Maccabi Haifa Negotiates to Sign Hapoel Petah Tikva Captain Omer Katz as Backup Goalkeeper

Maccabi Haifa is in advanced talks to sign Omer Katz, the 28-year-old captain and goalkeeper of Hapoel Petah Tikva, as a backup to their current keeper Omri Glazer. According to Channel Sport, Katz has reached a preliminary agreement on personal terms with Maccabi Haifa. The clubs are negotiating a transfer fee of approximately 500,000 shekels, along with a loan deal involving player Itay Ahuad moving to Hapoel Petah Tikva. However, no final agreement has been reached yet.

Hapoel Petah Tikva is hesitant to release Katz, as they acknowledge it will be difficult to find a replacement goalkeeper. Their current backup, Roy Sasson, is well regarded but the club remains cautious. Katz began his career at Maccabi Herzliya's academy, later joining Maccabi Tel Aviv from 2009 to 2017. He made his professional debut with Hapoel Ramat Hasharon and also played for Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla before joining Hapoel Petah Tikva in the 2020/2021 season, where he has made 176 appearances across all competitions.

The negotiations continue as both clubs weigh the benefits of the transfer and loan deal, with Maccabi Haifa aiming to strengthen their goalkeeper options for the upcoming season.