Once again Ahli beat rivals Zamalek to another summer signing, this time that of Petrojet midfielder Hussein Ali. Ali signed a four-year-deal for an undisclosed amount with the Egyptian champions on Thursday. "Ahli have officially sealed the deal today (Thursday) after agreeing terms with Petrojet and signing the contract with the player," an Ahli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told FilGoal.com. The Ahli official noted that the deal came close to falling through after Zamalek showed their interest. However, Ali chose to join Ahli even though he and Petrojet were given a better offer by Zamalek. Ali has been at the center of a tug-of-war between the Cairo giants since the start of the off season. Zamalek spokesman Khaled Gabr had told FilGoal.com a few days ago that the 26-year-old has agreed terms with Zamalek, which is what assistant coach Mohamed Helmi confirmed to other sources. This is the fourth time this summer that Ahli have bumped Zamalek to sign a player after midfielder Ahmed Hassan who joined from Anderlecht, winger Sayed Moawad from Trabzonspor and Mahalla striker Ahmed Hassan.
