Hapoel Haifa are close to adding Itay Zafrani, the top scorer in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth league team, as they continue building their squad for the 2026/27 season. According to Sport5, the young striker is expected to join the Carmel club on loan from Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The two clubs have recently maintained a good working relationship. Earlier, goalkeeper Yoav Gerafi was loaned from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Hapoel Haifa and was later bought by the Red club at the end of the season.
Zafrani scored 25 goals this season and helped Maccabi Tel Aviv win the Under-19 Premier League title after a season-long battle with Hapoel Tel Aviv that went down to the final round. Along with Gerafi, Hapoel Haifa have also signed Noam Cohen, and Zafrani is now expected to be the next addition.