Belaili exit confirmed as Esperance scrap extension, paving way for MC Alger return

Esperance de Tunis have formally abandoned plans to extend Youcef Belaili’s contract, leaving the Algeria international free to negotiate a return to MC Alger.

The Tunisian champions announced they had cancelled the proposed renewal after the 32-year-old failed to complete a scheduled medical within the deadline set by the club.

Belaili and Esperance had previously reached a provisional agreement to continue their association until 2028, pending a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the one-year suspension imposed on the player in his dispute with Ajaccio.

However, at the start of this week Belaili did not attend his medical examination and instead travelled to Algeria, effectively derailing the extension.

Deadline missed and talks abandoned

In a statement, Esperance said the forward had until Thursday to undergo his medical tests and finalise the remaining details of the new contract. When Belaili did not appear, the club opted to end negotiations and cancel the planned extension.

The Tunis side added that they will now look at “other alternatives” to strengthen their squad following the collapse of the discussions with the former MC Alger winger.

The decision means Belaili is expected to become a free agent, with no transfer fee required for any potential move.

MC Alger move gathering pace

Reports from several Algerian outlets have suggested in recent days that Belaili is edging closer to MC Alger, the club where he previously enjoyed a successful spell.

The Oran-born player fuelled that speculation himself on social media by posting an Instagram Story showing him alongside his former team-mate Djamel Benlamri, who now serves as spokesperson for MC Alger. Belaili later deleted the image, but its appearance intensified talk of an imminent agreement.

Should the move materialise, it would mark a return to the Mouloudia two years after his departure, which came in the wake of a landmark league title. That championship ended a 14-year wait for MC Alger to be crowned national champions.

Prolific season before uncertainty

During the 2023-24 campaign, Belaili delivered some of the most productive numbers of his career. The Algeria international, who has 58 caps and 10 goals for his country, scored 16 times and provided 14 assists in just 26 matches.

Those performances underlined his status as one of the most influential attacking players in the region, even as his club future became entangled in the disciplinary case involving Ajaccio and the subsequent appeal to CAS.

With Esperance now publicly withdrawing from the negotiations, Belaili’s next step appears increasingly likely to be a return to familiar surroundings at MC Alger, where his previous stint brought both individual success and long-awaited silverware for the club.