negotiating with Santos led the Giallorossi to turn their attention
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