Hapoel Afula in talks to bring back hometown midfielder Aviv Avraham

Hapoel Afula is working to build a promotion-contending squad for next season after narrowly surviving this year. The club had originally been expected to play in Liga Alef, but after Hapoel Ramat HaSharon was relegated, Afula was returned to the second division and stayed up thanks to a dramatic turnaround under coach Alexander Granovsky.

According to Sport5, the club is now in talks with Aviv Avraham, a Kiryat Shmona midfielder who is a native of Afula and could return to the city where he grew up. The report says he may also link up with veteran defender Ben Wahba, who helped Maccabi Petah Tikva win promotion to the top flight and is close to completing a deal in Afula.

Afula is also negotiating with midfielder Matan Beit Yaakov, who was released by Maccabi Yafa. At the same time, defender Idan Rata and midfielder Roy Rabinowitz have already extended their contracts.

Another player expected to stay is Yaniv Brik, after an excellent season in which he also contributed heavily under Granovsky. The team is being managed in its rebuilding effort by Omri Zirhan and coach Erez Benudis.