Moroccan international Hamza Mendel signed a three-year contract with Belgian club Oude Heverlee Leuven, the first division club announced on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old left-back arrives from German club Schalke 04.
“Hamza Mendel is a great talent and has experience in major competitions and at the international level. He is fast and valuable to build,” team coach Mark Press told the official university website.
Mendel left Lille for Schalke 04 in 2018, playing only 21 matches. It was privately loaned to Dijon, France (2019-2020), then to Gaziantep in Turkey (2021-2022). Last season, he played 21 matches for Turkish club D1.
The player also participated in 20 matches for the national team but has not been called up since November 2020.