This is the Premier League striker Al-Ittihad wanted after failing to land Salah

This summer, clubs in Europe for the first time had competitors willing to pay more money than they did. The irruption of Saudi Arabian teams completely changed the map of world soccer, as since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr in December 2022, more and more top players are choosing the Pro League over the leagues of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

Last week, during the final days of the transfer window in Saudi Arabia, Al-Ittihad tried their best to convince Mohamed Salah to leave Liverpool. However, the negotiations failed mainly because of the Reds' refusal to let go of their top star without already having a chance to sign a replacement.

The Pro League side were willing to pay almost $270 million to take the Egyptian winger, as they needed a top player who can form an attacking duo with Karim Benzema. They had initially signed Portuguese Jota, but his performances were not satisfactory and just a couple of months after his arrival they decided to leave him out of the squad.

Now The Telegraph revealed which player Al-Ittihad targeted after negotiations for Mohamed Salah failed: Richarlison. The English newspaper claims that there were talks between intermediaries from the Saudi club, Tottenham and the player's agents, but they failed to reach an agreement because of the short time left until the close of the transfer window.

Not a great time for him

Beyond Al-Ittihad's interest, Richarlison is struggling to find his best level this season. After excelling at Everton, Tottenham bought him in 2022 in the hope that he can repeat those performances. However, so far things have not worked out as expected and in 40 games he could only score 4 goals.