Saudi presenter Waleed Al Farraj has claimed that Al Ahli challenged Fabrizio Romano over the reported cost of Artem Bondarenko’s proposed transfer, prompting the Italian transfer journalist to delete a post about the deal.
Speaking on the television programme Rotana Sport with Waleed, Al Farraj said Al Ahli had faced internal problems but argued that the negative campaign surrounding the club had become excessive.
“It is true that Al Ahli has problems, but what has happened in terms of mobilisation and negative energy at the club recently is terrifying,” he said.
Al Farraj then cited a post by Romano, who had reported that Al Ahli were signing Bondarenko, the Ukraine international midfielder from Shakhtar Donetsk, for a fixed fee of 18m euros plus a further 1m euros in potential add-ons.
According to Al Faraj, however, the structure of the deal was substantially different.
“The deal was completed for only 6m euros, with 1m euros in add-ons,” he said. “That is why Fabrizio deleted the post, because Al Ahli threatened to issue a statement contradicting him. He became afraid and deleted the post.”
The presenter did not provide further details about when the alleged exchange took place or whether Al Ahli had formally contacted Romano. His comments were presented as an account of what he described as a hidden dispute between the club and the journalist.
Al Faraj also criticised the wider influence of agents and overseas figures involved in Saudi football, claiming that Romano had been used as part of pressure exerted on clubs.
“This man is one of the main tools used to put pressure on clubs, through agents and in cooperation with some directors and foreign figures working at Saudi clubs,” he said.
Al Ahli are reportedly close to completing a deal for Bondarenko, who would arrive as a replacement for Franck Kessie. The Cote d’Ivoire midfielder left the club after his contract expired at the end of last season.
Bondarenko plays for Shakhtar Donetsk and has been linked with a move to Al Ahli as the Saudi club continues its preparations around the squad. However, Al Faraj’s comments have cast fresh doubt on the figures being circulated publicly about the proposed transfer.
His remarks came amid what he described as an intense period of scrutiny and criticism directed at Al Ahli. The presenter said the club’s problems were real, but insisted that the level of negative attention and the pressure being applied from outside had become disproportionate.
No response from Romano or an official statement from Al Ahli was included in the comments reported by Al Faraj.
