Al-Ahly Jeddah are close to signing the Monaco talent
According to the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Al-Ahly Jeddah is close to signing the Monaco midfielder, the young Frenchman Papi Cabral.
The report said talks over the surprise deal had moved quickly in recent hours due to the French club’s need to secure financial liquidity after sales operations it had hoped for were hampered by the closure of the European transfer market.
The administration of Al-Ahly Jeddah contacted the administration of Monaco to acquire the services of Cabral, who is 19 years old, before negotiations quickly progressed between the two parties and the agreement was soon based on a final transfer of 10 million euros, approximately 44 million riyals.
Monaco’s move comes in the wake of US striker Folarin Balogun’s last-minute move to Everton in the English market, a deal the French club expected to provide a significant chunk of the liquidity needed to balance its accounts.
Monaco is under financial pressure to balance its accounts and meet the demands of the French club financial watchdog, which forced it to move quickly and let go of one of its most famous young players, even though Cabral was seen as one of the promising elements in the team’s draft.
The Saudi transfer window, which continues after the closure of several European league markets, gives Monaco the opportunity to complete additional sales, offering Al-Ahly Jeddah an option that could serve both sides should a final deal be reached.
The possibility of Cabral’s departure takes on added significance given that Monaco announced on August 6 that the player’s contract had been extended until June 30, 2031, marking the club’s commitment to his long-term future, before Al-Ahly Jeddah’s offer emerged less than a month after the renewal.
Cabral joined Monaco’s academy in the 2022–2023 season from CS Manvillier and was one of the most influential elements in the club’s victory in the 2023 Gambardella Youth Cup after he scored in the semi-final against Nantes and then scored in the final against Clermont.
Then the French midfielder moved to the youth teams and played 22 matches with the under-19 team. He also represented the French U-17 team and participated with them in the European Championship of this category. He later began to approach Monaco’s first team after participating in the club’s elite group.
Cabral made his first-team debut on 27 September 2025 against Lorient, before making further appearances during the season, including against Manchester City in the Champions League.
He finished the 2025-2026 season with 6 appearances for the first team, according to Monaco’s official figures.
The player has been present in the squad’s preparations for the current season and featured in friendlies against Saint-Priest, Sporting Lisbon and Club Brugge, hinting at his presence on Monaco’s accounts before the financials changed in the final days of the transfer window.
Cabral, meanwhile, was not on Monaco’s roster for their last game against Olympique de Marseille, which ended in a 2-0 win for the Emirati side, before L’Equipe newspaper revealed days later that Al-Ahly Jeddah had begun to involve him in advanced talks.