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A new claim made by investigative football journalist Romain Molina suggests that Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has been “juggling” transfer negotiations for the Reds and Al-Hilal. If you have been left wondering – as I have – that Liverpool’s transfer business has felt slow, strange and almost illogical at times this summer, you now have the biggest indication as to why. In July, a joint report for The Athletic penned by David Ornstein, Gregg Evans and Mario Cortegana assured Liverpool fans, that although Hughes would be heading to Al Hilal when his contract expired, his work for Liverpool would not be affected. Now, however, Molina reports that despite these assurances, Hughes has been juggling transfer duties for Liverpool and Al-Hilal this summer, with a legal conflict of interest now coming into question. Molina reports on X: “Richard Hughes is officially leaving Liverpool to become Al-Hilal’s new sporting director, but he’s already overseeing this summer transfer window for the Saudi club. “Ironically, he had turned down Al-Hilal’s initial offer a while back by proposing conditions that weren’t well-received by the management (living in Dubai, not showing up on-site often, etc.) Disappointed, Al-Hilal first shopped around for available sporting directors but eventually resumed negotiations with Hughes. “Both sides made concessions to reach an agreement, which has already been signed, and the Scotsman has been juggling both clubs a bit this summer (which is drawing smirks in the industry…)” Richard Hughes va officiellement quitter Liverpool pour être le nouveau directeur sportif d'Al-Hilal mais il supervise déjà ce mercato estival pour le club saoudien Ironiquement, il avait refusé la première offre d'Al-Hilal il y a quelques temps en proposant des conditions pas… pic.twitter.com/Cv8AZ0qVhc — Romain Molina (@Romain_Molina) August 30, 2026 Suddenly, Ismaila Sarr joining Liverpool feels murky amid a conflict of interest Before Liverpool even entered the fray for Sarr, Saudi Pro League outfit Al Ittihad were in the driving seat to sign Sarr, but Liverpool’s involvement now means that they are set to miss out. This is a genuine conflict of interest. On one hand, I’m furious that Liverpool’s transfers are getting less than the closest attention possible. On the other, there are legitimate legal issues this creates. Why this should be a massive issue for fans to feel justifiably upset about Think about the information Hughes would have access to as Liverpool’s sporting director. He potentially knows: - Liverpool’s exact transfer targets - Liverpool’s maximum valuations - which alternatives Liverpool are considering - which negotiations are advanced - how urgently Liverpool need particular positions - what Liverpool are prepared to pay - which players Liverpool may sell - internal assessments of players - the identity of clubs Liverpool are negotiating with - Liverpool’s preferred timing for deals - even information about PSG’s negotiations surrounding Bradley Barcola And simultaneously, according to Molina, he’s helping Al-Hilal construct its squad and conduct its own transfer business. That’s not automatically illegal or even necessarily prohibited by his contract. But from a sporting-governance perspective, the potential conflict is obvious.