Reports have revealed that the management of Saudi club Al-Ittihad is planning to sign Japanese winger Ritsu Doan, who plays for German club Eintracht Frankfurt, as a precautionary measure in case French winger Moussa Diaby leaves for Bayer Leverkusen.
According to the "Al-Riyadhiah" newspaper, Al-Ittihad's management is keen on keeping Moussa Diaby with the team and has not yet made any decision regarding his departure. However, they have identified Doan as a backup plan in the event that the French winger leaves.
German head coach Jens Wissing of the Jeddah-based team noted during the press conference following the league match against Al-Hazm that Diaby informed him before the match that he was not ready to participate.
The German coach stated: "He told me he was not mentally ready to play, and I will not benefit from a player who is not physically and mentally ready."
The 28-year-old Japanese right winger has made 40 appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring seven goals and providing six assists. His market value is 17 million euros, according to the global platform Transfermarkt.
Doan progressed through the youth categories of Gamba Osaka starting in 2016. In the 2018 season, he was loaned to Dutch club Groningen for his first professional experience in Europe, before the latter exercised the purchase clause in his contract the following season.
In 2019, Doan transferred to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, then was loaned to German club Arminia Bielefeld. In the summer of 2022, he moved to German club Freiburg for three seasons, during which he scored 26 goals, before joining Frankfurt in the summer of 2025.
Internationally, Doan made his first appearance for the Japan national team in September 2019. He currently has 69 international caps, with 11 goals.
In the 2026 World Cup, the Japanese player featured in four matches against the Netherlands, Tunisia, Sweden, and Brazil. He scored his country's only goal against Sweden in a match that ended 1-1, before Japan's exit from the tournament with a 1-2 loss to Brazil.
