Ivory Coast striker Bony excited about Saudi move

Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony has said that he is looking forward to playing competitive football again as he joins Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad., as a free agent.

The 31-year-old has not played a competitive game since July, when his Ivory Coast side were beaten on penalties in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.

"This is a good chance to compete for something with a traditional club like this and I feel excited about this," he said.

His contract details are undisclosed, but Bony scored five goals in seven games while on loan with Qatari club Al-Arabi in the second half of last season.

He had been training with English fourth-tier side Newport County and French club Le Havre as he searched for a new club.

Bony joined Swansea from Vitesse in 2013 and scored 25 goals in 54 games before joining Manchester City in January 2015 in a deal worth up to £28m.

He returned to south Wales for around £12m in 2016 but managed only four goals in 25 appearances in his second stint at the club, during which he had a succession of injury problems.

The 52-cap Ivory Coast international made four appearances for the Elephants as they reached the quarter-finals in Egypt.