Imam Ashour accepted Al Ahly renewal offer immediately, says Serag

Imam Ashour accepted Al Ahly’s financial proposal to extend his contract without hesitation and never pretended to be ill or rebel against the club, according to the club’s director of contracts Essam Serag.

Al Ahly announced earlier this week that Ashour had signed a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2030.

Speaking on Al Ahly’s television channel, Serag discussed the negotiations and rejected claims about the player’s representation.

“There is someone who says he is Imam Ashour’s agent, but he is not his agent. He has only a Spanish agent and the Egyptian Mohamed Kofta,” said Serag.

He also defended Ashour against suggestions that the midfielder had avoided playing or challenged the club during the discussions over his future.

“Imam Ashour did not pretend to be ill and did not rebel against Al Ahly. He deserved the fans’ appreciation and more,” Serag added.

Although Ashour still had two years remaining on his previous agreement, Al Ahly decided to improve his financial terms as a show of recognition for his contribution.

“We wanted to value Imam Ashour financially even though his contract still had two seasons remaining,” said Serag.

The club official explained that his meetings with Ashour were not focused primarily on salary. Instead, they dealt with the conditions and clauses included in the revised agreement.

“I sat with Imam more than once, but the discussions were not about money. They were about the clauses in the contract. Imam did not go beyond the ceiling or the system established by the club,” Serag said.

Serag also said Al Ahly had promised additional recognition to players who represented Egypt at the 2026 World Cup.

“We told the players who participated in the 2026 World Cup that they would receive significant appreciation,” he said.

Ashour, who has been a key part of Al Ahly’s squad, did not seek a move abroad during the negotiations and wanted to remain with the Egyptian club.

“Imam did not want to pursue a move abroad and wanted to continue with Al Ahly,” Serag said.

He added that the player’s response to the proposed renewal terms was immediate.

“I told Imam about our financial offer to renew his contract and he never rejected it,” Serag concluded.

Al Ahly are preparing to face Smouha on Thursday in the third round of the Egyptian Premier League.

They began the campaign with victories over Eastern Company, ENPPI and ZED across the opening two rounds, according to the source article.