Yassine Bounou facing uncertain Al Hilal future as club weigh squad reshuffle

Yassine Bounou’s position at Al Hilal has been thrown into doubt amid reports the Saudi Pro League champions are considering removing the Morocco goalkeeper from their domestic squad list.

Speculation over Bounou’s future has intensified in recent hours, with Saudi media suggesting Al Hilal are seriously evaluating whether to exclude the 33-year-old from their local registration for the coming season.

The debate around his status comes as Al Hilal continue an aggressive summer of recruitment and have reached an agreement with West Ham United to sign Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville. According to reports, the deal has been concluded and the club plan to officially announce his arrival within 48 hours.

Domestic registration under review

Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Al-Muraisel, who is known to be close to Al Hilal, has claimed the board are “seriously” studying the option of deregistering Bounou from their domestic squad in order to rely on Saudi Arabia international goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais in local competitions.

Al-Muraisel stated that, under the plan being discussed, Bounou would be restricted to playing only in the Asian elite competition referred to as “نخبة اسيا” (“Nokhbat Asia”). He added that if the Morocco international refuses such a reduced role, Al Hilal intend to part company with him entirely during the current summer transfer window.

The potential reshuffle is aimed at freeing up a foreign-player slot on the domestic list for Summerville, while accommodating other overseas stars in the squad for the new campaign. Under Saudi Pro League regulations, clubs must operate within strict limits on the number of foreign players eligible for domestic fixtures.

As a result, Bounou now faces what has been described locally as a “dark” or bleak outlook regarding his future with the Riyadh club.

Parallel with Darwin Nunez situation

Locally, the situation is being likened to that of Uruguay forward Darwin Nunez at another Saudi club last season. Nunez had his name removed from the domestic squad list midway through the campaign and was subsequently used only in Asian competition.

Bounou joined Al Hilal as one of the marquee signings of the Saudi football project and has been a key figure for the club both domestically and continentally. However, the pursuit of further high-profile foreign players has intensified competition for spots on the club’s domestic registration.

The current plan, as outlined by Al-Muraisel, would leave Bounou with a stark choice: accept a limited role, featuring exclusively in Asian competition, or seek a move away from Al Hilal before the close of the summer window.

Al Hilal have not yet issued any official statement regarding Bounou’s status, the final composition of their foreign quota, or the terms of Summerville’s imminent arrival from West Ham United.