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Bergwijn and Danilo: The New Stars of Al-Ittihad Saudi Club

The Saudi Pro League’s summer transfer window closed with significant new signings on Monday night, particularly for Al-Ittihad Club, which secured the services of Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn from Ajax Amsterdam.

In a special announcement video featuring the 26-year-old Dutch international, who joined Ajax in 2022 after spells at PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur, Al-Ittihad proudly declared, “Welcome to our new tiger.”

Ajax confirmed the transfer in a press release, stating, “We will receive over 21 million euros as a transfer fee from the Saudi club,” while noting that Bergwijn’s contract with the Amsterdam side was originally set to run until June 30, 2027.

In addition to Bergwijn, Al-Ittihad also strengthened their aquad with the signing of Portuguese international midfielder Danilo Pereira from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Danilo, who spent four seasons at PSG, has signed a two-year deal with Al-Ittihad, as confirmed by both the Saudi club and the French Ligue 1 champions.

PSG announced the transfer, saying, “Danilo Pereira has joined the Saudi club Al-Ittihad in a permanent transfer,” while Al-Ittihad posted videos on their “X” page with captions such as “From Paris to Jeddah, Danilo Pereira is now a defender for the champions” and “Danilo Pereira, a tiger.”

Danilo, who will celebrate his 32nd birthday in six days, began his professional career after rising through the ranks at Benfica’s youth academy. He made his mark at Porto, where he played from 2015 to 2021, winning two league titles before moving to PSG in the fall of 2020. At PSG, Danilo added three Ligue 1 titles and two French Cups to his trophy cabinet.

Over his span at PSG, Danilo made 157 appearances, scored 10 goals, and provided 3 assists. The 2016 UEFA European Championship and 2019 UEFA Nations League winner with Portugal now embarks on a new challenge with Al-Ittihad.

Among other high-profile transfers in the Saudi Pro League, Italian club Roma saw the departure of English defender Chris Smalling and young Portuguese-Brazilian winger João Costa, who joined Al-Fayha and Al-Ettifaq, respectively.

Al-Ettifaq hinted at Costa’s arrival by posting an image on their “X” page of a suitcase labeled “From Rome to Dammam,” confirming Italian media reports of the 19-year-old’s move for a fee of 9 million euros. The Saudi club later released a video showcasing the winger’s highlights at Roma, starting with an image of him in the club’s jersey, captioned, “Roma’s Brazilian talent João Costa chooses Al-Ettifaq.”

Meanwhile, Al-Fayha made their announcement with a post on “X” stating, “He came from the cradle of football” alongside the English flag, “to its present and future” next to the Saudi flag, adding, “Smalling signed with us. Are you ready?” The message was accompanied by a video featuring Smalling, where he declared, “All roads lead to Al-Majma’ah (the club’s stadium). My new journey begins here. I’m Chris Smalling, ready for the new challenge. Let’s go, Al-Fayha.”

The 34-year-old defender leaves Roma a year before the end of his newly signed contract, which was extended in the summer of 2023, after initially joining the “Giallorossi” on loan from Manchester United in 2019 before making the move permanent in 2020.

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