Adil Boulbina to Al Diriyah
Malcom replacement lands for €12m

1. 22 Aug
   Transfer confirmed

   Al-Duhail and Al Diriyah both confirmed the move, with Al-Duhail thanking Boulbina for his efforts and Al Diriyah unveiling him alongside Darwin Nunez and Enzo Millot.

Algeria winger Adil Boulbina has completed a permanent move from Qatar's Al-Duhail to newly promoted Saudi side Al Diriyah for a reported fee of around €12m.

Adil Boulbina has completed a permanent transfer from Qatari club Al-Duhail to Al Diriyah, the Saudi Pro League's newly promoted side. Both clubs confirmed the move within days of each other in late August: Al-Duhail thanked the winger for his efforts on their official channels, while Al Diriyah unveiled him as part of a high-profile set of arrivals. Transfer records put the fee at around €12m, with Boulbina signing a contract that runs to the summer of 2029.

The move came about in slightly unusual circumstances. Al Diriyah had been trying to land Al-Hilal winger Malcom, and when that deal collapsed the promoted club turned to Boulbina to fill the same role on the left of attack. He arrives alongside two loan signings from elsewhere in the Saudi top flight, Darwin Nunez from Al-Hilal and Enzo Millot from Al-Ahli, as manager Bruno Lage, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Benfica head coach, builds a squad he hopes can hold its own in the top division at the first attempt. The three signings were announced together, underlining how much the promoted club is investing in its first season among the elite.

For Al-Duhail, it means losing a player who had barely had time to settle. Boulbina joined the Qatari club from Paradou AC only last year and made an instant impact, but Al-Duhail have let him leave after a single season rather than fight to keep him, wishing him well in their statement. His exit leaves a gap on the left side of attack that the Qatari club will need to fill before their season gathers pace, having built their squad around him only twelve months ago.

Boulbina's form in Qatar explains why he was in demand. He made 32 appearances for Al-Duhail last season, scoring 13 goals and adding seven assists, a return of 20 goal involvements in all competitions including the AFC Champions League Elite. That form has carried over to the international stage: capped by Algeria, he was part of the squad at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and played at the 2026 World Cup, underlining how far he has come since leaving Paradou AC.

His path here has been quick. A move to Egyptian giants Zamalek fell through before he joined Al-Duhail instead, and the goals and assists he has produced since have made him one of the more sought-after wingers outside Europe's biggest leagues. That trajectory has now taken him to Saudi Arabia at 23, a reminder of how far one strong season can travel in the modern transfer market.

At Al Diriyah, he is expected to operate on the left of attack, the position Malcom would have taken, in support of a front line now led by Nunez. Lage's teams have generally favoured quick, direct wing play, and Boulbina's scoring and creative record in Qatar suggests he can offer both goal threat and service in a league he is entering for the first time. How fast he adjusts to a new country and a considerably higher-profile competition remains to be seen, but Al Diriyah have moved quickly to put an attacking unit in place for their first season among Saudi football's elite.

• Announced by the clubs100

A sourcing score, not a chance of completion: it grades how solid the reporting behind the move is. The stage and the evidence come from the sources listed below; the arithmetic is fixed in code, the same for every deal.

• Darwin Nunez headlines star-studded triple transfer at ambitious Diriyah
• Malcom's replacement: Adel Boulbina from Zamalek's dreams to the paradise of the Saudi league
• Adil Boulbina - Transfer history
• Officiel : Al Diriyah annonce la signature d'Adil Boulbina
• Al Duhail SC: Boulbina Transfers to Saudi Al Diriyah Club