Revealed: William Troost-Ekong’s Saudi Arabia move is second-highest transfer fee of his career

Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong is poised to join Al Kholood, a club in the Saudi Pro League, from Greek side PAOK, Soccernet.ng reports.

The two clubs have agreed on a deal worth around €1.2 million ($1.3 million), pending final approval from both Al Kholood and the Saudi Pro League authorities, according to The Athletic.

Troost-Ekong, 30, has signed a two-year contract with an option for a third year. If the agreement goes through as expected, the defender will head to Saudi Arabia this weekend to finalise the transfer.

The €1.2 million transfer fee would make this move the second-highest transfer of Troost-Ekong’s career.

His most expensive transfer came in August 2018 when Serie A club Udinese paid €3.3 million to secure his services from Turkish side Bursaspor.

Interestingly, Bursaspor was the first club to spend money on Troost-Ekong, acquiring him for €1.05 million from KAA Gent in 2017.

Before his time at Bursaspor, Troost-Ekong played for clubs like FC Groningen, FC Dordrecht, and Haugesund, all on free or loan transfers.

Most recently, he moved to PAOK on a permanent deal last year for a fee of €1 million after a loan stint at Salernitana, who paid €500,000 to Watford for his services.

Troost-Ekong, who currently earns ₦9 million weekly at PAOK, is expected to see a significant salary increase with his move to Saudi Arabia.

Al Kholood, newly promoted to the Saudi Pro League, will be keen to add his experience to their squad after finishing third in the country’s second tier last season.

The centre-back had a standout year, being named the Africa Cup of Nations player of the tournament earlier this year, as Nigeria finished as runners-up.