Wits hoping to have new Egyptian international Amr Gamal at training by Friday

Bidvest Wits are hoping to have Egyptian international Amr Gamal at training by Friday as they seek to pull off an audacious blow for South African football while Frank Mhango might be headed in the other direction.

The Al Ahly striker‚ a member of the current Egyptian national team squad‚ is set to be loaned to the league champions for the season and will become the first Egyptian to play for a South African club in a strong statement for the Premier Soccer League.

Al Ahly are a club who rarely sell their top players and while Gamal’s move is just for the season‚ Wits have opened up a market with lucrative potential.

The Johannesburg club are in discussion with Ahly’s arch rivals Zamalek about selling Frank ‘Gabadinho’ Mhango with the possibility of a sizeable transfer fee for the Malawian international.

There are still two weeks to complete the business before the end of the transfer window in South Africa although any sale into Egypt can still be done into September as they have extended their deadline.

The 24-year-old Gamal‚ who has won 14 caps for Al Ahly‚ featured for the Cairo giants in the two legs of their African Champions League second round tie against Wits earlier this year.

He struck the woodwork in both matches which Ahly won narrowly on aggregate to demote Wits down to participate in the secondary African Confederation Cup.

It was on Wits’ trip to Egypt again in May to face Smouha in the Confederation Cup that Gamal and his agent snuck in through the back door of the hotel to meet Wits coach Gavin Hunt and ask for a chance to play with Wits.

Gamal has been frustrated by a lack of playing time in the Ahly first team since the club brought in imports from Ghana and Nigeria but he was still their lead attacker in the Champions League this year.

Wits have been in negotiations with Ahly for three months in what officials described as a frustrating process but last weekend Ahly coach Hossam Al Badary broke the ice by saying Gamal had been given permission to go out on loan.

Wits have been awaiting the paperwork to secure Gamal’s registration with the deal expected to be concluded by the end of the week‚ making the player available for potential selection for the two-legged MTN8 semifinal against Cape Town City.

- TimesLIVE