Achraf Dari’s father, Zohauir, has confirmed the negotiations between Al Ahly and Stade Brestois over a potential summer move for his son.
The Reds are on the lookout for a new centre-back to replace Mohamed Abdelmonem, who is bound to join Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice in the upcoming few days.
It’s understood that Al Ahly’s head coach Marcel Koller is not satisfied with any domestic defender, which forced the club to look for a new foreign name to join the squad.
The player’s agent has previously revealed that Dari is in talks with Al Ahly, something his father also confirmed on Saturday night.
Zohauir Dari also revealed that his son is not comfortable in France for religious reasons, stressing that he would love for him to join Al Ahly over Espanyol and Anderlecht, who also approached the player.
“Negotiations between Al Ahly and Brest to sign Achraf Dari are ongoing,” Zohauir Dari said to DMC on Saturday night.
“Achraf has received other offers from Espanyol and Anderlecht, but the best offer came from Al Ahly.
“I would love to see Achraf Dari at Al Ahly, and I hope he can be an asset to the team if he joins.
“Achraf doesn’t feel comfortable in France for religious reasons due to some unsettling things happening outside of football.”
The 25-year-old defender moved to Stade Brestois from Morocco’s Wydad AC in July 2022 for a reported fee of €2.7 million, making 24 appearances for the French club.
However, Dari struggled for game time last season and had to spend the second half of the campaign out on loan at Belgian side Royal Charleroi, for whom he scored three goals in nine games.
Dari is also no stranger to Al Ahly fans as he was part of the Wydad Casablanca team that beat the Reds in the 2022 CAF Champions League final.
He could now reunite with another member of the famous Wydad team in Yahia Attiyat Allah, who joined Al Ahly on a one-year loan deal with an option to buy last week.
Moroccan winger Reda Slim also plies his trade at Al Ahly, with the African champions are now also closing in on Tunisia international Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane.