"We requested El Abdi's license from Zamalek and the player should arrive soon," Sfaxien spokesman Emad Al-Mosdi told Tunisian newspaper Al-Sabah.

The spokesman revealed that El Abdi had a six-month loan contract at Zamalek, with the option of making the move permanent, but the Egyptian club failed to seal a permanent deal.

"The player's loan period finished on July 10th, Zamalek have not paid the amount due to make him stay permanently."

Moreover, the newspaper said that Sfaxien chairman Salah Eddine Zahaf met with El Abdi and informed that he should return to the Tunisian club, in order to resell him to Al-Rayan of Qatar.

The paper stated that El Abdi, who claimed recently that he wants to stay in Cairo rather than play in Qatar, welcomed the Qatari offer.