FC Zurich beat Al Ahly to signing of Hearts of Oak forward Afriyie Barnieh
Hearts of Oak youngster Daniel Afriyie Barnieh has completed a transfer move to Swiss Super League side FC Zurich in a permanent deal with African giants Al Ahly missing out on the forward.
The Egyptian Premier League side had been linked with a move for the Ghanaian International since his involvement at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Al Ahly had been confident of a deal heading into the January transfer window reportedly led their Caf Champions League rivals Esperance de Tunis. But both teams are believed to lose out on Afriyie Barnieh after FC Zurich capturing the forward, claimed Ghana Soccer Net.
The 21-year-old will sign for Zurich in the coming days after passing his medical examination since an agreement has been reached between Hearts and the Swiss club.
The Phobians will receive a training and compensation fee of around US$150,000 from Zurich once the transfer is completed.
Afriyie Barnieh has been the subject of interest from clubs in Africa, Europe, and America following his spell with the Ghana national team at the World Cup in Qatar.
The former Ghana U20 captain cut in the Black Stars’ final squad for the global showpiece and was instrumental in the last warm-up friendly match against Switzerland in Abu Dhabi.
He has also been impressive for the Ghana home-based national team who are currently camping in Egypt ahead of the 2022 CHAN tournament which begins in a fortnight in Algeria.
The highly-rated footballer scored three goals in four matches to propel the Black Galaxies to seal qualification for the CHAN tournament.
He was also involved in Ghana U23 as he scored in both legs in their qualifying match against Mozambique a few months back.
Afriyie Barnieh signed for Hearts in July 2019 and went ahead to become a mainstay in the team having played integral role in the club’s double triumph in the 2020-21 campaign.
Barnieh is currently with the Black Galaxies ahead of CHAN competition in Algeria mid next year. Ghana will take on Al Ahly in friendly game today Saturday with Barnieh expected to lead the lines against his most sought-after club.
