Venezia are close to completing the signing of Morocco international Redouane Halhal from KV Mechelen, with the Serie A newcomers reportedly agreeing a deal worth €5m plus bonuses.
The 23-year-old defender is expected to move to Italy after one year with the Belgian club. Halhal joined KV Mechelen in August 2024 and was immediately loaned to Helmond Sport for the season.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport Italia, Venezia have reached an agreement with KV Mechelen to buy the final year of Halhal’s contract. The transfer is not yet described as complete, but the two clubs are understood to have settled on a fee of about €5m, with additional payments to follow in bonuses.
Halhal is regarded as an extremely versatile defender. Although he primarily operates as a central defender, he can also play in wider defensive positions, giving Venezia further options as they prepare for life in Italy’s top flight.
The move follows an impressive campaign in Belgium. Halhal played 33 league matches for KV Mechelen last season, starting 32 of them. He scored once and provided two assists.
Those performances helped him earn a return to the Morocco squad for the 2026 World Cup. Halhal has won five international caps and was third in the defensive pecking order behind Issa Diop and Chadi Riad during the tournament.
He made two appearances for Morocco at the World Cup. His first came against Haiti in their third and final group-stage match, a game Morocco lost 4-2. He also featured in the last-16 tie against Canada, which ended in a 3-0 defeat.
Morocco’s run to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup has increased the profile of several members of the squad, with Halhal now set to continue his career in Serie A if the proposed transfer is completed.
For Venezia, the agreement would represent an opportunity to add a young international defender who can cover both centrally and on the flanks. The Italian club, newly promoted to Serie A, have reportedly chosen Halhal after his regular involvement in the Belgian top flight and his subsequent return to the Morocco team.
Halhal’s contract situation made the deal possible, with Venezia negotiating to purchase the final year of his existing agreement with KV Mechelen. The clubs’ reported agreement leaves the transfer close to completion, subject to the remaining formalities.
Venezia will hope Halhal can reproduce the consistency he showed last season, when he started all but one of his 33 league appearances. His arrival would also give the club a player with World Cup experience and five international appearances at the age of 23.
