CAIRO: Ismaili are close to signing Etoile Sahel s Nigerian striker Emeka Opara, a club board member said on Tuesday.
Opara will arrive in Egypt soon to conclude talks and undergo a medical, Khaled Al-Tayeb told FilGoal.com.
His contract with (Tunisian side) Etoile will expire in December so we should face no difficulty in signing him. We just need to wrap up financial matters with the player.
Ismaili strikers have so far failed to score in the Egyptian Premier League, with their 11 goals coming from midfielders and defenders.
Tunisian Mohamed Selliti, who arrived in the close season, had limited opportunities to prove his worth while Mohamed Abou-Greisha failed to replicate the form that saw him play a pivotal role in helping the Dervishes finish runners-up to champions AhlY last season.
Ismaili s third striker Youssef Gamal, often a peripheral figure, has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a damaged cruciate ligament.
Coach Emad Soliman asked the club to bring in an experienced striker, Al-Tayeb added.
Opara, 24, scored eight goals to help Etoile reach the 2006 Confederation Cup final before joining German second-division side Kaiserslautern in January 2007. He returned to Etoile one year later.
