Rabat – Belgian club Royal Antwerp have completed the signing of Moroccan winger Ibrahim Salah from Swiss side FC Basel on loan for the 2026-2027 season.
Antwerp confirmed that the agreement includes an option to make the transfer permanent, although neither club disclosed the financial terms or conditions attached to the purchase clause.
The move brings Salah back to Belgium, where he was born and began his professional career before spells in France and Switzerland.
Basel said the loan is intended to give the 24-year-old more regular playing time and support his continued development.
Salah joined the Swiss club from Stade Rennais in September 2025 and made 35 competitive appearances during his only season in Basel, scoring four goals and providing three assists.
“Ibrahim Salah is a Red,” Antwerp wrote while announcing the transfer and welcoming the Moroccan-Belgian attacker to the Bosuilstadion.
Return to familiar surroundings
Salah developed in the youth systems of several Belgian clubs, including Beerschot, before establishing himself at Gent.
He made his first-team breakthrough during the 2022-2023 season, recording three goals before completing a move to Rennes in January 2023.
The winger made 49 competitive appearances for Rennes across his spells with the French club. He also spent the 2024-2025 campaign on loan at Brest, where he gained UEFA Champions League experience before moving permanently to Basel.
Antwerp said Salah has played 129 professional matches across all competitions and scored 21 goals during his career. Capable of operating on either wing, he adds pace, direct running and further depth to the Belgian club’s attacking options.
Salah has also represented Morocco at youth level. He was part of the Atlas Lions squad that won the 2023 U23 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, securing qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic football tournament.
His move to Antwerp offers an opportunity to secure regular minutes in a league he already knows well. A successful campaign could also persuade the Belgian club to activate its purchase option at the end of the season.
