Al Ahly target Youssef Belammari and Afimico Pululu in winter market

Al Ahly are preparing for a decisive internal meeting to finalize winter transfer plans once they wrap up their Champions League clash away to AS FAR Rabat on Friday night.

Club president Mahmoud El Khatib, board member and football supervisor Sayed Abdel Hafiz, head coach Jess Thorup, sporting director Mohamed Youssef and team manager Walid Salah El Din will all attend to agree priorities.​

Thorup has already outlined his needs for four positions in January: a centre forward, central midfielder, left back and centre back. During an earlier scouting meeting, the recruitment department proposed two surprise names for the left-back and striker roles, adding them to the coach’s shortlist.

The first is Moroccan defender Youssef Belammari of Raja Casablanca and the local national team, while the second is Congolese forward Afimico Pululu, currently playing for Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok.​

A club source confirmed that Thorup has approved both profiles, and an intermediary has already opened talks with the players’ camps. Belammari and Pululu are in the final months of their contracts, which makes pre-contract agreements possible while Al Ahly simultaneously negotiates with their clubs over the remaining six months. If no agreement is reached, Al Ahly will aim to sign them for free in the summer, before the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, a tournament that could boost their market value if they shine.​

However, the African champions face a foreign-quota dilemma, as the squad already includes several non-Egyptian players and two loanees due back at the end of the season. The club is therefore exploring sales or loans for some current foreign signings to create space, particularly in attack and at left back.