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Al-Shurta refuse to release in-demand Iraqi striker Mohanad Ali

Al-Shurta refuse to release in-demand Iraqi striker Mohanad Ali

26 Jan, 2019
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Author: Hassanin Mubarak

Iraq’s 2019 Asian Cup star Mohanad Ali has been subject of interest from a host of clubs in Europe and the Middle East after impressing in the UAE but sources close to the player reveal his club Al-Shurta refuse to release their prized protégé.

The 18-year-old, who scored two goals at the Asian Cup in the UAE, has a contract with the Police Club which runs until 2020 and a move during this winter’s transfer window looks unlikely despite bids of €1m for the youngster.

Sources reveal Al-Shurta have yet to respond to any offers – with some deadlines having already passed – while interested clubs have indicated they are prepared to increase their bids if Al-Shurta are willing to give them an asking price for the striker.

A source from within Al-Shurta acknowledged the club have received a host of offers to sign the Iraqi international. It includes an impressive list from Turkey’s Galatasaray who have offered a reported €1 million Euros according to Iraqi newspapers with an additional offer to raise their bid to €2 million and UAE’s Al-Ain who have offered €800,000 Euros, with a 20% of any future transfer fee handed to the Iraqi club. The UAE club also agreed to cover all expenses of a training camp for Al-Shurta in the UAE.

There has also been interest from Denmark’s FC Midtjylland and Belgium club K.R.C. Genk who have offered €700,000 and Czech Republic side Slavia Prague with a bid of €600,000. Turkish club Fenerbahçe despite not making a formal bid have promised according to sources to make a large bid, as have Qatar’s Al-Duhail who are also open to a move for the Iraqi forward. There has also been talk of interest from Egyptian giants Al-Ahly and Zamalek.

The deadlines for the bids from Serie A club Cagliari and K.R.C. Genk expired on January 18 and 22. The Sardinian club’s offer was an initial €500,000 transfer fee plus another €500,000 in add-ons. This included a €100,000 if the player made five appearances (at least 45min each one) for Iraq and an additional €100,000 if he made the same number of appearances in Serie A for Cagliari. €100,000 if he scored three goals in official matches for Iraq and another €100,000 for Cagliari. The Italian club also included a clause of a payment of €100,000 to Al-Shurta if the striker was sold onto another club.

Mohanad Ali signed for Al-Shurta in September 2013 and made his league debut a few months later. The young striker had a season-long loan spell at Kahraba where he scored 12 goals in 33 matches. He returned to his parent club in 2017, making his international debut a few months later and has since become a key player for both the Police Club and Iraq.

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