Just a week after declaring Australia international Mark Milligan off-limits, A-League heavyweights Melbourne Victory have let the midfielder chase a lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia.
Victory rejected two offers for the 32-year-old marquee man before caving in to the advances of Jeddah-based club Al-Ahli for a reported sum of around AU$1 million.
Welcome to Al-Ahli Club, Mark Milligan! 🇦🇺💚@mmills05 #AHLIFC pic.twitter.com/IwoYxAfpfN
— AlAhli Saudi Club (@ALAHLI_FCEN) January 28, 2018
"We obviously did everything we could to keep him, but Mark was adamant this was an opportunity he wanted to take up," Victory coach Kevin Muscat said on Sunday.
"It's a very disappointing outcome, but these things happen in football so we must move forward and make sure we're ready to tackle Newcastle on Saturday."