Youssef En-Nesyri has become one of the thorniest issues at Al-Ittihad. The Morocco striker wants to stay, the coaching staff want him gone, and that standoff has pushed the saga into a new phase that could drag on until the end of the summer window.
German coach Jens Wissing came away from the pre-season training camp unconvinced by En-Nesyri's displays, according to reports. He has asked the management to sign a new striker who fits the tactical project he wants in place before the season starts.
A tactical vision, and a refusal from the player
None of this makes En-Nesyri a poor player. It reflects a clash of tactical visions. Wissing wants a striker with a different profile, one who presses relentlessly, moves between the lines and slots into the system he intends to build around.
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With that in mind, the management opened talks with the player's agent over a possible exit and began working to settle his dues. The answer came back clear: En-Nesyri has no wish to leave Al-Ittihad at this stage.
Money decides the battle
Offers are not the problem. The real barrier is the yawning financial gap between what En-Nesyri earns at Al-Ittihad and what the interested clubs are willing to pay.
Leaving, the striker reckons, would cost him a big chunk of his current contract. That is why he rejected the idea from the off, clinging to his right to stay or to an offer that matches his existing financial perks.
Al-Ittihad's management, then, are caught in a genuine bind. They want room to sign a new striker, yet they cannot force out a player with a valid contract.
All of which could become one of Al-Ittihad's biggest headaches in the market. Landing a new striker may hinge on solving the En-Nesyri puzzle first, either by talking him into leaving or by brokering a settlement that keeps everyone happy. Neither looks close.