Al Ahly have rejected an approach from Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab for Egypt international defender Yasser Ibrahim, while offering the player a new contract worth 25m Egyptian pounds per year.
Al Shabab contacted Al Ahly formally to explore the possibility of signing Ibrahim during the current summer transfer window, according to a source inside the Egyptian club who spoke to Saudi newspaper Okaz.
The Saudi club identified the 32-year-old as one of its main targets as it seeks to strengthen its defence ahead of the new campaign. Al Shabab also presented Ibrahim with an attractive financial proposal, reportedly offering him an annual salary of $1.6m to move to the Roshn Saudi League.
However, Al Ahly’s management declined to discuss the offer, with the club considering Ibrahim an important part of its squad and unwilling to lose one of its established defensive players.
The source said Al Ahly acted quickly in response to the interest by beginning efforts to secure Ibrahim’s future. The club has offered him a new deal that would pay him 25m Egyptian pounds each year.
That proposal forms part of Al Ahly’s wider plan to retain their core group and renew the contracts of key players who have played a significant role in the team’s recent successes.
Ibrahim is regarded as one of Al Ahly’s most prominent defenders in recent years. Since joining the club, he has made an important contribution to a team that has won several trophies.
Al Shabab’s approach therefore appears unlikely to result in an immediate transfer, given Al Ahly’s decision not to engage with the offer and its effort to extend Ibrahim’s stay.
The defender remains an international player for Egypt and is viewed by Al Ahly as a central figure in the back line. The club’s position reflects its desire to preserve the defensive structure that has helped it compete for and win major honours.
The reported salary package from Al Shabab would have offered Ibrahim the opportunity to begin a new chapter in the Saudi top flight, but Al Ahly’s response has underlined the value it places on his experience and reliability.
With the summer transfer window under way, the Egyptian club’s priority is to keep its key players rather than consider bids for them. Its proposed 25m Egyptian pounds-a-year contract is intended to reinforce that policy and secure Ibrahim’s continued presence in the squad.
