Al-Ettifaq have announced the signing of former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum from Paris Saint Germain following a breakthrough in negotiations.
The Dutch midfielder has been made surplus to requirements following a disappointing few years at the Parc Des Princes for the French giants.
After days of tense negotiations, the deal to take the midfielder to the Saudi Arabian side, managed by Steven Gerrard, has been completed.
The Dutchman spent last season on loan at AS Roma and the fee involved for the midfielder is reportedly around £8 million, which is a bargain for the Saudi side.
Steven Gerrard is responsible for bringing the former Newcastle United midfielder to Saudi Arabia and he will join his former Liverpool teammate and captain Jordan Henderson who made the move earlier in the summer transfer window.
Wijnaldum on move to Al-Ettifaq
The Dutch midfielder, as mentioned, is set to play in midfield with his former teammate Henderson, and the former Newcastle United man has shown his excitement about the move.
On the club’s official X account, Wijnaldum sent a message to Henderson saying: “My old captain, my new captain, I am happy that we are going to share the same shirt again and hopefully we can have another good season together.”
The 32-year-old made 38 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 3 goals and assisting a further 3 in a rather unsuccessful spell in Paris.
The midfielder will now link up with Henderson and former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard and the hope will be that the pair could be the difference for the Saudi side this season.