On Thursday, Al-Hilal and Stade Rennais completed the transfer of Kader Meite. The young French forward has chosen to join the Saudi club, despite serious interest from Manchester United and numerous Premier League suitors.
Kader Meite will join Darwin Nunez and Theo Hernandez at Al-Hilal. The 18-year-old forward is leaving Stade Rennais to join the Saudi outfit. On Thursday, the two clubs reached a full agreement for a hefty transfer estimated at £25.5m (€30m) plus £2.5m (€3m) in bonuses, according to L'Equipe.
A fine sale for Rennes, with the France Under-21 international having played just his second professional season. Kader Meite has agreed to join Al-Hilal on a contract until June 2029. And this despite numerous interested parties in England. Indeed, according to TeamTalk, 8 Premier League clubs were interested in the young Rennes man's profile.
Kader Meite was tracked by Chelsea and Manchester United
The British outlet reports that Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Brentford and Brighton all sent scouts to watch the striker, who has scored 3 Ligue 1 goals this season. These clubs were only at an exploratory stage and were not planning to make a move until next summer.
The same applies to Manchester United. L'Equipe report that the Red Devils had seriously positioned themselves to sign Kader Meite should Joshua Zirkzee depart. Otherwise, the Premier League giants were planning to try and recruit Habib Beye's protege during the next summer window.
Simone Inzaghi played key role
A wait-and-see approach in this case, which is quite logical with a young forward, but which ultimately allowed Al-Hilal to land the jackpot as early as this winter. The Saudi club did not hesitate at all in this matter and had notably submitted an offer of £22m (€26m) including bonuses a few days ago.
Kader Meite is not the first Ligue 1 gem to head to the Saudi Pro League. Before him, Nathan Zeze and Saimon Bouabre notably moved to Saudi Arabia. The Stade Rennais striker was also convinced to make the leap by Simone Inzaghi. According to TeamTalk, the Italian coach of the Saudi club played a key role by getting personally involved in the matter.
Thus, Al-Hilal's determination, the clear plan outlined for his development and Inzaghi's direct communication tipped the balance in favour of the Riyadh club.
