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Former Manchester United attacker Wilfried Zaha's proposed move to Al-Ettifaq is on the verge of collapse despite the club's manager Steven Gerrard holding talks with him, The Daily Mail reports.
Al-Ettifaq announced Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who was previously in charge of Rangers and Aston Villa, as their new manager last week. The Englishman agreed a two-year deal with the Saudi Pro League despite initially saying that he won't take up the offer.
According to the aforementioned source, Gerrard has earmarked Zaha as a top target ahead of the 2023-24 season. It's worth noting that the attacker is without a club, as his contract with Crystal Palace expired on July 1.
Keen to take advantage of the situation, Gerrard held talks with the Cote d'Ivoire international on Wednesday (July 5). With discussions progressing smoothly, Al-Ettifaq extended the player an offer worth £16 million a season after tax. The deal would have seen him earn around £600,000 a week before tax.
However, the proposed transfer is now on the verge of collapse. Al-Ettifaq officials are said to be irked by Zaha's advisors asking for as much as £7.5 million more for the deal. The Saudi club have made it clear that they will not increase their offer.
It's worth noting that Al-Ettifaq are not the only club interested in the former Manchester United attacker. Lazio and Fenerbahce have reportedly approached the Ivorian, too. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, remain hopeful of convincing him to stay at Selhurst Park, placing a £200,000 a week offer on his table.
Al-Nassr, who employ former Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, have also been linked with a move for Zaha. However, the Riyadh-based club reportedly retracted their offer after the player's advisors put forth similar demands to that they made to Al-Ettifaq.
Rio Ferdinand calls out Jamie Carragher after Liverpool great Steven Gerrard's Saudi move
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand recently blasted Liverpool great Jamie Carragher for not criticizing his former teammate Steven Gerrard's move to Saudi Arabia. He pointed out that the pundit was silent about the Reds legend's decision to join Al-Ettifaq despite previously criticizing other players for making the switch.
Speaking about the same via his FIVE channel's Twitter account, Ferdinand said:
"Jamie Carragher, where are you man? I heard a lot of talk, a lot of negativity about Saudi. 'Oh, Bernardo Silva, I can't believe it. Oh, it's a disgrace. It needs investigating this league, etc...'"
The former Manchester United defender continued:
"Steven Gerrard's gone. You used to carry his boots and his bags to Anfield to games. Your boy is gone over there. I haven't heard a peep out of you. I've not heard how disappointed you are. I want see him say, 'I can't believe Stevie's gone there.'"
Steven Gerrard is not the only former Premier League manager in the Saudi Pro League. It's worth noting that reigning champions Al-Ittihad are managed by former Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espirito Santo. Al-Hilal, meanwhile, recently re-appointed former Benfica and Sporting CP coach Jorge Jesus at the helm.
Apart from managers, several big-name stars have also moved to the Middle East recently. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Ruben Neves and N'Golo Kante are some players contracted to clubs in Saudi Arabia. Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata and Juan Cuadrado, meanwhile, are candidates to follow suit.
