Al Ittihad chairman Mansour al Balwi has ended the drama surrounding high-profile signing of former Portugal star midfielder and current Inter Milan player Luis Figo, announcing that the 34-year-old player will play for the Saudi Arabian side next season.

“We have signed a deal for one year from July 1, 2007,” al Balwi said on Friday.

al Balwi said it was “one of the biggest deals ever in the Middle East” without divulging the details of the contract.

al Balwi believes the experienced Figo will be a great asset for Al Ittihad, who were linked with the player for some time now.

Figo, who came to Italy after a illustrious stint with La Liga’s Real Madrid and earlier at Barcelona, has played little under Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini having retired from international football after Portugal lost to France in the World Cup semi-finals in July.

Last week, the club had claimed that he had signed a one-year contract worth 4.5 million euros (5.9 million dollars) and would be arriving on January 5.

The Serie A champions had later clarified that they are eager to hold on to Figo till his term ends in June.

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