DOHA — German midfielder Julian Draxler has left Paris St Germain to join Qatari side Al-Ahli SC on a two-year contract, both clubs said.
Draxler, who played for Wolfsburg and Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga, joined PSG in 2017. He made over 190 appearances in six seasons with the Ligue 1 club, but fell out of favour and spent last season on loan with Portuguese side Benfica.
“The club would like to wish Julian all the best for the rest of his career,” PSG said in a statement according to Reuters.
Draxler has scored seven goals in 58 international games but has not played for Germany since March of last year. He was part of the Germany squad which won the FIFA World Cup in 2014.
Draxler’s team mates Marco Verratti and Abdou Diallo have also moved to Qatar this season, with both players joining Al-Arabi.
Al-Ahli is 11th in the Qatar Stars League following three straight defeats in their opening three league games.
The experienced German wide man, who can also operate as an attacking midfielder, draws a six-and-a-half-year spell in the French capital to a close after winning four Ligue 1 titles with the Parisians.
After spending last season on loan with Portuguese giants Benfica, Draxler will now wear the number seven jersey for the Brigadier.
Al-Ahli, who came eighth in the 12-team Qatar Stars League last season, said Draxler had signed a deal until 2025 after completing his medical.
Draxler’s move to Qatar from PSG follows that of Italy midfielder Marco Verratti, who joined Al-Arabi last week for a fee of close to 50 million euros ($53.3m) according to French media reports.
Senegal defender Abdou Diallo also left PSG for Al-Arabi last month.
Draxler, who was in Germany’s squad for their triumphant 2014 World Cup campaign, played for Schalke and Wolfsburg before joining PSG in January 2017 for a reported 36 million euros plus bonuses.
However, he had fallen out of favour before spending last season on loan at Benfica.
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