AS Roma full-back Anass Salah-Eddine is reportedly finalising a loan move to Olympiacos, with Ayoub El Kaabi playing a key role in luring the Moroccan international to Jose Luis Mendilibar's squad.
According to a report by media outlet bwinSPORT FM 94.6, Greek club Olympiacos are very close to closing a deal that will bring in Moroccan left back Anass Salah-Eddine to the club. As reports suggest, the 24-year-old defender is very close to signing for Thrylos and is preparing to travel to Athens.
Olympiacos and Italian side AS Roma, for whom Anass Salah-Eddine currently plays, have reportedly reached an agreement that will allow the player to join José Luis Mendilibar’s squad. The deal is, reportedly, a loan with an option to buy next summer. The purchase price will most likely be an amount hovering in the range of €7-8 million.
Olympiacos Roundtable, on our social media handle on X, reiterated the report, saying, “Olympiacos and Roma have reached an agreement for the transfer of Anass Salah-Eddine, with the most likely scenario being a loan with €7-8M purchase option, per @sportfm946.”
It further said, “Talks with compatriot Ayoub El Kaabi convinced him to move.’’
The left-back was also left out of Roma’s squad for the preparatory matches that the club is playing out in Wales, and this is a heavy indication of the imminent departure of Salah-Eddine. As reported, compatriot Ayoub El Kaabi, a striker who also plays for Olympiacos, played an important role in convincing Salah-Eddine to join Piraeus, explaining to him the environment prevalent at the club. Manager José Luis Mendilibar also reportedly played an important role by conveying to the Moroccan international the role that he will play in the team, and what the manager expects of him.
Born in Amsterdam and a graduate of the academy of Ajax, he played 7 league fixtures for de Joden before leaving on loan to join fellow Dutch club Twente, for whom he played 14 league games before joining them on a permanent transfer in 2024. He played there for one season before making the move to his current club, AS Roma, in 2025. He returned to the Netherlands the same year to play on loan at PSV.
While at PSV, he was part of the squad that won the 2025-26 Eredivisie title.
Salah-Eddine, after appearing for all the youth sections of the Dutch national football team, chose to represent Morocco in senior international football. He was part of the squad that was, controversially, awarded the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. He was also part of the squad that reached the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup held in the United States of America, eventually losing out to France in the quarter-finals. The full-back has made 13 official appearances for the Morocco national football team.
If Olympiacos can bring in Anass Salah-Eddine, the road for the departure of Francisco Ortega will become smoother; the Argentine full-back is expected to leave the Greek club and join River Plate.
Thus, it can be said that the transfer of Anass Salah-Eddine to Olympiacos is only a matter of time, and an official announcement can be made in the days to come.
