Al-Shabab President Comments on Riyad Mahrez Transfer Speculation

The scoreline said 2-0 to Al-Hilal. The real noise began after the final whistle.

As Al-Shabab digested their Roshn League defeat at SHG Arena on Friday night, club president Abdulaziz Al-Malik walked through the mixed zone and, with a few deliberate words, dragged Riyad Mahrez back to the centre of the Saudi transfer market.

Asked directly about Al-Shabab’s position on signing the Algerian star, Al-Malik did not duck the question or play it down. Speaking to Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, he said: “Riyad Mahrez is a big gain for Saudi football and for Al-Shabab, and God willing we will see over the next 48 hours what will happen.”

Forty-eight hours. One sentence. A fresh wave of speculation.

Mahrez, the former Al-Ahli and Manchester City winger, has already been heavily linked with Al-Shabab in recent days, his name pushed back into circulation as the summer window ticks towards its close. Al-Malik’s remarks poured fuel on a story that was already running hot.

The intrigue comes against a complicated backdrop. Mahrez left Al-Ahli at the end of last season after the club unilaterally terminated his contract a year before it was due to expire, abruptly cutting short his stay in Jeddah.

The 35-year-old had spent three seasons in the Saudi league following his 2023 move from Manchester City, becoming one of the competition’s headline foreign stars. During that spell he helped Al-Ahli lift two AFC Champions League Elite titles and a Saudi Super Cup, underlining his status as a proven match-winner on the regional stage.

Now his next move hangs in the balance.

Reports in recent days have floated the possibility of a return to Al-Ahli, the club that cut ties with him only months ago, while rivals Al-Ittihad are also credited with a strong desire to bring him in. Al-Shabab’s interest, confirmed in tone if not yet in contract, adds another serious contender.

The timing is no coincidence. Al-Shabab’s defeat to Al-Hilal in the fifth round of the Roshn League exposed gaps in quality and experience in key areas. A player of Mahrez’s pedigree, creativity and dead-ball threat would instantly change the picture for a side trying to keep pace with the league’s heavyweights.

For now, there is no agreement, no official announcement, just a clear signal from the Al-Shabab president and a tight, public deadline.

The next 48 hours will reveal whether those words were calculated pressure, or the prelude to one of the Saudi summer window’s defining moves.