Real Kashmir set to re-sign former goalkeeper Bilal Khan

The 26-year-old has made five appearances in the ISL, for Kerala Blasters.

I-League outfit Real Kashmir are all set to complete the signing of Bilal Khan, Khel Now can confirm. The goalkeeper parted ways with his former club Kerala Blasters by mutual consent earlier on Wednesday, September 1.

"Bilal Khan is all set to join Real Kashmir. It will be a done deal soon. The player has already agreed terms with the club," sources close to the developments informed Khel Now. If things go to plan, the goalkeeper will put pen to paper on a contract with the Snow Leopards soon, which will be followed by an official announcement.

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About the player

Bilal Khan kick-started his professional football career with Goan club Churchill Brothers. Stints at Hindustan FC and Mohammedan SC followed for the shot-stopper, before he signed with FC Pune City in 2017. However, he could not make his ISL debut, as the club loaned him out to Gokulam Kerala and Real Kashmir in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 season respectively.

With Real Kashmir, Khan did well in the I-League as he kept nine clean-sheets from 19 appearances. He was also adjudged the 'Best Goalkeeper of the Season' in the league. This, in turn, earned the 26-year-old a move to Kerala Blasters, who then handed him his ISL debut in the 2019-20 season.

The Uttar Pradesh-born player made five appearances that year, keeping one clean-sheet and making seven saves in the process. Although he was a part of KBFC's ISL squad in 2020-21, he did not get game-time as Albino Gomes emerged the first-choice for them between the sticks.

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Bilal Khan's original contract with the Yellow was to run till May 2022. However, on Wednesday, the club and the player mutually decided to part ways. As mentioned above, he will now return to his former club in the I-League, where he will hope to start afresh.

Real Kashmir's pre-season preparations

After a mediocre showing in I-League 2020-21, Real Kashmir will look to produce better results in the upcoming season. They finished fifth last season, eight points behind champions Gokulam Kerala.

The Snow Leopards have already made a few signings this summer and will add more players to their roster in the coming days. Some of their latest signings are Surchandra Singh from SC East Bengal, Ponif Vaz from NorthEast United as well as Bhupender Singh and Niraj Kumar from Jamshedpur FC.

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