Zamalek have reached an agreement with Ismaili over the transfer of the 28-year old sweeper on Saturday, and the player was expected to sign a contract on Sunday.

However Saied surprisingly refused to ink the three-year deal, despite signing a pre-contract agreement with the Cairo club.

The former Bari defender snubbed Ahli before agreeing the Zamalek move, but has now made an astonishing u-turn.

"Saied called us and said he wants to play for Ahli. We agreed personal terms as he confirmed that he did not sign any contracts with Zamalek," a source inside Ahli told FilGoal.com.

Saied's agent Ahmed Abbas conceded that his client was unreachable, but implied that talks with Ahli are ongoing.

"I heard that he held talks with Ahli officials. He has his phone switched off since yesterday," Abbas said.

Zamalek faced a similar situation with recent signing Junior Agogo, despite announcing the transfer on both occasions.

However, the Ghana striker has finally decided to sign for Reiner Hollman's side.