Celtic Interest in Afsha Increases As Club Re-enters Race

It is anticipated that another Turkish rival would present tough challenge for Celtic in their pursuit of Egyptian midfielder Mohamed  Magdy "Afsha."

Sivasspor has now entered the list of prospective suitors, joining Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Besiktas as well as Saudi club Al-Ittihad who are apparently already interested in Afsha.

According to a source close to the player, Sivasspor of Turkey, who had a bid for him rejected in the summer, are suddenly back in the race to sign him, even if Celtic's interest looks to be real.

The manager of Al Ahly, Marcel Koller, has so far publicly rejected the idea that the Egyptian club will approve the transfer of their star player, who is reputedly valued at between £3 and $4 million.

Afsha is a talented attacking midfielder who can also play on the right side wide. In 146 appearances for his club, he has scored 29 goals and assisted the Egyptians in two CAF Champions League championships.

He scored the game-winning goal in the final of 2020 before scoring again in the championship game the following year to help his team capture the trophy.

Afsha stated in 2021 that he would be content to remain with Al Ahly for the remainder of his career.

“The trophies, the history and the fans that support you are more important than all the money in the world, this is what I thought about before moving to Al Ahly," he said at the time.

"I hope that I will remain at Al Ahly for my whole life. If it’s possible to remain my whole life there, then I’ll do it. I will never ask to leave Al Ahly, no matter the offer, as it’s between the club and my agent. Trophies, of course, are history, money is definitely important but what I want is for my family to be proud of me."

The Egyptian playmaker currently appears to be in the middle of a transfer tug of war, and the playing field appears to have shifted as daily rumours about his Al Ahly departure get more intense.

Yuki Kobayashi and Alistair Johnston, two new additions to Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou's first-team roster, have already joined the club.

Following his performance for Canada at the World Cup, right-back Johnston agreed to a transfer, joining former Vissel Kobe center-back Kobayashi as the Hoops wrapped up some early transfer activity.

Before the January transfer market officially opened, Postecoglou brought Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, and Yosuke Ideguchi to the Celtic first team in late December of last year.

The Australian then spent £600,000 to bring young striker Johnny Kenny from Sligo Rovers and £1.5 million to add MK Dons midfielder Matt O'Riley.