Iran national team captain and Olympiacos forward Mehdi Taremi appears to be on the verge of leaving the Greek club, with reports indicating that a move to UAE Pro League side Al-Wasl is in its final stages.
Taremi's future at Olympiacos has been uncertain for several weeks. Following the arrival of several new players during the summer transfer window, it became clear that the 34-year-old striker was not in the plans of head coach José Luis Mendilibar for the upcoming season. Greek media reported that Mendilibar intended to trim his squad to 25 players, and Taremi was placed on the transfer list alongside Roman Yaremchuk, Clayton, and Lorenzo Shivioni.
The most telling sign of his diminished standing came when Taremi was left out of Olympiacos' squad for the UEFA Champions League third-round qualifying tie against Dutch side NEC Nijmegen. The club registered only one established centre-forward, Ayoub El Kaabi, for the two-legged tie, a decision that was seen as a clear indication that Taremi and Yaremchuk were no longer considered essential to the club's European plans.
With his days at the Greek club numbered, Taremi actively sought a move elsewhere in Europe. According to Iranian media, the forward received offers from several European clubs, including Genoa (Italy), Porto (Portugal), and Lille (France). However, none of these proposals materialised into a firm agreement. There was also an expression of interest from Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, but Taremi reportedly had no intention of moving to South America.
As the summer transfer window approached its closure, both Olympiacos and Taremi were eager to find a satisfactory solution. Now, Greek and Iranian media reports strongly suggest that UAE club Al-Wasl, based in Dubai, has reached an agreement with both the player and Olympiacos. According to Greek sports website Gazzetta, Al-Wasl came to a full agreement with the Iranian striker and the Greek club, with Taremi's contract set to expire next summer. Fellow Greek outlet Sport24 reported that Taremi made a final visit to Olympiacos' training centre in Renti on Thursday, August 20, bidding farewell to his teammates, coaching staff, and club employees before departing for Dubai to complete the move.
Al-Wasl, who play their home matches at Zabeel Stadium, are one of the most successful clubs in the United Arab Emirates, having won eight UAE Pro League titles, most recently in the 2023–24 season. The club was briefly coached by the legendary Diego Maradona in 2011. They are currently managed by Portuguese coach Rui Vitória, formerly of Panathinaikos, and began the 2026–27 campaign with a resounding 5-1 victory over United.
At the time of writing, neither Olympiacos nor Al-Wasl have made an official announcement regarding the transfer, and no details have been released concerning the transfer fee or the length of the proposed contract. However, the latest reports indicate that the move is in its final stages.
If the transfer is completed, Taremi will return to Asian football after approximately seven years. His last spell in the region was with Qatar's Al-Gharafa, before he moved to Portugal's Rio Ave in 2019, later going on to play for Porto, Inter Milan, and Olympiacos. He joined Olympiacos from Inter Milan last summer for a fee of around €2 million. In his single season with the Greek club, he made 39 appearances across all competitions, scoring 16 goals and providing six assists.
Taremi would join a growing contingent of Team Melli players in the UAE Pro League, including Sardar Azmoun and Saeid Ezatollahi (Shabab Al-Ahli), Mohammad Ghorbani (Al-Wehda), Ahmad Nourallahi (Kalba), and Mehdi Ghaedi (Al-Nasr). Notably, Al-Wasl are competing in the new AFC Champions League Elite and, in that competition, would face Iranian sides Esteghlal and Tractor, potentially setting up a reunion between Taremi and clubs from his home country.