Al-Ittihad failed to sign Salah, but got rid of this $30 million forward anyway

Al-Ittihad are one of the clubs that have spent the most money this summer to sign players. One of them was Karim Benzema. The French striker surprised everyone when he decided to leave Real Madrid to play in the Pro League, in exchange for a salary of $200 million per year. And along with him came other top players, such as defender Luiz Felipe, from Real Betis, and midfielders Fabinho and N'Golo Kanté, from Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively.

However, one of the players they spent the most money on was a flop. He is Jota, the Portuguese winger who shone last season at Celtic with 15 goals and 12 assists and who arrived in Saudi Arabia in this transfer window for more than $30 million.

But his performances did not live up to expectations. In fact, he played only 133 minutes in 5 games and scored just one goal. The club's chiefs are disappointed with his level, as they consider that he does not have the quality to be Benzema's strike partner. That is why they have made a surprising decision.

According to journalist Hattan Al Najjar, he will be excluded from the club's roster for the Pro League. This is because the squad has exceeded the maximum number of foreign players allowed, so they must choose who they will leave out. And the Portuguese winger is the chosen one.

They looked for a replacement

The dissatisfaction with Jota's performances made Al-Ittihad look for another forward in the last days of the transfer window. The chosen one had been Mohamed Salah, for whom they made two offers to Liverpool for $180 million and $270 million. But the Reds rejected them, as the Egyptian player is a key player in Jurgen Klopp's team. However, reports indicate that the Saudis will try again in January.