Ali, who has been targeted by league champions Ahli for a while, runs out of contract in the summer of 2014.

The crisis-hit Ismaili aim to gain financially from the 27-year-old’s sale before he leaves on a free next year.

“We were hoping to sell Ahmed to Ittihad of Libya this summer, but it didn’t work,” Ismaili chairman Mohamed Aboul-Saoud told FilGoal.com.

“So we decided to get more interest by placing him on the transfer list rather than leaving for free.

“Ismaili cannot afford letting more players leave on a free transfer, so anyone who doesn’t wish to stay will be transfer-listed.”

Amid their severe financial problems, Ismaili are set to lose two key players for free this summer, with midfielder Ahmed Khairi and winger Omar Gamal moving out.

It is believed that the Dervishes' asking price for Ali is around EGP 5million.