“We are close to signing Johnson, but we’re yet to agree a fee with Ismaili for the player,” Gaafar told FilGoal.com.

Gaish offered Ismaili $40,000 thousand for acquiring Johnson’s services, before The Dervishes asked for $60,000 in addition to $40,000 the player will receive.

In the meantime, Gaafar added that his team are fully prepared for their rescheduled Egyptian Premier League clash against champions Ahli.

“We played four friendlies during the league’s break, where we won three and drew one. Now we are ready to take on Ahli,” added Gaafar.

Relegation strugglers Gaish are currently 14th in the league with 15 points from 14 games.