Al-Ittihad appear to be turning to an alternative to Anis Hadj Moussa. Sky Sports report that the Saudi club are in talks with Sunderland forward Chemsdine Talbi.
Sunderland have left the Moroccan winger out of their Europa League squad.
That suggests Talbi could be allowed to leave the club. The Saudi Pro League transfer window stays open until 6 September, so Al-Ittihad can still get a deal done in the coming days.
Sunderland signed Talbi from Club Brugge for twenty million euros last season, but he may already be on his way out again. Al-Ittihad have now opened talks over the Morocco international's arrival.
For Feyenoord's Hadj Moussa, the situation remains unclear. It does, however, look as though Al-Ittihad are preparing for the possibility of missing out on the Algerian and have therefore moved for Talbi.
Earlier, in an interview with ESPN, Dévy Rigaux, technical director of the Rotterdam club, said Feyenoord are not planning to do business with Al-Ittihad.
"The incoming market is closed. That is a very important observation in this case. That is why we now want to make sure with Feyenoord that we retain our value on the pitch. Together with the board, I will do everything I can to keep him here," Rigaux said.