CAIRO: Ahly have finally signed Gouna goalkeeper Sherif Ekrami starting January, according to Goal FM. The Egyptian radio reported on Monday that the Cairo club will pay LE 2.75 million and in return for the services of the 26-year-old. Dutch side Feyenoord, where Ekrami plied his trade for three years before joining Gouna last summer, will get 30 percent of the transfer fee while Gouna will get the rest. Ekrami, who came through Ahly's youth ranks, will be able to feature for Gouna in the next two weeks till he rejoins the Red Devils in the January transfer window. The talented custodian was tipped on many occasions to move to the Egyptian champions, but the negotiations between both parties reached a dead end in the close season. The talks were re-opened again when Ekrami put in a string of impressive performances with Gouna this term. Ahly have been on the horns of a dilemma since the acrimonious departure of Essam Al-Hadari. Egypt s first-choice goalie Al-Hadari unilaterally terminated his contract with Ahly to join Swiss side Sion in February 2008. Later on, Amir Abdel-Hamid, who now seems close to leaving the club, became the first choice for a while but was incessantly criticized for his patchy displays. Subsequently, former coach Manuel Jose relied on Ramzi Saleh in the latter stages of last season, but the Palestinian guardian was hardly convincing. Ahmed Abdel-Monem, who used to be a third-choice keeper, is now the regular starter for Ahly.
