From Al-Ahli to Al-Ittihad: Al-Diriyah stuns Saudi Pro League giants with a Portuguese deal

Al Hilal v Al Nassr - Saudi Pro League

A powerful new signing in Roshn

Newly promoted Saudi Pro League side Diriyah landed another blow on the competition's heavyweights, snatching a Portuguese target from under Al-Ittihad's nose.

Saudi newspaper "Arriyadiyah" report that Diriyah have agreed a deal with Portugal's Pedro Goncalves, the Sporting Lisbon winger, to bring him to the club in the current summer transfer window.

Goncalves will put pen to paper on a two-season contract with the option of a third, earning a total of 30 million euros across that spell.

The deal came on the recommendation of new Portuguese coach Bruno Lage, who made the winger one of his priorities before Diriyah struck an agreement with him.

A medical awaits in the coming hours. Goncalves will then officially sign the contracts and join up with Diriyah's camp.

Several Saudi clubs had been tracking the 28-year-old in recent weeks, chief among them Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad, but Diriyah won the race.

Al-Ahli had already felt the sting once. The Roshn League newcomers beat them to Senegalese midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye, agreeing a move after the end of his contract with Everton.

Few players have shone brighter for Sporting Lisbon in recent years. Goncalves has been a standout since arriving in 2020 from Famalicao, following brief spells in the youth ranks at Valencia and Wolverhampton.

His finest individual moment came in that debut campaign. Goncalves claimed the Portuguese league's top scorer prize in 2020-2021 as he fired Sporting to the title.

The silverware kept coming. He steered the capital club to three Portuguese league titles, one Portuguese Cup, one Super Cup and two League Cups, then added the 2025 UEFA Nations League with Portugal.

Last season alone, Goncalves featured 41 times for Sporting Lisbon, scoring 15 goals and providing 9 assists.