Noufel Khasaf leaves CR Belouizdad to join Al Ahli Benghazi

Algerian Noufel Khasaf has completed his move from CR Belouizdad to Libyan Al Ahli Benghazi, in a transfer that will force the Algerian team to reorganise as they seek to replace one of their key options at left-back.

According to Algerian reports, Al Ahli Benghazi have activated the release clause in the contract of Khasif for a fee close to one million dollars, approximately 12 billion centimes, despite the fact that the player's contract with CR Belouizdad was set to run until the summer of 2030.

Sources have indicated that the financial offer made by the Libyan club played a crucial role in finalising the deal, while the total value of the new contract or the salary the player will receive with his new team has not been officially disclosed.

The background to Khasif's departure dates back to last summer's transfer window, when the sporting director of CR Belouizdad, Jaber Naamoun, sought to secure the player and retain his services amid interest from several clubs in signing him.

Naimoun held a negotiation session with Khasif, proposing to raise his monthly salary in exchange for increasing the release clause in his contract. However, the player rejected the proposal at that time, and the release clause remains at the same value.

With the clause remaining unchanged, Ahli Benghazi later managed to activate it, allowing Khasef to leave the ranks of Chabab Belouizdad despite being tied to a contract that extends for several more seasons.

The departure of left-back puts the technical staff of CR Belouizdad in a new challenge, as the team will rely on Aouafi and Chelfawi to cover this position in the upcoming period, amid their competition on three fronts, including the domestic league, the Algerian Cup, and the CAF Confederation Cup.

Khasif has joined CR Belouizdad during the winter transfer window of 2024, coming from Gaziantep, and succeeded with the team in winning the Algerian Cup against CR Belouizdad.