Emam Ashour: Celtic eye move for Egypt and Al Ahly midfielder

Emam Ashour, the Egypt international midfielder currently at Al Ahly, is being linked with a move to Scottish Premiership champions Celtic. The 28-year-old central midfielder is under contract with the Cairo giants until 30 June 2028 but has emerged as a potential target for the Glasgow club as they assess options in the centre of the pitch.

Ashour has been a key figure for Al Ahly since arriving from Danish side Midtjylland in July 2023 in a deal worth around 2.68m, and his current market valuation stands at about 4m. He helped the club to the CAF Champions League title in 2023-24 and has also been part of consecutive Egyptian Premier League-winning campaigns in 2023-24 and 2024-25, underlining his importance in a side accustomed to competing for honours on multiple fronts.

Comfortable in central midfield and predominantly right-footed, Ashour has built a strong reputation domestically, with 36 goals and 25 assists in 157 Premier League appearances in Egypt. He was also the leagues top scorer in the 2024-25 season with 13 goals, a notable return for a midfielder.

On the international stage, Ashour started all five of Egypts games at the 2026 World Cup, scoring twice and playing the majority of minutes for his country. He was previously part of the Egypt side that finished runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021-22 and won the Under-23 Africa Cup in 2019.

Any deal is likely to be complicated by the length of his current Al Ahly contract and his central role in a team that continues to challenge for continental and domestic titles.