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Rabat – Moroccan footballer Noussair Mazraoui was approached by Saudi club Al-Shabab in the previous summer transfer window but Bayern Munich refused to sell him, according to the Saudi club’s ex-chairman.
Talking to Saudi channel Rotana on Thursday, Khaled Al-Thunayan said that Mazraoui was one of several football stars his club negotiated with in the past summer window. But Al-Shabab could not finalize a deal with Bayern Munich due to the German club’s monetary demands, he explained.
Al-Thunayan specified that they could not finish deals with Premier League club Fulham and Spanish club Atletico Madrid for Willian and Stefan Savic respectively for similar reasons.
Saudi clubs have in recent years spent large amounts in the transfer market, attracting many stars from Europe’s top leagues such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Riyadh Mahrez.
The spending was intensified following the Saudi state-owned Public Investment Fund announcing major investors in the country’s top historic clubs, reportedly leading many European clubs to increase their demands when selling their players to Saudi suitors.
Towards the end of last season, Mazraoui expressed his dissatisfaction with his position at Bayern Munich after being benched following the sudden arrival of new head coach Thomas Tuchel.
The Bavarian club would go on to win their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title on the last day of the season, and Mazraoui went on to hint that he would stay with the team.
“We had a positive talk, and I am on good terms with the coach. It’s a new season. It’s a new start, a fresh start. All up to me to decide where the future is … so I am not going to complain about nothing,” he said of his seemingly evolving relationship with Tuchel.
