HIGHLY-RATED TEENAGE striker Ali Reghba has left Bohemians after two years on the books at Dalymount Park, with the 19-year-old now expected to sign a contract with Leicester City.
The German-born forward agreed a new one-year deal just four months ago but has now parted ways with the Dublin club having made three league starts in 2019.
The42 understands that Reghba will now finalise a deal with the Foxes after impressing while on trial back in January. He also attracted interest from Middlesbrough, Brentford and Leeds United at the start of this year.
The Ireland U19 international scored twice on his senior debut for Bohemians last season, netting an impressive double against rivals St Patrick’s Athletic at Richmond Park.
He also helped Craig Sexton’s U19 side claim a league and cup double last season and scored against Danish giants FC Midtjylland during a Uefa Youth League qualifier last October.
Despite a promising 2018 campaign under his belt, Reghba struggled to find first-team minutes under Keith Long as Bohs enjoyed a fantastic opening half to 2019.
“Thank you to @bfcdublin for everything over the past two seasons,” he wrote on Instagram announcing his departure from the club.
“Some big, big [memories] that will stay with me forever and very thankful for all the coaches and staff that have helped me on my journey to where I am now. Made some friends for life on the way too.”
Reghba was born in Germany and initially lived in Essen, near Dortmund, with his Algerian father and Irish mother up until the age of six. The youngster then moved to Coolock in Dublin.
New Ireland U21 boss Stephen Kenny has been impressed by the player since marking his first-team debut with a brace against St Pat’s last September, with the former Dundalk boss singling-out Reghba for praise during his first press conference.
The player stood out while on trial with Leicester at the start of this year, with reports at the time suggesting Reghba’s contract extension with Bohemians would facillitate a move to the Foxes this summer.
This week he was called up for an Ireland U19 training camp by Tom Mohan ahead of next month’s Uefa U19 European Championships in Armenia, where the Boys in Green will face Norway, France and Czech Republic.
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