Youssef El Arabi: Moroccan-French striker joins Greek club Marko on free transfer

Moroccan-French centre-forward Youssef El Arabi has joined Greek club Marko from FC Nantes on a free transfer, signing a contract that runs until 30 June 2028.

The 39-year-old moves to the Super League 2 side after one season with Nantes, having arrived at the French club from APOEL Nicosia without a transfer fee in July 2025. His move to Marko was completed on 1 August 2026.

El Arabi brings extensive experience across European and Middle Eastern football, having played in France, Spain, Greece, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Cyprus during his career.

He spent the 2024-25 campaign with APOEL, where he was the Cyprus League’s leading scorer with 13 goals. That followed a highly successful spell at Olympiacos, where he won three Greek league titles, the Greek Cup and the 2023-24 Conference League.

The striker was named the Greek league’s best foreign player in 2020 and 2021, while also finishing as the competition’s top scorer in both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. He scored 20 league goals in 2019-20 and 22 the following campaign.

Before joining Olympiacos, El Arabi played for Al-Duhail in Qatar, winning two league titles and the Emir of Qatar Cup. He was the Qatar Stars League’s leading scorer in 2016-17 and 2017-18, registering 24 goals and 26 goals respectively.

His career also includes spells with Granada, Al-Hilal and SM Caen. He began senior football with Caen after progressing from the club’s reserve side, having started his development at Mondeville.

El Arabi has scored 43 goals in 130 La Liga appearances, 53 in 104 Greek Super League matches and 76 in 60 Qatar Stars League games. He has also found the net 20 times in 25 AFC Champions League appearances and scored 10 goals in 22 Europa League matches.

A right-footed striker standing 1.83m tall, El Arabi now starts a new chapter in Greece with Marko, where his contract is in place through June 2028.