Erbil SC in talks to sign Iraq forward Aymen Hussein

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Erbil SC is in negotiations to sign Iraqi national team forward Aymen Hussein, who has agreed to join the club if talks with clubs in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar do not produce a deal. The 28-year-old has been a regular scorer for Iraq in recent international campaigns. The transfer market ahead of the new Iraqi football season produced several other moves. Goalkeeper Husam Mehdi joined Al-Mus from Basra Oil, while North Gas signed Ghanaian striker Joseph Esso from Malaysia's Sampilan after he scored 10 goals in 20 appearances last season. Abdallah Basim and Abdulhalk Mohammed returned to Al-Shorta after their loan spells ended. Zakho is preparing to pay 400 million Iraqi dinars to terminate the contract of Ahmed Yahya. Portuguese midfielder Zé Gomes moved from the Albanian league to Gjilani, and Ukraine's FC Polissia reached a $1 million agreement with Italy's Como for Iraqi forward Ali Jasim. Al-Zawraa, meanwhile, is in talks with Colombian striker John Montaño at the request of head coach Qasim Basim. Aymen Hussein has agreed to join Erbil only if negotiations with clubs from the UAE and Qatar do not result in a deal.