Premiership side Middlesbrough are interested in signing Ahli duo Emad Meteb and Mohamed Shawki, the club's marketing director Adli Al-Qaeyi said on Friday. Ahli received an official fax from '4 Steps' Player Management Company, which acts as a mediator in the negotiations, confirming Middlesbrough's interest in both players. Middlesbrough have tabled a £250,000 bid for midfielder Shawki while striker Meteb received 1.5 million offer. The company's representative in Cairo Nader Shawki told FilGoal.com that the transfer fee is negotiable in case Ahli agree in principle to sell the star duo. "The club will discuss Middlesbrough's offers during the board meeting next week," Al-Qaeyi told FilGoal.com. "We will not take any decision regarding both players till the football committee studies the offers."
A copy from the fax sent to Ahli Meteb and Shawki would find no difficulty in obtaining a work permit if the deal was completed as they represented Egypt in more than 75% of the nation's matches during the past two years. Both players were regulars in Egypt's 2006 African Cup of Nations triumph and have been integral members in Hassan Shehata's squad ever since. On the club level, Meteb finished as the Egyptian League top scorer in the 2004/2005 season and formed a superb striking partnership with Angola's Flavio Amado last term in which he scored 15 goals. Although Shawki usually receives many bookings, his presence in Ahli's midfield is pivotal as his perfectly-timed tackles and silky passes do always please Portuguese manager Manuel Jose. The duo played a key role in the Cairo giants' two successive CAF Champions League titles.
