Konyaspor increase offer for Al Ahly midfielder Imam Ashour

Konyaspor have reportedly increased their bid for Al Ahly midfielder Imam Ashour to $4.25m, according to Egyptian broadcaster Ahmed Shobier, despite the Egyptian club insisting that it has not received an official offer from the Turkish side.

Shobier said Konyaspor had previously made lower proposals for the 27-year-old during the current summer transfer window, but had now raised their offer in an attempt to secure his signature.

Speaking on his radio programme, Shobier said Al Ahly had confirmed that no formal bid had arrived from Konyaspor. He added that the club believed attempts were being made to create a dispute around Ashour and unsettle the team.

Konyaspor, however, have presented a different account. Shobier quoted a member of the Turkish club’s board as saying that the revised offer had been sent and that Al Ahly should check its official email account to confirm receipt.

The Konyaspor official reportedly described the $4.25m proposal as the club’s final offer for Ashour and stressed their determination to complete the deal.

The Turkish club also made an eye-catching promise about how the Egypt international would be welcomed if the transfer goes ahead. According to Shobier, the board member said Konyaspor wanted to receive Ashour and celebrate his arrival “in a better way than what happened with Mohamed Salah”.

Salah’s move to Trabzonspor generated considerable excitement in Turkey, with the Egypt captain receiving a large and enthusiastic public welcome and celebration. Konyaspor’s suggestion that Ashour could receive an even bigger reception therefore adds an unusual dimension to the reported pursuit.

Shobier also said Konyaspor were monitoring Ashour’s situation closely while Al Ahly are attending their training camp in Spain. The Turkish club was said to have information about the player’s position on offers from clubs in the Gulf region, with Shobier stating that Ashour did not favour a move there.

Ashour joined Al Ahly from Zamalek in 2023 and has become one of the club’s important players. He is among a group of first-team figures whom the Egyptian champions are keen to retain during the current transfer window.

Shobier said Al Ahly’s position was clear: the club did not want to sell any of its key players this season unless it received a huge financial offer that would be difficult to reject.

He listed Ashour alongside goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, defenders Yasser Ibrahim and Mohamed Hany, and midfielder Marwan Attia as players Al Ahly are committed to keeping.

The contrasting positions of Al Ahly and Konyaspor mean the proposed transfer remains unresolved. While the Turkish club maintains that it has submitted a final improved offer, Al Ahly continues to say it has not received an official proposal.