External press reports revealed that Imam Ashour, Al-Ahly club player, contacted Ahmed Hassan Koka, former Egypt national team striker, to inquire from him about the nature of living in Turkey, specifically in Konya.
Konyaspor's name is linked to signing Ashour during the current summer transfer period, as sources in the Turkish club confirmed, in the past days, submitting official offers to Al-Ahly's management to complete the deal, without reaching an official agreement between the two parties.
Hassan Yildirim, a journalist at the Turkish Konya TV Spor network, explained that Konyaspor's desire and interest in signing Imam Ashour has been renewed, noting that an initial offer of $3 million was submitted before it was later raised to $4.25 million.
Yildirim confirmed via his official Twitter account that negotiations are ongoing from Konyaspor's side with Al-Ahly, but no common point of agreement has been reached yet.
He added: "I sometimes see some comments asking: 'Does the player even want to come?'... From Konyaspor's side, the management cannot negotiate directly with the player before agreeing with his club, because this exposes the club to sanctions from FIFA, but what I know is that the player inquired and obtained information about the city of Konya."
He continued: "As you know, Imam is an Egyptian player, and previously the Egyptian player Ahmed Hassan Koka played for us, so I know that during the phone call he made with Ahmed Hassan, in anticipation of the negotiations ending with a positive result."
He added: "A friendly conversation took place between them about the nature of life at Konyaspor and what awaits him there if he joins, so if the deal goes through, it will be a good experience for Imam, because at least he knows what awaits him there."
Regarding the possibility of Konyaspor moving to sign Seko Fofana, the former Al-Nasr player, as an alternative to the Imam Ashour deal, he said: "The club's insistence and interest in Imam continues, and the management is very committed to this deal."
Hassan Yildirim concluded his statements by saying: "If the deal to sign Imam Ashour does not succeed, then the compass will turn to alternatives, but will Fofana be the alternative? I do not know that for certain."
