Emam Ashour: Konyaspor's Rising Bid for Al-Ahly Star
Emam Ashour’s name is back in bold type in Turkey.
The Al-Ahly midfielder, a key piece in the African champions’ engine room, has re-emerged as a prime target for Konyaspor, with the Turkish club pushing hard to test the resolve of the Cairo giants – even as Al-Ahly insist nothing official has landed on their desk.
A bid that keeps rising
According to media figure Ahmed Shobier, Konyaspor have steadily cranked up their offer through the summer window and have now reached 4.25 million dollars in their pursuit of Ashour. Earlier attempts came in lower; this, Shobier relayed, is the Turkish club’s top and final proposal.
On his radio programme, Shobier underlined Al-Ahly’s version of events. Inside the “Red Castle”, officials maintain they have not received any formal bid from Konyaspor. No letter, no document, no email they are prepared to acknowledge.
That gap between the two stories is where the tension sits. Al-Ahly’s board, Shobier said, believe someone is trying to manufacture a crisis around Ashour, stir doubt in the dressing room, and unsettle the squad at a delicate point in their preparations.
Konyaspor, though, are adamant. Shobier passed on comments from a board member at the Turkish club who insisted the 4.25 million dollar offer has already been sent and urged Al-Ahly to check their official email to confirm its arrival. From their side, this is the last step, the final push to drag the deal over the line.
Desperation is not a word clubs like to be associated with in public, but that is exactly how the Konyaspor official framed it through Shobier: they are desperate to complete Ashour’s signing.
A promise bigger than Salah’s party
Then came the line that lit up the story.
The Konyaspor board member did not just talk money. He went for symbolism. He promised that the club want to receive 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 wide public reception and high-profile celebrations that dominated headlines and social media. To publicly vow an even bigger welcome for Ashour is a clear statement of intent and ambition from Konyaspor, and a pointed attempt to appeal to the player’s pride and status.
It is also a reminder of how fiercely Turkish clubs now compete for profile as much as for points.
Watching from Spain
While the noise grows in Turkey, Ashour is working in quieter surroundings.
Shobier revealed that Konyaspor are closely tracking the midfielder’s every move while Al-Ahly continue their training camp in Spain. Scouts, reports, constant updates – the Turkish side want no surprises.
Their information does not stop at training details. Shobier added that Konyaspor are fully aware of Ashour’s position on potential offers from the Gulf. The 26-year-old, according to the broadcaster, has no desire to move to that region at this stage, shutting down one of the most lucrative alternative markets and sharpening the focus on a European move.
For Konyaspor, that is encouragement. For Al-Ahly, it is another reason to guard a player who still has room to grow and attract even bigger offers down the line.
Al-Ahly dig in
Inside Al-Ahly, the mood is very different. The club’s stance on losing key men in this window is firm and, for now, non-negotiable.
Shobier stressed that the African champions have no intention of parting with any of their core players this season unless a “huge” offer arrives – the kind of figure that is simply too big to turn down. A standard European mid-table bid will not do it.
Ashour is not alone on that protected list. Shobier named goalkeeper Mostafa Shobier, defender Yasser Ibrahim, right-back Mohamed Hany and midfielder Marwan Attia among the players Al-Ahly are determined to keep. The message is clear: the spine of the team stays in Cairo.
For a club chasing more continental glory and domestic dominance, continuity matters. Losing Ashour or any of that group now would mean ripping out pieces of a structure carefully built over recent seasons.
So the standoff grows.
On one side, Konyaspor, pushing their money to the limit, promising a reception grander than the one that greeted Mohamed Salah and insisting the paperwork is already in Al-Ahly’s inbox.
On the other, Al-Ahly, publicly denying any official bid, wary of outside attempts to destabilise their camp, and holding tight to a squad they believe can deliver again.
If 4.25 million dollars is truly Konyaspor’s final word, the next move belongs to the “Red Castle”. Will they open that email and engage – or let a Turkish courtship fade unanswered into the summer?
