The Red Devils have been on the lookout for a foreign boss since Hossam Al-Badri resigned as coach in the wake of last month's 3-1 league loss at Ismaili.

Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Shafi 'Zizo' has succeeded Al-Badri at Ahli's helm on a temporary basis. His brief tenure should end once the Cairo side have appointed a new coach on the halfway mark.

It was revealed days ago that Renard is the frontrunner for the job but it turned out that the six-time African champions have two other candidates in mind, Doll including.

FilGoal.com also learnt that the anonymous Portuguese coach is not Manuel Jose, under whom Ahli rejoiced for years in a blaze of glory and record-breaking triumphs domestically and continently.

However, it was Jose who recommended his unknown compatriot for the hot seat.

Renard Shoo-in

So far, Renard has been a shoo-in to take up the job, with most of Ahli's officials putting much weight in the idea of hiring him.

The 42-year-old was once in charge of Zambia and Angola, and thus Ahli's board members are convinced that he's well-informed about African football.

Former Germany midfielder Doll, 44, played for a number of Bundesliga clubs before kicking off his coaching career in 2002 by managing Hamburger's second string.

He was installed at Dortmund in the 2007-2008 season, leading them to a poor 13-place finish.

It's understood that the monthly salary of Ahli's new coach will not exceed $50,000.