Shawki, who was recently on a trial at the Yorkshire club, and Ahli teammate Emad Meteb were said to have caught the interest of Boro manager Gareth Southgate, who later decided to exclude Meteb from his shortlist.

"We had both players watched and felt one would be a good addition," Southgate was quoted by the Boro official site as speaking about Shawki.

"He's one we might well add to the squad. We're still in talks with him and his club for finalizing the deal.

"We're not there yet but we hope to have it tied up in the next couple of days."

The Boro official site stated that Shawki is currently at the team's training ground at Rockliffe Park as negotiations with Ahli are ongoing.

Boro are hoping to complete the deal before the summer transfer window closes on Friday, but Ahli have repeatedly insisted that they will not sell any players before January.

Should Shawki complete his move to the Riverside, he will be the second Egyptian to join Southgate's team in the space of two weeks, following the recent arrival of Ahmed Hossam 'Mido'.