Newcastle United news: Fabrizio Romano has dropped a major transfer update on one former Newcastle United striker.
Mitrovic’s move from Craven Cottage netted Fulham £50m before the Serbian international became one of the division’s most prolific players. During his first season at Al-Hilal, Mitrovic scored 28 goals in 28 Saudi Pro League games, adding a further eight in ten AFC Champions League matches.
Mitrovic supported that stunning campaign with 32 goals in all competitions during the 2024/25 campaign. 19 of those were scored in just 23 league matches.
However, the relationship between Mitrovic and Al-Hilal soured over the summer and he was linked with a return to England. Manchester United’s search for attacking reinforcements saw them linked with a surprise move for the 30-year-old before they swooped to sign Benjamin Sesko.
Fabrizio Romano confirms Aleksandar Mitrovic transfer
Mitrovic’s two-year stint in Saudi Arabia has now come to an end, though, after Al-Hilal, a club owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, terminated his contract. Mitrovic will now join Qatar side Al-Rayyan on a free transfer.
Confirming the news, Fabrizio Romano posted on X: ‘Al-Rayyan agree deal to sign Aleksandar Mitrović from Al Hilal, here we go! Permanent move as Mitrović contract has been terminated, ready for new chapter in Qatar.’
At Al-Rayyan, Mitrovic will link-up with former Leeds United striker Rodrigo and be managed by former Botafogo and Braga manager Artur Jorge. The Qatar Stars League side will become Mitrovic’s sixth club as a professional following spells at Partizan Belgrade, Anderlecht, Al-Hilal and his time in England with Newcastle United and Fulham.
Mitrovic is fondly remembered on Tyneside by Newcastle United fans, although that is largely due to his character, rather than the goals he scored as a Magpies player. He netted just 17 times in 72 games in the black-and-white before enjoying a very fruitful time at Craven Cottage.
The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone.Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
After hitting 12 goals in 17 games during a short loan spell at Fulham during the 2017/18 season, Mitrovic was snapped up by the Cottagers to lead the line upon their return to the Premier League. 11 goals in the top-flight was far from a poor return for him but those goals were unable to prevent Fulham from being relegated straight back to the Championship.
It would be in Fulham’s 2019/20 and 2021/22 Championship campaigns where Mitrovic really starred, though, as he finished those seasons with 26 and 43 goals respectively as he fired them to promotion. 14 goals in 24 Premier League games would follow during the 2022/23 season before his big-money move to Saudi Arabia.
Mitrovic also became Serbia’s all-time top goalscorer in March 2021 when he netted his 39th goal for his country. Aged just 26 at the time, Mitrovic has since added 23 goals to his tally for his country and was handed his 100th cap in June as he captained the side to a 3-0 win over Andorra.
Continue Reading