Hamburger SV Pursue Zakaria El Ouahdi as Genk Stays Firm

Hamburger SV have their man on side. Now they just need to convince Genk.

According to HLN, Moroccan international Zakaria El Ouahdi has already agreed personal terms with the Bundesliga club. The full-back wants the move, sees Hamburg as the next step in his career and is ready to make the leap. The only problem: Genk are not budging.

Hamburg have already tested the waters three times, submitting a trio of offers. All three have been rejected by the Belgian club, who know exactly what they have on their hands. For them, El Ouahdi is not just another name on the team sheet; he is one of the most dynamic attacking full-backs in the league.

His rise has been steady rather than explosive. After a solid, unspectacular first season with Genk, the real opening came when Daniel Muñoz left for Crystal Palace. El Ouahdi stepped into the void and never looked back.

In the 2024/25 campaign, he featured in 40 games, scoring eight goals and adding two assists from the flank. Those are winger numbers, not the output of a conventional full-back. Last season he climbed another rung: 12 goals in 45 matches, plus five assists. That kind of production explains why Hamburg are so insistent and why Genk feel no rush to cash in cheaply.

The standoff now revolves around one question: how high are Hamburg prepared to go to match Genk’s valuation? With the player pushing for the move and personal terms agreed, the pressure on both clubs will only grow as the window ticks on.

For Hamburg, heading into their second season back in the Bundesliga, this is not a luxury chase. It is a targeted move. If the deal finally breaks through the deadlock, El Ouahdi is expected to walk straight into the side and become a key piece of their top-flight project.