BRUSSELS (AP) — Sweden midfielder Besfort Zeneli signed for Union Saint-Gilloise on Tuesday, and will be eligible for the Champions League knockout phase if the Belgian league leader advances.
Union said the 23-year-old Zeneli signed a 4½ -year deal and did not state the transfer fee paid to Swedish club Elfsborg. It was reportedly 3.5 million euros ($4 million).
Zeneli was a Kosovo Under-21 international who FIFA cleared to switch to Sweden, where he was born and made his senior national-team debut last year.
He played in both of Sweden’s World Cup qualifying group games in November for new coach Graham Potter, preparing for playoffs in March. Sweden plays Ukraine in Spanish city Valencia on March 26 and the winner hosts either Poland or Albania five days later with a World Cup place at stake.
Union is 27th in the 36-team Champions League standings, one point behind the cutoff to enter the 24-team knockout phase that starts in February.
Union completes its league-phase program this month at second-place Bayern Munich then hosting Atalanta, which is currently in fifth place.
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