Al-Diriyah have landed a new signing from Al-Hilal this summer, but not the one they had chased. Brazilian winger Malcom knocked back the chance to join them.
According to press reports, Malcom refused to leave Al-Hilal for Al-Diriyah this summer, even though both clubs had agreed terms to complete the deal.
Saudi newspaper "Al-Jazirah" reported that Al-Diriyah have instead signed young winger Abdullah Al-Zaid from Al-Hilal, with the player already putting pen to paper on his transfer contract.
Al-Zaid shone for Al-Hilal's under-21 side last season in the Joy Elite League, mainly at left winger. He can also operate as a right winger or as a playmaker.
Those displays caught the eye of Al-Hilal head coach Simone Inzaghi, who took the 22-year-old to the first team's pre-season training camp in Austria before the start of the new season.
Al-Zaid becomes Al-Diriyah's latest summer arrival. The Saudi club have already brought in several notable players, the most recent being Senegalese midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye after his contract at Everton expired.