Stefan De Vrij was close to joining Al Hilal in January as part of a deal involving Joao Cancelo moving to Inter, but the move was prevented by the failure of Cancelo's transfer. Gianluca Di Marzio stated that Inter again declined offers from Simone Inzaghi and Al Hilal for De Vrij. According to the report, Inter is displeased by the Cancelo situation and for this reason refused to allow De Vrij's transfer to Al Hilal.

Tuttomercato reports there is an agreement in principle with Al-Hilal as part of a deal for Cancelo that would involve a defender, either Francesco Acerbi or Stefan De Vrij, moving to the Riyadh club. The Saudi club views the Dutch player more favorably due to being younger, although Al-Hilal would also accept Acerbi. Both defenders are set to leave Inter at the end of the season, so this move would only be a slight anticipation of their departure.

Tuttomercato reports on negotiations involving Joao Cancelo and potential player exchanges with Al Hilal. According to the report, the Saudi Pro League club is willing to contribute to the payment of part of Joao Cancelo's salary, but only if a counterpart is included. This condition is the permanent transfer to Al Hilal of either Francesco Acerbi or Stefan De Vrij. The report also states that both players are out of contract with Inter and have made themselves available for the transfer. Both are possibilities, though a final decision has not yet been made.

Stefan de Vrij could potentially move to Al Hilal as part of a deal that would see Joao Cancelo join Inter. The Italian club is reported to be seeking Cancelo as an alternative for the injured Denzel Dumfries, and during these discussions, Al Hilal expressed interest in Inter defenders de Vrij and Francesco Acerbi. The potential transfer depends on Al-Hilal's flexibility on salary costs and whether de Vrij or Acerbi would agree to leave Milan.