Al Rayyan have signed Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović from Al Hilal on a ‘three-year deal.’ The ex-Fulham and Newcastle forward, who netted 68 goals in 79 games for the Saudi side, joins as part of the Qatari club’s summer revamp under Artur Jorge.
Qatar Stars League side Al Rayyan have signed Serbian centre-forward Aleksandar Mitrović from Al Hilal.
The ex-Newcastle United forward joins the likes of Wesley, Gregore, Tiago Silva, and Simo in the flurry of foreigners to join the Qatari club this summer as Artur Jorge’s side seeks a revamp following a poor end to the 2024/25 season.
“This acquisition is part of the club’s efforts to bolster its first-team squad for the upcoming season,” the club said in a statement late on Thursday.
Although the club did not provide any details, Mitrović joined on a three-year deal, according to the football database website Transfermarkt.
Mitrović joins Al Rayyan after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with the Saudi Pro League side. In a similar move, Roberto Firmino had switched from the Qatari side Al Sadd to Al Ahli Saudi.
The 29-year-old was in the final year of a three-year contract, signed in 2023 as he moved from English Premier League side Fulham for €52.60 million (about QAR 224 million).
In his two seasons at the Kingdom Arena, Mitrović scored 68 goals in 79 appearances, helping the club win the Saudi Pro League, King’s Cup and the Super Cup.
A forward known for his finishing, aerial ability and physicality, Mitrović has scored 62 times in 100 appearances for the Serbian national team.
He first made headlines in 2013 after being voted the best player in Serbia’s win at the European Under-19 Championship.
He went on to have a stellar spell at Belgium’s Anderlecht after breaking through in Serbian Pro League side Partizan Belgrade, ultimately joining English Premier League side Newcastle United in 2015.
Mitrović’s most fruitful period as a striker came at Fulham, who were in the second tier of English football when the Serb joined on loan from Newcastle in 2018. His move to Craven Cottage was later made permanent after he scored 12 times in 17 appearances.
By the time he left the club in 2023, Mitrović had scored 111 times for Fulham, while bagging 21 assists in 206 appearances.
Carrying his goalscoring form forward, Mitrović has continued to score for Al Hilal, his 28 goals from 31 starts across all competitions last season, a testament to that.
Expectations for the Serbian forward are to utilise his experience and attributes to accelerate the club’s bid to re-establish itself as one of Qatar’s elite teams.
Artur Jorge’s side has won two and lost one game in the Qatar Stars League this season, including a crucial win against heavyweights Al Duhail.
“Al Rayyan hopes that Mitrović will be a significant addition to the team’s attacking line, contributing his vast experience and decisive goals to help achieve the club’s ambitions,” the Qatari club added.
