Firmino joins Saudi club after Liverpool exit

Roberto Firmino has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli as a free agent after his contract at Liverpool expired at the end of last season, it was announced Tuesday.

The forward, 31, has agreed a three-year deal with the Saudi team and joins former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy at the Jeddah-based club.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

The Brazil forward spent eight years at Anfield, scoring scoring 110 goals in 361 games.

Si Señor 🫡🪄#WelcomeFirmino

pic.twitter.com/w0k9ell39A

— Al-Ahli Saudi Club (@ALAHLI_FCEN) July 4, 2023

Firmino won seven trophies with Liverpool including the Champions League in 2019 and the club’s first-ever Premier League title in 2020.

Clubs in Saudi Arabia have pursued an aggressive recruitment strategy in recent months, persuading some of the sport’s biggest names to sign lucrative deals with teams in the country — Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January and Karim Benzema left Real Madrid for Al Ittihad earlier this month.

Al Ahli won the Saudi First Division League title last season to achieve promotion back to the Saudi Pro League for the 2023-24 campaign.