The New Saints lodge FIFA complaint over transfer fee non-payment

The former Aston Villa youngster left the Saints in the summer to sign for the Saudi Pro League side for £190,000.

Young had netted 22 league goals for the Saints and scooped the Cymru Premier player of the season award, before going on to score twice in his European debut during the Saints' run to qualify for the Europa Conference League.

But more than four months after his departure, Saints chairman Mike Harris has claimed the club are yet to receive a penny from the Al-Orobah.

FIFA have reportedly received a complaint regarding the issue, and speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Harris said: "We're due our transfer fee - not a penny has come.

"Our transfer fee hasn't been paid. We've reported it to Fifa. One [payment] was due immediately in September - we gave them 16 days' grace - and the other was due, which was the second part.

"We can't even get hold of the club so I'd be saying to any club thinking of selling a good prospect to Saudi Arabia to not do the deal unless the cash is in your bank before the player goes.

"No other club should be taken in by the promises of riches that don't turn up."

Young left the Saints before their first-ever European group stage campaign - and the club were unable to bring in a replacement striker before the transfer window closed.

The Saints went on to put up a valiant fight in the group stages, and remained in the hunt to progress into the next round until the final matchday.

But Harris believes if they had kept Young, or been able to replace him in time, they would have had a better chance of progressing.

He added: "They came in on the last day before the transfer window closed and unsettled our player, promising the world.

"We're not a selling club - we did not want to sell him. The money they were offering him was life-changing.

"This guy from Saudi Arabia was all 'we are this, we are this' and that they've got loads of dosh. I didn't want the dosh - I wanted the player to play in Europe.

"We missed the deadline, played in Europe without a striker. We couldn't get another player in. We represented Wales in Europe and the difference was we didn't quite score enough goals.

"If we'd had a player of his calibre I'd have said we would have had a better chance."