Italian midfielder, Marco Verratti has left Paris Saint Germain for a Qatari club Al-Arabi for a transfer fee worth 45 million euros.
This development is coming less than a week after former Liverpool and FC Barcelona player, Philippe Coutinho left Aston Villa on loan to Qatari side Al-Duhail.
Hence, Marco Verratti is the latest in a long line of footballers who recently left clubs in Europe for the Middle East, especially this summer. Unlike Verratti and Coutinho who joined Qatari clubs, most of the other top players joined clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Recall that Verratti’s former PSG teammate Neymar joined Al-Hilal in August for £77.6 million.
The 30-year-old Italian midfielder will work with Rafinha, a former PSG player and the identical twin of Liverpool midfielder Thiago, at Al-Arabi. The two players have played together at PSG from 2020 until 2022.
Earlier in the summer, there were rumors that Marco Verratti would head to the Saudi Pro League. However, no club was able to finalize a deal with the midfielder before the Saudi transfer window closed on September 7.
The 30-year-old Italian international has now signed a two-year deal with Al-Arabi which will keep him in the Middle East until June 30, 2025.
After sealing his move away from PSG, Marco Verratti said, “I was very proud to wear the colors of Paris St-Germain for more than a decade, to rub shoulders with so many great players, and to win 30 trophies.
“Paris, the club and its supporters will always have a very special place in my heart. I will be Parisian forever.”
Verratti joined PSG in 2012 and went on to win nine Ligue 1 titles. He has helped Italy to win one European Championship (Euro 2020).
