Transfer: Al-Ettifaq pull out of negotiations for Super Eagles goalkeeper

The Super Eagles shot-stopper has been excellent for club and country over the last few months and could be ready to make a move abroad.

Saudi Pro League side, Al-Ettifaq, have pulled out of the race to sign Chippa United and Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Bobo Nwabali, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 27-year-old was a revelation to the football world after an impressive outing with Nigeria at the AFCON 2023 tournament, keeping four clean sheets in seven games.

Since that tournament, Nwabali’s purple patch got a shade darker, as the former Enyimba International man grew in confidence, saving penalties for his club side, Chippa United, and has 10 clean sheets in 25 games for the Chilli Boys.

Soccernet.ng earlier reported that Union Saint-Gilloise, Queens Park Rangers, Al-Ettifaq and Kaizer Chiefs are keen on Nwabali’s services, with Chippa placing a £1.3 million (R30 million or ₦2.245 billion) price tag on Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper.

According to SCORENigeria, Al-Ettifaq have pulled out of transfer negotiations Chippa United about Nwabali.

This was due to overdrawn negotiations which had exceeded the patience limit of the Saudis who are currently 6th on the Pro League table, 45 points behind Neymar’s Al-Hilal who have been crowned League Champions.

Paying Nwabali’s price tag was never going to be a problem for Al-Hilal, but they never got the assurance that the former Katsina United goalkeeper was going to put pen to paper to sign for them.

While the move to Saudi Arabia might be off the table, Nwabali is still likely to leave Chippa United this summer, with two firm offers on the table and only the finer details are being worked out. The player’s decision will play a huge role in his eventual destination.

In the meantime, his focus will be on Nigeria’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic.

 

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

Recent Posts

Osimhen: Napoli star drops transfer hint as Man United and Chelsea prepare €75 million bid

Napoli-owned forward Victor Osimhen has sparked transfer speculation with a new comment about his future,… Read More

3 hours ago

Ghana 0-0 Nigeria: CHAN Eagles grab first-leg advantage in Accra against Black Galaxies

Nigeria forced Ghana to a goalless draw in the first leg of the qualifying playoff… Read More

3 hours ago

What Hakimi’s mother said after her son lost the CAF POTY Award to Lookman

Achraf Hakimi's mother, Saida Mouh, has revealed her son has moved on from the disappointment… Read More

3 hours ago

“I see similarities with Leicester” – Ex-Barcelona striker backs Ola Aina’s Nott’m Forest to win EPL title

Former Barcelona and England striker, Gary Lineker, has backed Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina's Nottingham… Read More

4 hours ago

Two Premier League clubs ready to meet Napoli’s €75m asking price for Victor Osimhen

Two English Premier League sides, Manchester United and Chelsea, are prepared to meet Napoli's €75m… Read More

5 hours ago

Tolu Arokodare surpasses Stephen Keshi’s mark in Belgium as Genk humble Anderlecht

Tolu Arokodare delivered a man-of-the-match performance to inspire KRC Genk to a convincing 2-0 win… Read More

5 hours ago