Doha: Paris Saint-Germain said defender Abdou Diallo is joining Qatari club Al Arabi, adding to a rush of transfers to Gulf soccer teams in recent months.
PSG didn't disclose financial terms, but RMC Sport reported that the transfer fee was about 15 million euros ($16 million) and Diallo has signed a four-year contract. The 27-year-old played 75 games for PSG since he joined the club in 2019.
Qatar spent close to $300 billion during the past decade redeveloping the country's infrastructure to host last year's FIFA World Cup. Alongside building new stadiums and entire municipalities, it bought sports assets "- including PSG, which is owned by state-backed Qatar Sports Investments. QSI also has a stake Portuguese football club SC Braga.
A group of Qatari investors are also vying for control of Manchester United. Officials at the state wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, helped with preparations for that bid alongside local family offices, Bloomberg News reported this year.
Regionally, soccer clubs have accelerated high-profile signings recently. It was announced this week that Diallo's PSG teammate Neymar will play for Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal FC, joining a league that already boasts Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
