Ahli are planning to keep hold of Ahmed Fathi, who's targeted by Standard Liege, as the Reds are lining up a new three-year deal for their prized asset, football director Hadi Khashaba revealed. Belgian side Standard have recently approached the Egypt holding midfielder, whose only adventure in Europe was at England's Sheffield United in 2007. Fathi stated a while back that he would like to join another foreign side in the near future. But shortly after Standard opened talks with Ahli, the Cairo club announced that they would extend the 25-year-old's stay. "We will soon renew the contracts of Fathi and (Hossam) Ashour for three years," Khashaba told Modern TV. Very Important Player Fathi, whose contract runs out next summer, has been an integral member of Ahli's squad since joining in 2007 after spending a brief spell at Sheffield. He has been one of the team's most consistent performers, with his ability to play in several positions, mainly defensive ones, giving the six-time African champions plenty of options. The former Ismaili star plays as a right-back this season under coach Hossam Al-Badri, who has been employing a 4-4-2 since taking the helm at Ahli in the summer of 2009. "Fathi is out of the country now, we will sit down with him once he has returned," Al-Badri said. "I want to him to stay, so does the football committee. He's a very important player."
