Iraqi international striker Ayman Hussein is closing in on a new adventure in Central Asia. He stands on the brink of joining Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor after the two parties finalised their agreement during the current summer transfer window.
The captain of the Lions of Mesopotamia will touch down in the capital Tashkent next Saturday to undergo the mandatory medical and put pen to paper on the deal tying him to the illustrious Uzbek club.
His move follows a 2025-2026 season with Iraqi club Al-Karma, after which Hussein decided to take his professional career overseas and away from the domestic league.
Tempting offers had piled up in recent weeks. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Erbil led the chase, alongside other bids from Iraqi Premier League rivals, but Hussein turned them all down in favour of the foreign experience.
Completing the deal will write Hussein into the list of Iraqi players to have represented Pakhtakor. He becomes the third in that line after Bashar Resan and Zaid Tahseen, who both previously wore the colours of the Uzbek giant.
For the striker, the transfer offers a valuable chance to prove himself in a different competitive environment and to fire Pakhtakor's ambitions on both the domestic and continental fronts next season.