Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia have not yet recovered from the fallout of Croatia's Marcelo Brozovic departing, and now fresh reports link one of their most prominent players with a move to Europe at a sensitive time ahead of the new season.
Supporters still await midfield reinforcements following the loss of Brozovic. Yet the name of Brazil's Angelo Gabriel has come to the fore in the transfer market, amid fears the team could lose another player who has proven his worth in recent months.
According to the newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat", Angelo Gabriel is not available for departure during the current summer transfer window, despite interest from Turkish club Besiktas. Al-Nassr need his services, and the club remain under restrictions imposed by financial monitoring, having so far failed to obtain approval to complete new deals.
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The newspaper added that Al-Nassr's management continue to work on resolving the ban and lifting the restrictions on registering players, hoping to secure the green light to complete a number of deals. Chief among them is the signing of Portuguese midfielder Samu Costa, alongside renewing the contract of Abdulrahman Ghareeb before the end of the training camp and the team's return to Riyadh.
Al-Nassr's determination to hold on to Angelo goes beyond the difficulty of replacing him at present. It also reflects what the player has produced of late. He has become one of the most notable discoveries of Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, who redeployed him in a new midfield role and allowed him to appear in a completely different light.
Confined to the substitutes' bench because he was relied upon in the wing position, he went on to deliver striking performances that made him one of the team's most important players. That explains why the club refuse to entertain parting with him now.