Flying to Riyadh but landing in Madrid: The shocking transfer saga of David Hancko

David Hancko and Al-Nassr's transfer saga appears to be one of the craziest stories of the summer. (Image credits - Heute, License Details)

Atletico Madrid officially announced David Hancko's signing from Feyenoord yesterday for a deal worth €30 million plus add-ons, with the defender set to sign a five-year contract with the Los Colchoneros.

Hancko's arrival comes in as a much-needed addition for Diego Simone, who witnessed his side struggle heavily in the defence last season, and with the departures of Cesar Azpilicueta, Reinildo, and Axel Witsel, the Argentine was left absolutely desperate to bring in defensive reinforcements on an imminent basis.

This desperation is exactly what Chelsea were looking to take advantage of during their negotiations for Renato Veiga, but David Hancko's "crazy" transfer twist came to Atleti's rescue, helping them to not overpay for a much-needed defensive signing.

The 27-year-old's move to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr was a done deal, with both clubs reaching an agreement along with the defender also agreeing to all the terms offered by the Saudi giants.

Reports from Fabrizio Romano had even claimed that Hancko had travelled to Austria to join Al-Nassr's pre-season training camp, with the belief that the move was completely finalised and would be made official in a few days.

However, in a dramatic turn of events, the move completely collapsed due to a massive fallout between the two parties, which was reportedly caused by Nassr's "ugly" treatment of the Slovak upon his arrival.

As per our sources, Hancko was barred from joining the first-team training sessions and was unbelievably even denied access to the team hotel, leading to ugly scenes.

As a result, Feyenoord immediately recalled the Slovak back and cancelled the move while also calling Nassr's surprising actions "scandalous" and "unbelievable".

The club's technical director took the public forum to express his wrath and stated, “We’ve never experienced anything like this. The whole transfer was agreed on. To treat a player this way is unacceptable.” (sic)

What caused Al-Nassr's unexpected U-turn to stop David Hancko's transfer move?

Al-Nassr's treatment of David Hancko is understandably receiving a lot of criticism and backlash publicly, with many calling out the official authorities to take action against the Saudi giants.

Feyenoord spoke about Nassr's "exceptional" actions and have reportedly taken an internal decision to never negotiate with the SPL club ever again in the future.

Reports have claimed that Hancko and his family had even cleared out their apartment in Rotterdam and had prepared for a new life in Riyadh. Undoubtedly, the stunning turn of events left them in shock. But what caused Al-Nassr to change their mind, literally at the last minute?

While no official explanation has been provided by the club yet, our sources have informed us that a possible internal change in the higher positions in club management, along with the arrival of Jorge Jesus, is believed to be the primary reason that caused Nassr to reconsider the move at the last moment.

It is said to be a "top-down decision", with order coming directly from the newly appointed higher-rank officials in the club management, who decided to stop the transfer upon their arrival, causing this sudden fallout while completely blindsiding Hancko, Feyenoord and others involved in the deal.