JEDDAH: Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad has settled all its outstanding financial disputes relating to transfers of foreign players from 2018, according to Arabic-language sports newspaper Arriyadiyah.
The announcement came after the club reportedly transferred a fee of 3 million euros ($3.58 million) – representing the final two scheduled payments – to Swiss club Young Boys for the purchase of the Ivory Coast midfielder Sekou Sanogo three years ago.
In January, Sanogo left Al-Ittihad to join Serbian club Red Star Belgrade on a two-year contract.
The announcement also revealed that after the transfer of the outstanding amount, only a few logistical steps remained before the case could officially be closed.
It is the latest dispute with a foreign club to be settled by Al-Ittihad after similar cases were completed for the transfers of the Brazilian goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe from Gremio, Cape Verdean player Garry Rodrigues from Galatasaray, the Moroccan defender Manuel Marouane da Costa from Istanbul Basaksehir, and Aleksandar Prijovic of Serbia from Greek club PAOK.
The Jeddah club had agreed a three-part plan of payment for Sanogo’s move that saw it complete the first one in March of 2020, before settling the remaining amount this year.
