Golden boy? Al-Ahly competes with Stuttgart and two English clubs for Fenerbahce gem | Goal.com
Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia have joined the race for one of Fenerbahce's brightest young talents, with several clubs circling the player during the current transfer window.
Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu revealed the target as France's Sidiki Cherif, 19, who has also caught the eye of Germany's Stuttgart. Ipswich Town and Coventry City had previously been linked with him too.
Speaking on YouTube, the journalist said: "I said the same thing when I first broke the news: sell Sidiki Cherif without incurring any financial loss. In fact, you can also make a profit from this deal."
He continued: "We previously broke the news of Ipswich Town and Coventry's interest in the player, and I added that day another piece of information about the existence of two additional offers, one from a Saudi club and the other from the German league (the Bundesliga). A few days ago we revealed that the German club is Stuttgart, while the other team is Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia."
Recent changes to the Saudi Pro League's rules on registering foreign and young players have turned Cherif into something of a "golden boy" and their number one strategic target. The new regulations let clubs use young players directly and split them between the first team and the youth and junior sides, boosting his chances of a fresh start and the regular minutes he is chasing, in the journalist's words.
He added: "Because of the amendment to this regulation, clubs can now immediately field two players in the lower categories, and two players in the first team under the young player rule, which means that the two (young) players currently at most clubs (in the first team) will be out of the reckoning (or will be replaced)."
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