Italian international Retegui has attracted the interest of many clubs. His eventual transfer fee of 67 million euros to the newly promoted Saudi Arabian club Khobar Kudisiya was somewhat surprising. Retegui discussed the matter in an interview with Al Arabiya TV.

Retegui said: "There are indeed several clubs interested in me, but the negotiations did not succeed. Huber Cudicia has the clearest interest and is the team that wants me the most."

"I did not talk to Mancini (the then Italian national team coach) about it. I talked to my friend Fernandez, who was my teammate at Tiger Athletic, and the head coach Michel also convinced me to join."

"I have great respect for Gravina (President of the Italian Football Federation) and the Italian Football Federation. We have a good relationship and they can have their own opinions, but I don't want to talk about this issue because my words may be misinterpreted."

"I didn't want to wait too long to get a call from Scaloni, but he never called. So when Mancini called me, I immediately accepted (playing for Italy)."