Hadj Moussa has been the subject of a transfer saga involving Saudi side Al Ittihad since the Dutch Deadline Day on Wednesday. Al Ittihad reportedly submitted a €30 million bid for the Algerian winger, which Feyenoord technical director Devy Rigaux said they wouldn't accept.
According to several reports, Al Ittihad intensified their pursuit of the right winger by submitting an improved bid on Friday, worth up to €37.5 million.
The transfer would be a record sale for Feyenoord, whose record stands at €32 million from the Mats Wieffer deal with Brighton in 2024.
"The incoming transfer market is closed. From Feyenoord’s perspective, that means we want to retain our talent on the pitch," Rigaux told ESPN on Thursday. "In my role, I intend to do everything I can to keep Hadj Moussa here, together with Feyenoord’s board."
According to ESPN, Hadj Moussa and his agent intend to move to Al Ittihad, which has proposed a lucrative five-year contract. The Algerian's camp points to earlier arrangements with the Feyenoord board, which agreed to let Hadj Moussa leave for an acceptable bid. Rigaux is ignoring these signals because the arrangements are not in writing.
The Saudi transfer window is open until Sunday.
The club are unsure what to do, with the millions hard to turn down for a club in need of money. At the same time, Hadj Moussa has been registered for Feyenoord's UEFA Champions League squad. Any free-agent replacements cannot be registered in place of the Algerian.
Hadj Moussa, 24, joined Feyenoord in 2024 and has since become the team's biggest star. After recording 11 goal contributions in the Eredivisie in his first season, the right winger scored 11 goals and assisted a further 6 in 30 league games. Hadj Moussa is the biggest name left in Feyenoord's squad after last season's Eredivisie top scorer, Ayase Ueda, left for Lille.
Hadj Moussa is under contract at Feyenoord until 2030.
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