Al-Ittihad Nears Deal for Ritsu Doan from Eintracht Frankfurt

Al-Ittihad are closing on one of the headline moves of their summer rebuild, with Japanese international Ritsu Doan on the brink of a switch from Eintracht Frankfurt to Jeddah.

According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiah, Al-Ittihad have reached an agreement with the Bundesliga club for the versatile attacker. Only a few contractual details remain before the deal is signed off and announced, with both sides understood to be aligned on the main terms.

For Al-Ittihad, this move is about more than just another name through the door. It is a direct response to the departure of Moussa Diaby, who has left the club for Bayer Leverkusen. His exit ripped a hole in the attacking structure and forced “the Dean” back into the market for a forward who can both replace his output and broaden the team’s options in the final third.

Doan fits that brief.

The 26-year-old can operate across several attacking positions, drifting wide, dropping into pockets, or driving centrally at goal. He arrives with significant European experience after his spells in Germany and elsewhere on the continent, a profile that appeals to an Al-Ittihad hierarchy intent on refreshing the squad without losing top-level pedigree.

The pressure to get this signing right has been building all summer. Al-Ittihad are in the middle of a sweeping overhaul, moving away from several of the figures who fronted the previous project and trying to assemble a group more suited to the current coach’s ideas. Doan is seen as one of the key pieces in that shift, a player capable of giving the attack a different rhythm and sharper edge.

Al-Riyadiah reports that the agreement between Al-Ittihad and Eintracht Frankfurt is already done in principle. What remains is a cluster of formalities: final checks, signatures, and the official unveiling. Inside the club, there is confidence that it is now a question of timing rather than negotiation.

Doan’s expected arrival forms part of a broader recruitment drive, with the board determined to hand the technical staff a deeper, more flexible squad. The aim is clear: a new identity, a more dynamic front line, and a team that can carry “the Dean” back into serious contention on all fronts.

If all goes as planned, Ritsu Doan will step straight into the space Diaby has left behind, tasked with lifting Al-Ittihad’s attacking output and energising a fanbase that has lived through a turbulent window.

Now, those fans wait — not to see if the move happens, but when the Japanese international will be officially unveiled as the latest face of Al-Ittihad’s new era.