DAMMAM — Al-Ettifaq Club, a contender for Saudi Professional League glory, officially announced on Thursday the acquisition of winger Demarai Gray from Everton. Both parties formalized the contract with Gray on Wednesday, with Al-Ettifaq securing his transfer for a fee of $10 million. Gray, on the other hand, will receive an annual salary of $5 million during his four-year contract with the club. The 27-year-old Jamaican becomes the third prominent signing for coach Steven Gerrard's team this summer, following the arrivals of former Liverpool midfielders Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum. Al-Ettifaq's management is also working on announcing the signing of Rady Al-Otaibi, the right-back from Al-Hazm, and is planning for the potential free transfer of their goalkeeper, Abdullah Al-Owaisheer, to Al-Qadisiyah, due to a possible acquisition of Al-Nassr's goalkeeper, Amin Bakhashwain. In the coming hours, the club is also expected to announce the transfer of Faisal Al-Ghamdi to Al-Ittihad, pending final approvals and a financial offer of SR47 million. Al-Ahli is also competing to change the course of this deal, making Thursday, the final day of the Saudi transfer market, an exciting day.
