Al Rayyan announced the signing of Belgian player Julien De Sart from Gent. His contract is for three seasons until 2027.

The signing of De Sart came as part of Al Rayyan’s efforts to strengthen the team following the departure of Japanese defender Shogo Taniguchi.

De Sart has played for Belgium at various age groups, representing the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, Under-19 and Under-21 national teams, and has played for many European clubs, most notably Belgian side Standard Liege and English clubs Middlesbrough and Derby County.

As part of preparations for the new season, Al Rayyan will continue their training programme after returning from the overseas camp in the Netherlands, where they underwent a number of technical and physical training sessions besides playing friendly matches, the last of which was against Al Wasl of the UAE that The Lions won 3-2.

Al Rayyan will play Umm Salal in Week 1 of 2024-2025 Ooredoo Stars League on August 9 at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.