The 31-year-old, who recently had a brief trial with French outfit Lorient, joins the Swiss side on a three-year deal reported to be in the region of £1m, with Al Ahli receiving 20% of any future transfer fee for the player.

"It was a hard decision to let him leave, but that was his wish and it is for the good of Saudi football," Al Ahli President Abdelazziz Al Anghary told AFP.