There have been numerous rumours circulating online and across the football world related to the transfer of Iraqi wonderkid, Mohanad Ali. However, one cannot fault fans for taking such rumours with a pinch of salt. Dozens of Iraqi players have previously been linked to European sides, such as Humam Tariq moving to Udinese. However, more often than not, these transfers fail to materialise, or were simply a ruse by an agent to secure the player an improved contract deal with a Gulf side.

It appears that the rumours of Meme signing a huge deal to a European club are legitimate however, with several leaked documents sent to IraqFootball.me showing the clubs in direct negotiations with the player’s agent, Behrooz Dezhbod. The leaks reveal clear interest from Serie A side, Cagliari Calcio, who are particularly keen to sign the striker. Likewise, Danish Superliga team FC Midtjylland and Czech First League side SK Slavia Prague have enquired about the player’s availability, as have KRC Genk of the Belgian First Division A.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The player’s agent also confirmed that there are soon to be offers from Portuguese giants Benfica, with Fenerbahçe S.K and Beşiktaş J.K. also keen to lure the player away to the Turkish Süper Lig. However, despite all this interest, it remains to be seen whether Al-Shorta will be prepared to sell their in-demand striker. Several offers and enquiries were made with regards to signing Mohanad last week, from which the club have yet to even respond. Al-Shorta appear to be making life as difficult as possible for all teams interested in the attacker, as was previously the case last summer. 

If Mohanad is serious about developing his career and skills further, then he has no option but to leave the Iraqi league. Despite Al-Shorta making life difficult for him, the player and fans must place pressure on the club in order to help the player secure a move to a much more competitive league. Although the Middle East will still be a step up from the Iraqi league, the player will be making a significant mistake in pursuing financial gain rather than career development.

Iraqi fans will be praying that a big move does materialise for the striker, who had defences cowering at his every move in the 2019 Asian Cup. A move to Europe will allow the youngster to continue developing and growing into the player we all hope he would become. To find out more about Mohanad Ali, listen to IraqFootball.me’s exclusive podcast with The Peruvian Waltz, where we discussed his background, strengths and weaknesses, and much more.