Emam Ashour's Transfer Saga: Konyaspor's Final Bid vs Al-Ahly's Stance
Emam Ashour has found himself back at the centre of a tug-of-war between Turkish ambition and Egyptian resistance.
The Al-Ahly midfielder, long admired abroad for his blend of aggression and flair, is again being pushed towards the Süper Lig. This time, Konyaspor are driving the chase – and they insist they have gone as far as they possibly can.
Konyaspor raise the stakes
According to media figure Ahmed Shobier, Konyaspor have cranked their offer for Ashour up to 4.25 million dollars after testing the waters with lower bids earlier in the summer. The message from Konya is simple: this is the final push, the final number, the final attempt to get the deal done.
From their side, the Turkish club are adamant they have done everything by the book. Shobier relayed comments from a Konyaspor board member who claimed the improved bid had already been sent and urged Al-Ahly to “check their official email” to find it. For Konyaspor, the matter is clear. The offer is there. The money is on the table. The pressure is on.
Al-Ahly, though, are not playing along with that script.
Al-Ahly deny, and suspect a game
Speaking on his radio programme, Shobier underlined Al-Ahly’s firm stance: the club say no official offer has arrived from Konyaspor. Not the initial bid, not the improved one, not anything.
Inside the “Red Castle”, there is a belief that someone is trying to stir trouble around Ashour, to manufacture a crisis that could unsettle both the player and the dressing room at a sensitive stage of pre-season. With the squad in Spain for their training camp, the last thing Al-Ahly want is a transfer saga spiralling around one of their key midfielders.
Yet the noise from Turkey only grows louder.
“Better than Mohamed Salah”
Konyaspor’s interest has not stopped at numbers and emails. The same board member, through Shobier, fired a pointed and provocative message: the club want to welcome Ashour and celebrate him “in a better way than what happened with Mohamed Salah” after the Egyptian star’s move to Trabzonspor.
That is a bold benchmark. Salah’s transfer to Trabzonspor triggered huge excitement across Turkey, with a massive public reception and celebrations that dominated headlines. To promise something “better” than that is not just flattery; it is a statement of intent and a challenge to the rest of the league.
It also underlines how desperately Konyaspor want Ashour. They are not only offering money; they are offering status, spectacle, and a starring role in their project.
Under watch in Spain
Shobier added that Konyaspor are closely tracking Ashour’s situation while Al-Ahly work through their camp in Spain. Every training session, every sign, every whisper about his future is being monitored.
The Turkish side, he said, have done their homework on Ashour’s view of other options as well. One key detail stands out: the midfielder has no desire to move to the Gulf at this stage. That removes one lucrative route from the table and, in theory, strengthens the hand of a European suitor like Konyaspor – if Al-Ahly are ever willing to listen.
Right now, that remains a very big “if”.
A club determined to hold its core
Al-Ahly’s stance this window is uncompromising. Shobier made it clear: the club do not want to lose any of their main pillars this season unless a truly massive, irresistible offer arrives.
Ashour is firmly in that protected category. So are Mostafa Shobier, Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Hany and Marwan Attia – a spine the African champions believe they must keep intact if they are to defend their dominance at home and compete strongly on the continent.
For Al-Ahly, stability is the plan. For Konyaspor, disruption is the only way to land their man.
So the standoff continues: an email that one side swears exists and the other refuses to acknowledge, a “final” bid on the Turkish side, and a transfer promise of celebrations grander than those that greeted Mohamed Salah.
Somewhere between Konya and Cairo, a decision is waiting.
