A FRESH spanner has been thrown into the works of a grudge match between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.

The pair’s long-overdue showdown was on the brink of coming to fruition last December before Wilder suffered a shock loss to Joseph Parker.

AJ, however, refused to close the door on a dust-up with the American and revealed earlier this month that he could potentially fight him at Wembley.

But Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh seemingly has different plans for Wilder, who returns to the ring on June 1 for a do-or-die showdown with Zhilei Zhang.

READ MORE NEWS :‘Fastest heavyweight in the world’ – Anthony Joshua wows fans with blistering hand speed in latest training clip

Alalshikh plans to have Wilder take part in a domestic dust-up against the undefeated Jared Anderson should he come through his Riyad rumble with Zhang.

Alongside a picture of himself and Anderson, Alalshikh tweeted: “The talented Jared Anderson is with us now on [the] August 3rd Riyadh Season card at LA, against the ‘Bronze Bomber’ Deontay Wilder.

“If he’s ready by then to fight after 1st of June’s fight against Zhilei Zhang.”

Joshua, 34, hasn’t set foot inside the ring since his brutal two-round demolition of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in March.

But he recently claimed he’s on course to fight either Wilder, Zhang, Filip Hrgovic or Daniel Dubois this September.

JUST IN :Anthony Joshua predicts phenomenal rival to win Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk fight

He told talkSPORT late last month: “Whenever they tell me there’s a date, you know I’ll be ready 100 per cent.

“It’s gonna be in London, Wembley Stadium.

“This is what I’m being told. If that’s what they say, they normally back their word so let’s go with that.

“Wembley, September 20 or 21.”

The Watford warrior added: “On June 1 in Saudi Arabia they’ve got the 5 vs 5 card.

“You’ve got Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois, and you’ve got Zhilei Zhang vs Deontay Wilder.

“So providing one of those looks good – the one who looks the best, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh said to me, ‘I want you to fight [him].’

RELATED NEWS :Andy Ruiz Credits Anthony Joshua, Proposes Trilogy Fight After Aug. 3 Date

“I said, ‘Now you’re speaking my language.’

“So out of that pool, I believe that’s who I’m gonna be fighting, one of those.

“We’re on the same page and he’s on the same page as the fans as well.

“But Fury’s got his obligations with Oleksandr Usyk so I’ve gotta make sure I stay focused and disciplined.

UPDATE NEWS :Only one thing would hold up an Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder showdown

Boxing purists love to see heavyweights battle it out in the ring. It’s why so many are so excited to see Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk lock horns for undisputed glory next month.

It’s also why a bunch of fans have wanted to see Anthony Joshua face Deontay Wilder for a long time now. The fight has been rumored to be in the works for several years, and was slated to happen after both boxers fought on the same card on December 23.

READ MORE :Anthony Joshua hints mega clash with Tyson Fury will happen in September and says ‘it’s coming, most definitely’

But Wilder’s loss to Joseph Parker put the Joshua fight on thin ice. Now, it appears it may be happening once again, but once again Wilder will need to come through beforehand.

Joshua vs Wilder is contingent on Zhilei Zhang fight

If Wilder defeats Zhilei Zhang on June 1, it would trigger a potential Wilder vs Joshua battle in September. And the venue being talked about is Wembley Stadium in London.

JUST IN :Anthony Joshua backed to ‘wipe the floor’ with Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury by Derek Chisora due to key change

Joshua is coming off of a resounding KO win over Francis Ngannou, and is likely to wait until September before taking another fight.

Joshua and Wilder battling in Wembley would make for quite the spectacle, which has become the norm for the top fighters in recent years.