Al-Diriyah have landed a new player from Al-Hilal in the current summer transfer window, though not the one they first wanted. Brazilian winger Malcom refused to make the switch.
Malcom turned down the chance to leave Al-Hilal for Al-Diriyah this summer, despite the two clubs agreeing terms on a deal, according to press reports.
Instead, Al-Diriyah confirmed on Tuesday the signing of young winger Abdullah Al-Zaid from Al-Hilal on a one-season loan.
Al-Zaid shone for Al-Hilal's Under-21 side last season in the Joy Elite League. He starred mainly on the left wing, but can also fill in as a right winger or a playmaker.
Those displays caught the eye of Al-Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi, who took the 22-year-old to the first team's pre-season training camp in Austria ahead of the new campaign.
The winger becomes Al-Diriyah's latest recruit of the summer, following a string of eye-catching arrivals. The most recent was Senegalese midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye, who joined after his Everton contract expired.