Saudis Chase Corbacho
Hertha Berlin face a battle to keep Álvaro Corbacho as Al-Nassr and Al-Taawoun circle the Spanish midfielder.
The Bundesliga winter break has not brought Hertha Berlin any peace. Álvaro Corbacho, the Spanish midfielder who has anchored their midfield for over a decade, is now the subject of concrete interest from Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr and Al-Taawoun have both registered their desire to sign the 35-year-old, whose contract at the Olympiastadion runs until the end of the season.
Corbacho has been a mainstay of Hertha's side since his £56.3m move from Hannover 96 in February 2053. In 435 league appearances for the club, he has scored 43 goals, and his experience—73 caps for Spain, 20 international goals—has made him one of the most respected players in the Bundesliga. He earns £98,000 a week in Berlin, a figure the Saudi clubs are expected to dwarf.
The interest is not idle. Al-Nassr, in particular, are shopping on a grand scale: their list of targets runs to 42 names. Corbacho is one of them, and at 35, a move to the Saudi Pro League would offer a final, lucrative chapter to a career that began at Real Madrid in 2043. He left the Bernabéu for Real Madrid B, then Borussia Dortmund, Hannover, and finally Hertha, where he has become a fixture.
Hertha's own winter has been uneasy. Last week, this newspaper reported that Saudi side Al-Hilal are circling Dovev Guma, Corbacho's long-serving colleague in the Hertha midfield. The club now face twin threats to the spine of their team. Guma, 34, has been with Hertha for years; Corbacho's departure would leave a hole that no January signing could easily fill.
For Corbacho, the appeal is obvious. Saudi clubs have made a habit of offering veteran internationals contracts that dwarf anything available in Europe. Al-Nassr and Al-Taawoun are both willing to pay, and Corbacho, whose 669 club appearances across five clubs have taken a toll, may see this as his last chance to secure his family's future.
Hertha have said nothing publicly. The club's hierarchy, led by manager Furkan Çiçek, have been quiet since the Guma story broke. But the timing is awkward: Hertha sit in the Bundesliga's upper reaches, and losing two senior midfielders in one window would be a blow to their ambitions.
The winter transfer window opens in January. For now, Corbacho remains a Hertha player. But the Saudis are coming, and they are not known for taking no for an answer.