Hapoel Petah Tikva Nears Sale of Zambian Player Songa to Portuguese Club

Hapoel Petah Tikva is set to lose one of its key players, Zambian winger Chipeoka Songa, as a transfer deal to Portuguese club Moreirense is nearing completion. The two clubs have already exchanged contract drafts, and Songa is currently awaiting a visa to Portugal to finalize his move once the deal is officially signed. Negotiations between the clubs lasted several weeks, initially hindered by significant financial differences. However, Moreirense recently increased their offer to around 750,000 euros plus a percentage of any future sale, prompting Petah Tikva to allow the transfer.

Songa will not be included in Petah Tikva's squad for their upcoming Toto Cup ranking match against Bnei Sakhnin, signaling his imminent departure. Meanwhile, Petah Tikva has been seeking to strengthen their squad with a foreign defender and will now also need to find a winger to replace Songa. On the Israeli front, the club is close to finalizing a loan deal for midfielder Itay Ehud from Maccabi Haifa, with the loan contract including a clause guaranteeing a minimum amount of playing time to avoid paying loan fees unnecessarily.