Sevilla goalkeeper Bounou joins Saudi club Al-Hilal

Following the acquisition of Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain, Bounou is Al-Hilal’s second significant acquisition this week. He played in this week’s UEFA Super Cup match against Manchester City.

Bounou joins Saudi club Al-Hilal: “FC Sevilla and Al-Hilal have reached an agreement for the transfer of goalkeeper Bounou to the Asian team,” read a statement from Sevilla, and Al-Hilal posted a video of the player speaking Arabic on X (previously Twitter).

Neither club disclosed the deal’s worth, but the Spanish press estimated it at 20 million euros ($21.7 million).

Four years ago, Bounou, or “Bono” as his shirt’s name appears, moved from Girona to Seville. This season, there were rumors suggesting Real Madrid’s interest in Bounou as a replacement for the injured Thibaut Courtois. However, they ultimately opted for Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The 32-year-old played a significant role in helping Morocco get to the 2022 World Cup semifinals in Qatar.

In addition to Sadio Mane, who joined Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad), and Kalidou Koulibaly, who will be their colleague at Al-Hilal, Bounou and Neymar are the most recent players to leave Europe for Saudi Arabia.