Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi has entered the frame for a move to Al-Ittihad during the current transfer window. The Girona midfielder is one of several names under consideration as the Saudi club look to strengthen their engine room.
According to Saudi Arabian newspaper "Arriyadiyah", Ounahi now sits on Al-Ittihad's shortlist alongside Algeria's Hicham Boudaoui, of France's Nice, and Colombia's Richard Rios, of Portugal's Benfica.
Croatia's Marcelo Brozovic, the former Al-Nassr midfielder, also features among the options, though the report rates his chances lower than the rest.
Al-Ittihad have been chasing a new midfielder for some time, holding talks with more than one target. They made progress in negotiations to sign Japan's Ritsu Doan, the Eintracht Frankfurt winger, before the deal hit complications from the player's side.
Those moves did not stop there. The club had earlier lined up Belgium's Johan Bakayoko, of Germany's Leipzig, and Chile's Dario Osorio, of Denmark's Midtjylland, as potential targets, along with Algeria's Riyad Mahrez, who left Al-Ahli at the end of last season.
The race now boils down to Ounahi, Boudaoui and Rios. Al-Ittihad's hierarchy must decide which of the three gets the nod to bolster the midfield in the next phase.
