Kolkota giants east Bengal are close to bringing in defender Mohammed Irshad from Gokulam Kerala for the next season.

The Kerala-born player has played 13 times for Gokulam Kerala last season in the I-League as the team sits sixth on the table.

If he joins East Bengal, he will be one of the multiple signatures that the Kolkota club has made so far with Balwant Singh, Gurtej Singh, Lalram Chullova, and Novin Gurung all joining the team.

The 25-year-old began his professional career at DSK Shivajians in 2016 before he moved a year later to join Gokulam Kerala, making 15 appearances before a short stint at Minerva Punjab.

He returned to Gokulam Kerala in 2019, winning the Durand cup last season.

Meanwhile, India Super League winning midfielder with Atletico De Kolkota, Sehnaj Singh, could join East Bengal as well.

The defensive midfielder played eight games for the India Super League championship winners. He started his career with Indian Arrows in 2011.

He then moved Mumbai City in 2013, and a year later, he joined Mohun Bagan, winning the i-league as well as East Bengal in 2016 just a year after playing for Delhi dynamos.

The player made his debut for India in an international game against Oman in 2015 in a qualifier for the 2018 FIFA world cup in Russia.

East Bengal are placed second on the I-League table with 16 points behind top spot placed Mohun Bagan with just four games left to be played, although the I-League season has been suspended due to Coronavirus.

The league suspension is indefinite in respect of the government’s lockdown rules, although the I-League could be cancelled with prize money shared among all teams without promotion or relegation.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu