Uri Azoulay Nears Transfer to Beitar Jerusalem in Landmark Deal

Israeli football is on the verge of one of its biggest summer transfers as midfielder Uri Azoulay is close to finalizing a move to Beitar Jerusalem. Azoulay, who struggled to secure playing time at Maccabi Tel Aviv in recent years and was reportedly disappointed with his status, is set to join Almog Cohen's team.

Discussions between Beitar's Barak Abramov and Kfir Edri with Maccabi Tel Aviv's professional director Steven Vahran and Jack Angelidis addressed the possibility of a transfer, a scenario initially dismissed by Maccabi. The proposed deal structure includes a purchase option for Beitar Jerusalem for 1.5 million shekels, contingent on Azoulay playing 50% of his available minutes.

This potential acquisition significantly strengthens Beitar's midfield, especially following the agreement with Alexis Serna on personal terms. Beitar Jerusalem has had a somewhat shaky start to the season, suffering heavy defeats to Netanya (4-1) and Hapoel Tel Aviv (3-0) in the opening two rounds. However, they secured their first points last Monday with a narrow 1-0 victory over Bnei Sakhnin.