Al-Ittihad Close to Signing Ritsu Doan

Al-Ittihad are not lingering over their rebuild. One key target is almost over the line, and the club known as "the Dean" look set to answer one major question in their attack before the window gathers its late chaos.

According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiah, Al-Ittihad have reached an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for the transfer of Japan international Ritsu Doan. Only minor contractual details remain before the move becomes official, with both clubs effectively waiting for signatures and formalities.

The timing is no coincidence. Doan is being lined up as the man to step into the space left by Moussa Diaby, who departed for Bayer Leverkusen. Diaby’s exit ripped out one of the side’s most prominent attacking pieces and forced Al-Ittihad back into the market for a forward who can both replace and expand on that influence in the final third.

Doan fits that brief. The Japanese attacker offers versatility across several positions behind the striker and out wide, and he arrives with a solid body of European experience behind him. That blend of flexibility and know-how is exactly what Al-Ittihad’s hierarchy want as they reshape a squad that is moving on from many of the names that defined the previous project.

The deal, as reported in Saudi Arabia, is essentially done between Al-Ittihad and Eintracht Frankfurt. The structure is agreed, the green light given. What remains are the routine final touches to the contract before the Jeddah club can unveil one of the headline signings of their current recruitment drive.

This is not a one-off move but part of a broader reset. After a summer of upheaval, Al-Ittihad’s management are intent on arming their coach with a deeper, more adaptable set of options, capable of executing his ideas and giving "the Dean" a sharper, more modern identity in the Roshn League.

Doan now stands on the brink of succeeding Diaby in the squad, a like-for-like replacement on paper but potentially a different kind of weapon on the pitch. For Al-Ittihad supporters, the wait is down to days and details — and to the moment when a new Japanese star walks into a project that badly needs his spark.