Kotoko to Cough One Billion for Chibsah

After exhibiting a splendid performance for Porcupine Warriors, Kumasi Asante Kotoko in their last Top 4 match with arch rivals Hearts of Oak, that led to his crowning with the Man-of-the-Match Award, ‘midfield general’ Yusif Alhassan Chibsah, is set to enter the records books as the highest player ever to be purchased by a domestic side should officials of Kotoko secure his signature.

Chibsah, who guided Asante Kotoko to clinch the 2005/6 Premier League trophy, left the club last August after the Porcupine Warriors failed to go beyond the group stage of the CAF Champions League to join Israeli side Natzrat Elit, in a season’s deal where he featured prominently for the Israeli club helping them to finish sixth on the league table.

According to investigations, the purchase of Yusif Alhassan Chibsah, who was among the five players put on Ghana’s stand-by list by for Black Stars trainer Ratomir ‘Doya’ Dujkovic ahead of the Germany World Cup last year, will cost Kotoko officials not less than a billion Ghanaian Cedis before they can secure the signature of the player. However, news making rounds also have it that the former King Faisal playmaker is currently on the shopping list of three European clubs, who are reported to have followed his exploits with Israel side.

When contacted on phone to confirm his return to Kotoko, Chibsah, who also captained Ghana’s Olympic male Soccer team, the Black Meteors in the last Olympic Games held in Athens, Greece, admitted that officials of Kotoko are currently in talks with him for a possible come-back but said nothing concrete has being finalized since the discussions are still at the preparatory stages. Touching on the interest of the three European clubs, he said “For now all that I have been told by my agents is that there are about five clubs including Kotoko, who needs my service and that they are going to work out a deal which will keep me busy in order to be in my peak because I want to earn a call-up to the national team as the country prepare to host the rest of African in the Nations Cup next year”

Chibsah, who was voted best district farmer of the year 2005, aside his football, runs a poultry farm in the Agona District in the Ashanti Region