Iraq striker and arguably Asia’s hottest prospect, Mohanad Ali, is not for sale this January after tonight’s announcement from Al-Shorta.
The club posted out a statement on Shorta’s social channels admitting they had received official offers from Juventus, Galatasaray, Benfica, Al-Ain, Genk and AEK Athens but none of which matched the Baghdad side’s valuation.
Here’s the full statement translated in English:
“The administrative body of Al-Shorta held a special meeting to discuss the offers received by the club for the services of national team striker Mohanad Ali.
The club administration announces in this official statement that it is turning a blind eye to the idea of losing the services of Mohanad Ali during this transfer period. The player will remain in the team until the end of the current season and then his professional future will be studied; whether he will continue until the end of his contract or choose another suitable contract.
The reason for not accepting any of the offers received by the club is the fact that they did not match the financial value wanted by the club and worthy of a player who aspires to achieve a professional experience at the highest level.
There have been lies spread across various media about some clubs offering large sums of money up to six million dollars, and the club stresses that the offers did not match our ambitions appropriate for the high levels provided by the player.
The administration discussed all the offers submitted in terms of their usefulness to the player and the club. A decision was made to keep the player until the end of the season where we aspire to achieve the league title and the administration believes Mohanad Ali will play a big role in realising the dream of our fans.
The offers officially received by the club were from the following clubs: Al-Ain of UAE, Benfica of Portugal, Galatasaray of Turkey, Genk of Belgium, AEK Athens of Greece and Juventus of Italy.”
Ali sparked interest from European scouts due to his two goals at the Asian Cup 2019, with the attacker now bagging an impressive 8 in 15 appearances for the Lions of Mesopotamia.
What’s next for the young talent? We’ll have to wait until the summer of 2019 to find out…
