Tunisian giants, Esperance de Tunis are ready to risk it all to tie down star striker Taha Yassine Khenissi to an extended contract.
The 25-year-old, who has been the Tunisian League champion’s leading goal-poacher the past two seasons, is inevitably on the wish-list of an array of clubs from Europe and in the Gulf region.
No club has officially tabled an offer but there’s reported interest from sides in Qatar and the UAE who over the last 12 months have beaten European teams to the signing of Tunisian talents by paying twice the asking transfer sum.
Khenissi’s current deal –signed in August 2015 – runs out on June 30th next year.
Clubs willing to price the striker away must cough up in excess of €1m – a figure of which is expected to soar twice should a new contract be signed.
With a quick pace as his biggest weapon, Khenissi has been instrumental for the Tunisian national team particularly for Esperance who he guided to the Cup and League title during the 2015/16 seasons, scoring a combined twenty-six (26) goals in forty-seven (47) league appearances.
A product of Esperance’s youth set-up, Khenissi is a revered personality at the club since returning from a season-long loan from CS Sfaxien.
Fans do not want to see the back of him too soon –proving season after season as a reliable go-to-guy when it comes to goals – and understandably, there have been some agitations from team faithful for his contract to be renewed.
That process has already started with Esperance’s chairman Hamdi Meddeb willing to keep his prized asset at all cost. Any deal agreed on will represent a major coup in the future sale of the Tunisians.
