Although Ghaly told Dream TV earlier on Saturday that he finalized his transfer to Birmingham, Bruce stated he is still persuading the Tottenham midfielder to move to St Andrews.

"Ghaly's in the city at the minute. It's now just persuading him that this is the place for him to be," he said.

"I hope by Monday morning we can have Ghaly in the ranks."

The 46-year-old coach expressed his hope over signing Ghaly's compatriot and team-mate Mido despite the negotiations facing an obstacle.

"(Mido's) a little bit more difficult. I have to say on behalf of the player it's not just personal terms."

"We obviously hope they can be resolved, but at the moment we seem to have hit a bit of a wall," he added.