Al-Qadsiah have gone head to head with Al-Hilal, hoping to deny their rivals a sixth signing of the summer transfer window.
Al-Hilal have officially landed five players so far: Mohammed Al-Owais, Sabri Dahl, Nawaf Al-Habashi, Abdullah Al-Anzi and Mohammed Al-Sarnooh.
Previous press reports had "the Boss" chasing a sixth Saudi player, Al-Taawoun full-back Mohammed Mahzari.
That deal now looks in doubt. Saudi journalist Ahmed Al-Ajlan confirmed Al-Hilal could miss out after Al-Qadsiah opened advanced talks with Al-Taawoun for the Saudi right-back.
Reports had pointed to a rift between the Al-Hilal and Al-Taawoun boards over the Mahzari deal, with the latter's inflated financial demands the sticking point.
Al-Hilal have, in fact, already brought in a new right-back this summer in Mohammed Al-Sarnooh, who arrived from Al-Fateh.
Few players stand out in Saudi football quite like Mahzari. He earned a call-up to the senior national team last March to face Serbia, though he missed the cut for the 2026 World Cup squad.
The 24-year-old featured in 35 matches for Al-Taawoun across the Saudi Pro League and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup last season, scoring once and adding two assists.