“Ahli contacted us about their desire to sell Hosni and we were keen on buying the player,” Telecom official Abdul-Hakim Sorour told FilGoal.com.

“The player refused to play for any other Egyptian club than Ahli.”

Sorour added that Telecom’s negotiations to bring Ismaili full back Ahmed Al-Gamal also collapsed in the final stages.

“The sudden injury of Abdallah Shahat forced Ismaili to hang on to Al-Gamal.”

Telecom are currently 12th in the Egyptian Premier League table with 16 points from 15 games.