Egyptian media reports indicate that former Al Ahly star Ahmed Abdelkader is close to joining Zamalek during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Abdelkader currently plays for Iraqi club Al-Karma, but he plans to return to the Egyptian Premier League and believes that Zamalek is the best option for his career.
Agreement between Abdelkader and Zamalek on all details
According to Modern Sport, Zamalek officials are determined to sign Abdelkader and consider him the ideal solution to their four-year-long struggles in the left-wing position.
The 28-year-old player is reportedly keen on the move to Zamalek, believing it could revive his career after a significant decline in his last two years with Al Ahly.
An agreement has already been reached between Abdelkader and Zamalek regarding salary and the duration of the new contract. Only the transfer fee between the Egyptian club and Al-Karma remains to be finalized in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Two obstacles hinder Zamalek from finalizing the Abdelkader deal
While an agreement has already been reached between Abdelkader and Zamalek, completing the deal will not be easy for two reasons. The first concerns the Egyptian club itself, which needs to resolve numerous legal cases—numbering 14—and the hefty fines imposed by FIFA regarding outstanding payments to former players and coaches.
Hussein Labib’s administration needs approximately $5 million to lift the transfer ban and settle the pending cases. This amount must also be paid by the end of May to obtain the necessary licenses to participate in African championships next season.
In this regard, Zamalek is counting on winning the CAF Confederation Cup title and consequently earning $4 million to pay the outstanding fines. The White Knights have already reached the semi-finals and are preparing for a difficult and complex match against CR Belouizdad of Algeria.
As for the second issue, it concerns Abdelkader’s contract with Al-Karma. There is controversy surrounding a clause that allegedly obligates the Iraqi club to first offer the player to Al-Ahly and sell him for a price determined by Mahmoud El-Khatib’s administration.
Al-Karma acquired Abdelkader for only $200,000, in addition to a 25% sell-on clause payable to Al-Ahly should he be sold to any other club. There is ambiguity surrounding this clause, reportedly imposed by the Egyptian club, which grants them the right to re-sign the player. This complicates matters and necessitates a thorough legal review before Zamalek proceeds with signing him.
Ahmed Abdelkader’s Journey with Al Ahly
Ahmed Abdelkader is a product of Al Ahly’s youth academy. After shining in the youth ranks, he moved to Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic before being loaned to Smouha in 2020, where he excelled. He then returned to Al Ahly and became a permanent member of the first team in 2021.
During the 2024-25 season, Al Ahly loaned Abdelkader to Qatar SC. He returned and made an appearance for the team at the start of the current season, but was completely out of favor with the coach. This prompted him to push for a transfer, and the club’s management agreed to his request, accepting an offer from Al-Karma of Iraq.
Overall, the player has worn the Al Ahly jersey in 123 matches, scoring 20 goals and providing 12 assists. With Al-Karma this season, he has played 7 matches, scoring 3 goals and providing one assist.
If he were to transfer to Zamalek, it wouldn’t be the first such transfer between the two Cairo giants. The most recent controversial transfer in this regard was Ahmed Sayed Zizo’s move to their arch-rivals Zamalek after his contract with the White Knights expired in the summer of 2025.
