CAIRO: Zamalek have opened talks with Middlesbrough striker Mido over the possibility of signing him on loan, the club s board member Ibrahim Youssef said on Sunday. Mido said he was ready to join Zamalek if he did not receive any offers from English Premier League clubs, Youssef told Al-Hayat TV. We are ready to pay Middlesbrough up to £1 million to sign Mido on a season-long loan. Mido is seeking to leave Boro for a top-flight club following the team s demotion to the second division. Coach Gareth Southgate said the club would not be forced to accept any cut-price offers for the Egyptian frontman, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Wigan Athletic. Mido has been recently fined by Middlesbrough for failing to report back in time for the start of the team s pre-season training. Zamalek are looking to bolster their frontline following the retirement of their all-time top scorer Abdul-Halim Ali. They have already signed Ahmed Gaafar from Telecom Egypt, Sayed Mosaad from Qanah and Brazilian free agent Anderson. Amr Zaki is still at their disposal but his future remains unclear as Spanish side Malaga expressed an interest to sign him. Youssef also revealed that Zamalek were close to wrapping up a deal for Ismaili s Sherif Abdul-Fadil. The combative defender has been the subject of interest from Zamalek and their arch-rivals Ahli. But he said recently that he would prefer to join the White Knights. We reached an agreement with Ismaili over Abdul-Fadil s transfer. Everything should be finalized very soon, Youssef added.
