Al Ahly is close to finalizing the deal for a new coach and is on the verge of securing the signature of Bruno Lage, according to Portuguese media reports on Thursday.
Al Ahly initially sought to sign Swiss coach Urs Fischer, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the financial compensation, the technical staff, or the penalty clause in case of termination.
According to the Portuguese newspaper Ojogo, Al Ahly offered Bruno Lage an annual salary of €4.8 million, while the former Benfica coach wants €5 million annually. This means that only €200,000 will be enough to secure a final agreement.
In the past few hours, a major breakthrough occurred in negotiations between the two parties after Lage’s family agreed to the move to Cairo. Thanks to the significant financial offer, the Portuguese coach backed down from his insistence on staying in Europe and welcomed the opportunity to coach Al Ahly.
It is expected that matters will move forward between the two parties in the coming hours, pending the finalization of several points in the contract, such as the bonus for winning championships, which Lagi wants to be two months’ salary, the duration of the contract, and, most importantly, the value of the termination fee if the club decides to dismiss the coach.
If things progress well between the two parties, Lagi is expected to coach Al Ahly during the international break, with his first match against Al Ittihad Alexandria on October 21.
With an annual salary of €5 million, Lagi will be the undisputed most expensive coach in the history of Egyptian football, breaking the previous record of €3 million annually held by another Portuguese, Rui Vitoria, when he coached the Egyptian national team between 2023 and 2024.
