Cote D’Ivoire international Serge Aurier has signed a one-year deal with Iranian club Persepolis FC, Tehran Times reported on Friday.
The former Tottenham and Paris-Saint Germain defender, 32, has been without a club since his contract with Galatasaray expired in July 2024.
The move to the Gulf state was highly unexpected, at a time when fellow former French Ligue 1 stars Steven Nzonzi and Wissam Ben Yedder are leaving the Iranian league to ply their trade elsewhere.
It is unclear what motivated this move but Ivorian journalist, Jean Konan, believes the player is hoping to keep his place in the national team ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations set for Morocco in January 2026.
“Aurier waited for promises to join a club in Europe following his departure from Galatasaray in Turkey, but those promises never materialised. Time was running out in the transfer window and when this offer came, he grabbed it,” Konan told PotoSports.
“Although he has won two Afcon titles, he is yet to retire from the Elephants. I believe he still wants to prove himself. Although it is not a top league, as a defender, Aurier would be able to maintain his form in Iran.”
Persepolis FC finished third in the Persian Gulf Pro League last season, failing to defend the title they won in 2023–24.