Al Hilal secures Muteb Al Harbi from Al Nassr in a record deal
Al Hilal announced today that it has signed Saudi international left-back Muteb Al Harbi from Al Shabab in a record transaction that would make him the most expensive Saudi player in history.
The 24-year-old will sign a five-year contract with the Riyadh giants, keeping him with the team through the 2029 summer. Al Hilal will also loan midfield player Musab Al Juwayr to Al Shabab for one season as part of the agreement.
Muteb Al Harbi joins AL Hilal
Al Hilal celebrated the signing on their social media platform X with the message, “Wake up, MUTEB. It’s the blue call.”
Wake up MUTEB.. it’s the blue call ✍🏻💙#AlHilal #Muteb_AlHarbi pic.twitter.com/9Mk8IWGVgY
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) September 1, 2024
Media reports state that Al Hilal paid about SR123 million for the sale, including taxes.
Early on Sunday, there were significant developments in the signing of Al Harbi. Al Ahli, Al Hilal, and Al Nassr engaged in a spirited competition to sign the player, with the two Riyadh teams leading the pack.
Al Hilal stepped in at the last minute and managed to come to an agreement with all parties on Sunday morning, even though Al Nassr was about to seal the deal.
No formal documents were completed despite extensive conversations between Al Nassr and Al Harbi, which gave Al Hilal the freedom to move quickly to complete the sale.
At first, on Saturday night, Al Shabab had consented to sell Al Nassr the balance of Al Harbi’s contract for SR 93 million, which was more than any other financial offer, including Al Hilal’s.
As the agreement was about to be signed, Al Hilal reappeared in the negotiations early on Sunday. This time, he brought a larger cash offer together with Musab Al Juwayr’s loan, which persuaded Al Shabab to change sides and sign the agreement with Al Hilal.
Muteb Al Harbi’s agreement with Al Shabab was initially scheduled to expire in the summer of 2026, but it was extended for a further five years in May 2021.
Al Nassr’s comment
Al Nassr acknowledged their attempts to complete the agreement but expressed displeasure with the transfer’s conclusion. Following Al Hilal’s formal declaration, Al Nassr provided a statement outlining the protracted talks and the attempts made to come to a consensus.
“The negotiations took a long time, and many efforts were made to reach a final agreement between the parties,” the statement read. “We did everything we could to complete the deal, preparing the necessary contracts and sharing them with Al Shabab since Saturday, August 31, 2024.”
The statement also mentioned Al Shabab’s later withdrawal from the agreement to sign the contracts on Sunday morning, which caused Al Nassr to dispute the abrupt change and the higher transfer fee and finally led to the breakdown of the deal.
Mohammed Al Munajem, the president of Al Shabab, justified the team’s choice, saying it was in the club’s best interests to complete the highest-value move in Saudi football history.“Muteb Al Harbi has etched his name in the hearts of all Shabab fans and will always be a loyal son of our great club,” Al Munajem said on X.
“Prioritizing the club’s best interests led us to achieve the biggest deal in our sport’s history, and I thank my team for their efforts. We aim to meet our fans’ ambitions in the time ahead.”