Al-Ittihad Club announced on Sunday the signing of Fareeda Hanafi to bolster the women's first team defense, coming from Al-Ahli on a three-year contract that ends in 2029. The official account of Al-Ittihad Women on platform 'X' welcomed the new player, who is the team's first signing in the current summer transfer window, and wrote: 'Fareeda Hanafi is an Ittihad player until 2029... Welcome to the den of tigers.' Fareeda (20 years old) began her career with Al-Shabab, then moved to Al-Ahli in summer 2023, winning the Saudi Federation Cup twice with them, and also contributed to them winning the Premier League runner-up three times in a row, the last of which was last season. Internationally, Fareeda wore the Saudi national team jersey in eight matches, starting against Hong Kong on April 8, 2025. Al-Ittihad's signing of the player comes as part of the management's moves and interest in the women's team, including renewing the contract of Spanish coach Raúl Pérez, and releasing four players: Rahaf Tariq, Bayan Mohammed, Farah Jafri, and Nada Al-Ghamdi.