Al Ahly in talks to sign Ghazl El Mahalla striker Mahmoud Salah

Al Ahly have opened negotiations with Ghazl El Mahalla over the signing of young striker Mahmoud Salah, with the two clubs potentially able to reach an agreement within the next 48 hours.

A source at Ghazl El Mahalla told FilGoal.com that the club had set a fee of 50m Egyptian pounds for the 18-year-old forward, who attracted attention during last season.

“ We have set 50m Egyptian pounds as the amount required to release Mahmoud Salah, the team’s player,” the source said.

Al Ahly are understood to have proposed an initial payment of 20m Egyptian pounds, alongside a further 20m in performance-related bonuses linked to specific conditions.

“The amount offered by Al Ahly is 20m Egyptian pounds, in addition to 20m Egyptian pounds in bonuses according to specific conditions, and the matter could be settled within the next 48 hours,” the Ghazl El Mahalla source added.

Salah is a member of Ghazl El Mahalla’s first-team squad and represents Egypt’s under-20 side. He was born in 2007 and made 28 appearances for the club during the previous season.

The striker scored four goals and provided three assists in those matches, performances which helped bring him to the attention of Al Ahly and other interested clubs.

Ghazl El Mahalla’s management had also been open to Salah moving abroad to begin his career in European football. However, the offers received from European clubs were considered insufficient, according to the source.

“Ghazl El Mahalla’s management was open to the player moving to Europe, but the offers that were submitted were weak,” the source said.

The negotiations with Al Ahly therefore represent a possible domestic solution for the player, with the clubs now discussing the structure and value of the proposed deal. Ghazl El Mahalla are seeking 50m Egyptian pounds in total, while Al Ahly’s offer currently comprises a guaranteed 20m and another 20m dependent on agreed conditions.

Salah’s potential move would add another young attacking option to an Al Ahly squad that has already been strengthened during the summer transfer window.

The Egyptian club have signed Moroccan striker Soufiane Benjdida and Algerian forward Moncef Bekrar this summer. They have also completed the signing of Oktay Abdullah from ENPPI.

No agreement has yet been confirmed, but the Ghazl El Mahalla source indicated that negotiations could reach a conclusion within the next two days. The proposed transfer fee and bonus arrangements remain the central points under discussion as Al Ahly assess whether to complete a deal for the Egypt youth international.