Yasser Ibrahim is facing a difficult decision over his future after receiving a serious offer from Saudi club Al Shabab, with the proposed salary reported to be three to four times higher than his current earnings at Al Ahly.
The Al Ahly and Egypt defender is currently negotiating a contract extension with the Cairo club, who remain determined to keep him. However, the financial value of the Saudi offer has left the player considering whether to continue with Al Ahly or begin a new professional experience in the Saudi league.
Former Egypt goalkeeper and broadcaster Ahmed Shobair revealed details of the situation on his programme on On Sport radio. He said the offer from Al Shabab was genuine and described Ibrahim’s predicament by saying: “The player now has one eye in heaven and one in hell.”
The phrase reflects the uncertainty surrounding the defender as he weighs the security of remaining with Al Ahly against the significant financial opportunity available to him in Saudi Arabia.
Al Ahly had planned to hold a meeting with Ibrahim and three other players Imam Ashour, Mostafa Shobeir and Mohamed Hany to discuss their contract situations and try to settle the renewal process. That meeting has been postponed after a training session was cancelled.
Despite the delay, Al Ahly’s management continues to insist that it wants all four players to remain at the club. The board is seeking to complete the contract negotiations as quickly as possible, although Shobair stressed that no agreement can be considered final until the relevant contracts have been formally signed.
Ibrahim is understood to be trying to persuade Al Ahly officials to allow him to leave, using the substantial offer from Al Shabab as leverage in the discussions. At the same time, the club is continuing negotiations with the defender in an attempt to improve its financial proposal and extend his contract for a further two seasons.
The situation has therefore created a significant obstacle in talks that had been expected to focus on renewing Ibrahim’s terms. While Al Ahly are keen to retain an important member of their squad, the scale of the Saudi offer has placed the defender in a position where the financial benefits of a move are difficult to ignore.
For now, Ibrahim’s future remains unresolved. Al Ahly are still working to convince him to stay, but the player’s representatives and the club have yet to reach a final agreement, with the outcome dependent on whether the two sides can settle the financial details and complete the formal signing process.
