Al Ahly return ruled out as Alyou Dieng remains committed to Valencia

Khaled Maghrabi, the agent of Valencia midfielder Alyou Dieng, says there has been no official contact over a possible return to Al Ahly.

Dieng joined Valencia at the beginning of the current season after his contract with Al Ahly ended. However, despite questions about his future, Maghrabi insists the Mali international remains under contract with the Spanish club and is not preparing to leave.

“Alyou Dieng will continue with Valencia and his contract is still valid,” Maghrabi told MBC Masr 2. “The player recently returned from Mali and there has been no discussion about his departure.”

Dieng returned to training after representing Mali during the international break and is preparing normally for Valencia’s next match, according to his agent.

Javier Aguirre took charge of Valencia during the international break. Maghrabi said Dieng had recently resumed work with the squad following his international involvement and was continuing his preparations under the new manager.

“Aguirre became Valencia’s coach during the international break, and Dieng recently returned to training after playing for Mali,” Maghrabi said. “He is preparing for the next match as normal.”

The midfielder had made a gradual start to his involvement at Valencia. Maghrabi said Dieng performed well during pre-season before being introduced progressively in competitive matches under the club’s previous manager.

Dieng’s opportunities were then affected by the circumstances surrounding Valencia’s interim coach, who was in charge of the club’s final two matches before Aguirre’s appointment.

“He took part well in pre-season and was gradually involved in official matches before the previous coach left,” Maghrabi said. “The interim manager who led the last two games selected only players who spoke Spanish because he did not speak English. He wanted to protect himself because it was a difficult assignment.”

Maghrabi added that he had received repeated enquiries about whether Dieng could return to Al Ahly, but said no formal approach had been made.

“Many people have asked me about the possibility of Dieng returning to Al Ahly, but there has been no official communication regarding the matter,” he said.

The agent also indicated that a move away from Valencia would not necessarily mean a return to Egypt. He said Dieng was likely to remain in Europe if his spell at the Spanish club did not work out.

“If Dieng does not succeed with Valencia for any reason, I can confirm that he will continue in Europe by 99%,” Maghrabi said.

Dieng has played in five matches for Valencia so far this season.