Former Leicester City and CSKA Moscow forward Ahmed Musa said he is aiming to return to Europe after departing Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr.
Musa left for the Middle East in 2018 after struggling to establish himself at the King Power Stadium where he played 21 Premier League matches in two years.
During his two-year stint in Riyadh, the Nigeria captain helped Al Nassr win the Saudi Premier League and the Saudi Super Cup in 2019.
After scoring nine goals in 50 Saudi top-flight matches, the 28-year-old is eager to come back to a familiar continent and challenge against the best players in the world.
"I have enjoyed my time in the two years that I have been here, and the club has been great to me," Musa told ESPN.
"But I have always wanted to return to Europe, and I feel that this is the best time for me to make that move.
"I want to get back to playing at the top level again against the best players in the world.
"I would like to thank everyone at Al-Nassr and all the fans for understanding and respecting my wishes, but especially for making me feel such a big part of the club and I will never forget them.”
Musa's exit might come as a shock to the Al Nassr faithful after the Nigerian star played the entire duration of their league defeat to Al Taawon on October 22.
He confessed to approaching the club management to terminate his contract before the close of the Saudi transfer window on Sunday.
"I met with the club and requested that they should terminate my contract, and they were kind enough to agree to let me go,” he added.
The former Kano Pillars star kicked off his European career in the Netherlands with a move to VVV-Venlo in 2010 before switching to Russian Premier League side CSKA Moscow two years later.
He spent four years in the Russian capital where he clinched three Premier League titles, and he teamed up with Leicester City in 2016.
In England, the Maiduguri-born forward struggled to gather first-team action with the Foxes which forced him to return to CSKA Moscow in January 2018 where he returned six goals in 10 league outings.