Zaki moves closer to Wigan deal

Egyptian club Zamalek have confirmed their striker Amr Zaki will travel to England to finalise a move to Wigan.

The 25-year-old has been heavily linked with a transfer to the English Premier League club over the summer and talk of a move had become more apparent after a much-publicised spat with chairman Mamdouh Abbas, who vowed to block any possible transfer away from the club.

However, reports suggest that the two teams have now agreed to a move that will see the forward initially join the Latics on a one-year loan deal.

Those talks are set to preclude Zaki from appearing in Zamalek’s opening group match of the CAF Champions League against arch-rivals Al-Ahli on Sunday, although assistant Tarek Yehia also claimed the striker had been deemed unfit to play by German coach Reiner Holman.

“Zaki is out of form and has not attended the pre-season camp with his team-mates so he won’t play against Ahli on Sunday,” Yehia told Zamalek’s official website, www.zamaleksc.org.

“Another reason Zaki won’t play is that he will be travelling to England to undergo a medical at Wigan.”

Zaki, whose global profile has improved ever since his starring role at the African Nations Cup in Ghana earlier this year, vowed last week to take his case to FIFA in order to secure a move away from the Egyptian side.