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

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.