Hapoel Beer Sheva are set to lose one of the players who powered their title-winning season, with Greek media reporting on Friday that Panathinaikos are closing in on a deal for Zambian international Kings Kangwa. ONE reports the move could be finalised within days.
According to the report, Panathinaikos' offer — worth about €3.8 million plus performance-related add-ons — meets Hapoel's asking price, and the 27-year-old is keen on the switch to Athens and an improved contract.
Greek outlet Sport24 puts the total package higher still, at roughly €4.5 million once bonuses are included, a proposal it says comfortably tops what city rivals AEK Athens had been offering.
AEK had been tracking Kangwa for months as a possible replacement for Orbelín Pineda and reportedly raised their bid to around €4 million, but pulled out of the race after Hapoel Beer Sheva refused to release him before this summer's Champions League qualifying rounds — games AEK needed him free to miss.
Panathinaikos' interest is not new. Gazzetta reports the Greens made first contact back in May and had already reached an informal understanding with the player, but held off pushing the deal through until their managerial situation was settled.
That piece fell into place when Jacob Neestrup was confirmed as Panathinaikos' new head coach in late May, succeeding Rafa Benítez. The Danish coach has since signed off on the Kangwa signing, with sporting director Stefanos Koutoulis leading the negotiations with Beer Sheva.
Kangwa is no bit-part squad player. A regular for Zambia with 46 caps and seven goals, he has represented the Chipolopolo at the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, in 2023 and 2025.
His route to Israel has taken in Zambian side Happy Hearts, Buildcon, three seasons at Arsenal Tula in Russia and two years at Red Star Belgrade, where he won the Serbian SuperLiga and Serbian Cup double in 2022-23, before a loan spell in Belgium with Kortrijk preceded his return to Hapoel Beer Sheva in 2024.
Back in Beer Sheva colours, he has been central to a golden run: the club's 2025-26 Israeli Premier League title, the 2024-25 State Cup and the 2025 Super Cup all came with Kangwa a regular fixture in the side.
Nothing has been confirmed by either club as of Friday, and the figures still come from Greek reporting rather than official statements — but with the player pushing for the move and Panathinaikos' offer said to match Hapoel's valuation, the transfer appears to be edging toward completion.
