Trezeguet signs for Al Riyadh as Saudi Pro League registration clearance arrives

Egypt winger Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” has signed for Al Riyadh after the club received approval from the Saudi Pro League to complete the transfer, according to Saudi newspaper Al Riyadiya.

Al Riyadh are expected to announce the deal officially soon, with the club now eligible to register players after obtaining the required financial clearance certificate.

The certificate was received on Thursday after Al Riyadh fulfilled the conditions set by the Saudi Pro League. Its approval means the club can add players to its squad list, clearing the final administrative obstacle to Trezeguet’s move.

Trezeguet ended his contract with Al Ahly last month to complete the switch to Al Riyadh as a free agent. The 31-year-old had returned to Cairo last summer to represent the club where he developed through the youth ranks before being promoted to the first team in 2012.

His return to Al Ahly followed a decade-long spell playing outside Egypt. Trezeguet began that period in 2015, when he joined Belgian club RSC Anderlecht on loan. Anderlecht made the transfer permanent after one season.

The winger later played for Aston Villa in England, as well as Trabzonspor, Kasımpasa and Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey. His overseas career also included spells with Belgian club Royal Excel Mouscron and Qatar’s Al Rayyan.

Trezeguet has therefore built up extensive experience across European and Middle Eastern football before moving to Al Riyadh. His latest transfer came after his second spell with Al Ahly, the club he first represented at senior level after progressing through its academy.

Al Riyadh’s acquisition of the Egypt international is now set to be confirmed publicly once the club makes its expected announcement. The Saudi side’s receipt of the financial clearance certificate has allowed the registration process to proceed and completed the requirements needed for the move.

For Trezeguet, the transfer marks a return to the Gulf after his previous spell with Al Rayyan and adds another country to a professional career that began outside Egypt in 2015. Since then, he has represented clubs in Belgium, Turkey, England and Qatar before returning to Al Ahly last summer.

The move to Al Riyadh was agreed after the player became available without a transfer fee following the end of his Al Ahly contract. Al Riyadh’s approval from the Saudi Pro League and subsequent signing of the player mean the deal is now awaiting only the club’s official announcement.