Al Mokawloon Al Arab deny official talks with Al Ahly over Idrissa Thiam

Al Mokawloon Al Arab have denied receiving an official approach from Al Ahly for Mauritanian striker Idrissa Thiam, despite growing interest in the forward from clubs in Egypt and abroad.

Thiam has attracted attention with his performances for Al Mokawloon Al Arab since the beginning of the current season.

Talaat Moharam, the club’s director of football, said Al Ahly had not contacted them directly about signing the player.

“Al Ahly have not officially contacted us so far regarding Idrissa Thiam, and there have been no direct negotiations from their side to sign the player,” Moharam told ON E.

“However, there is interest and there has been contact from several other clubs inside and outside Egypt that want to secure his services.”

Moharam also confirmed that Mohamed Abdel Nasser will join Al Ahly when the January winter transfer window opens.

The comments came as Al Mokawloon Al Arab prepared to face Zamalek in the league on Wednesday. The match will take place at Cairo Stadium at 20:00.

Moharam said the fixture would be important for his side but stressed that they viewed every league match as a difficult test.

“The match against Zamalek is very important for us, but we believe all league matches are difficult, not just the game against Zamalek,” he said.

“We are aiming to produce a strong performance that will help us move up the table.”

Zamalek are third in the standings with 16 points, while Al Mokawloon Al Arab occupy seventh place with 11 points.

Mohamed El Ghazi has been appointed referee for the match. He will be assisted by Mahmoud Abu El Rejal and Mohamed Atef El-Zanary.

Mostafa Osman will serve as the fourth official, while Hossam Azab will oversee the video assistant referee system, assisted by Haitham Osman.