Hamburger SV Targets Zakaria El Ouahdi from Genk

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

According to HLN, Moroccan international Zakaria El Ouahdi has agreed personal terms with the Bundesliga club. The 24-year-old wants the move, sees Hamburg as the next step in his career, and has made his intentions clear. The hold-up sits entirely between the clubs.

Hamburg have already tested Genk’s resolve three times. Three bids have gone in, three bids have been rejected by the Belgian side, who know exactly what they have on their hands: one of the most dangerous attacking full-backs in their league.

El Ouahdi’s rise has been steady, then sudden. His first season at Genk was solid rather than spectacular, a player finding his feet and waiting for an opening. That opening arrived when Daniel Muñoz left for Crystal Palace. El Ouahdi stepped straight into the vacancy and refused to give the shirt back.

In the 2024/25 campaign he played 40 games, scoring eight goals and adding two assists from full-back – numbers that already turned heads outside Belgium. Last season he went up another gear: 12 goals and five assists in 45 appearances, a return that would make many wingers jealous.

Those figures explain Hamburg’s persistence. Back in the Bundesliga for a second consecutive season, HSV are looking for players who can immediately lift the level, not just pad out the squad. El Ouahdi’s profile fits perfectly: energy down the flank, end product in the final third, and the versatility to influence games in different phases.

Genk, though, are under no pressure to sell quickly. A productive, peak-age full-back with a growing international profile is a valuable asset, and the Belgian club are holding out for a fee that reflects that reality.

The key factor may be the player himself. El Ouahdi is keen to move, keen to test himself in Germany, and that desire usually shifts negotiations eventually. With personal terms already agreed, the path is clear if Hamburg can find the number that finally makes Genk say yes.

If the deal goes through, HSV won’t be signing just another defender. They’ll be adding a proven attacking weapon to their right flank – one who has already shown he can turn opportunity into end product when the stage gets bigger.