Al-Ittihad and Italian club Genoa have entered advanced negotiations for the transfer of Albanian Mario Mitaj, a player from Al-Ittihad's first football team, to the Italian club on loan with an option to buy, according to private sources told Al-Riyadiya. According to the same sources, negotiations between the two clubs are ongoing, in preparation for reaching an agreement on the player's transfer to Genoa in the coming period. On the other hand, Al-Ittihad's sports management has included Nigerian Raphael Onyedika, a midfielder for Belgian club Club Brugge, among its options to bolster the pivot position. Onyedika is 25 years old and excels in the pivot role, in addition to his ability to play as a center-back, which gives him an additional advantage with the Al-Ittihad management, which is studying a number of options to strengthen the team's ranks in the coming period. According to the sources, Onyedika's name is added to Egyptian Marwan Attia, midfielder of Egyptian club Al-Ahly, on the list of candidates to bolster the pivot position, amid the Al-Ittihad sports management's moves to select the most suitable player for the role. The management continues to evaluate the available options before making a final decision on the deal that will support the team's midfield, while continuing to study a number of names in the current period.