A surprise move has laid bare the financial pressures inside Al-Nassr. Press reports confirm the Saudi club's management are ready to loan out one of their key figures during the current transfer window.
The Saudi newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat" report that Al-Nassr are set to loan midfielder Ali Al-Hassan to Al-Fateh, part of a wider push to ease the financial burden. Al-Fateh will cover the player's wages in full during the loan period.
The forced move aims to free up room in the budget to register the duo Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Raghed Al-Najjar, and to offset part of the club's financial obligations. Strict financial monitoring remains in place at Al-Nassr, hampering their movements in the transfer market.
There was better news elsewhere for the manager and his coaching staff. Goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi returned to group training on Wednesday, a clear sign he is ready to guard the club's goal in Friday's anticipated clash against Al-Taawoun.
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Al-Aqidi was not the only returnee. French defender Mohamed Simakan also took part in the session after recovering from injury, making the pair strong candidates to return to the squad.
Both men now face decisive physical and medical tests during Thursday's training. Only then will Al-Nassr take a final decision on whether they can feature in the big match.