Defender Trần Đình Trọng (right) has left Hà Nội FC to sign for Topenland Bình Định. — Photo vietnamplus.vn.

Football

HÀ NỘI — Defender Trần Đình Trọng has left Hà Nội FC and signed for Topenland Bình Định on a free transfer, but he will be paid VNĐ10 billion (US$434,700) for the duration of his three-year contract.

The hefty salary shows the ambition of Bình Định, who hope Trọng will strengthen their defence.

Bình Định have also signed deals with Hà Đức Chinh and Rafaelson Bezerra Fernande from SHB Đà Nẵng, Nghiêm Xuân Tú and Mạc Hồng Quân from Quảng Ninh Coal as well as Jermie Lynch from Hải Phòng.

Their recent performances in the Quang Trung Emperor Cup, a domestic football tournament, revealed Bình Định's need to improve their backline.

Coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng has defenders Dương Thanh Hào, Adriano Schmidt, Lê Ngọc Bảo, Nguyễn Tiến Duy and Vũ Hữu Quý to call upon. They just said goodbye to Đinh Tiến Thành, who has returned to Thanh Hóa.

Joining Bình Định will see Trọng play more often than he did at Hà Nội FC and he will reunite with coach Thắng who helped him develop at Sài Gòn FC.

Nguyễn Văn Cường, chairman of Topenland Bình Định, said: “We are very grateful to the other clubs for creating conditions for us to have good players to prepare for the new season.

"Joining Bình Định, a club with great ambitions, will give the players more motivation to contribute.

"I think Bình Định and other clubs are contributing to raising the level and quality of the V.League. From this league, there will be better players for the national team.”

Trọng, who was born in 1997, is a graduate of Hà Nội FC's academy.

He moved to Sài Gòn FC on loan in 2017. In 2018, he returned to Hà Nội FC where he won the V.League 1 in 2018, 2019, the National Cup in 2019 and 2020, and the National Super Cup in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

With the national team, Trọng won a silver medal at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship. But in recent months, injuries have kept him on the sidelines.

Trọng played 32 matches for Hà Nội FC and has made 13 appearances for the senior national team. — VNS