JEDDAH — French winger Allan Saint-Maximin has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, Newcastle United announced on Sunday.

Saint-Maximin will now join Riyad Mehrez, Roberto Firmino and former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Al-Ahli is expected to have more signings during the summer transfer window as the club only has five foreign players so far and is allowed to register eight. Al-Ahli is managed by Matthias Jaissle.

The French forward joined the Magpies from OGC Nice in 2019 and went on to make 124 appearances for the club, scoring on 13 occasions and registering 21 assists.

The 26-year-old helped United to a 13th-placed finish in his first season in the Premier League, followed by 12th and 11th in the following campaigns.

Last season, he made 25 league appearances as the Magpies finished fourth to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, as well as making six outings in the Carabao Cup as the club reached the final.

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