Ismaili president Nasr Aboul-Hassan reiterated that Merreikh's bid for goalie Essam Al-Hadari is not up to scratch. The Sudanese side offered to acquire the Egyptian international's services this winter, but the Dervishes turned them down because their bid was not 'financially rewarding'. Al-Hadari reaffirmed his desire to leave Ismaili afterwards, nonetheless, the coastal outfit chairman remains adamant that he won't accept Merreikh's offer. "What Merreikh offered us is far less than what we were asking for," Aboul-Hassan told FilGoal.com. "We paid more money than this to land Al-Hadari." FilGoal.com understands that Ismaili put a $ three-million price tag on the former Ahli custodian's head, and they will give him nod to leave should any club meet their financial demands. It was initially understood that Merreikh tabled a $ one-million offer, but Aboul-Hassan revealed that the proposed transfer fee is only $700,000. "Merreikh want to sign Al-Hadari only for $700,000, although we paid Sion $600,000 in addition to another $275,000 for Al-Hadari to complete his signing," he said. Al-Hadari, who is widely considered as the best keeper in the country's history, moved to Ismaili in the close season after ending a 17-month spell with Swiss team Sion. The 36-year-old was initially handed a four-month ban and a €900,000 fine for breaching his contract with Ahli in February 2008 to move to Sion, few days after helping Egypt win a record-extending sixth African Cup of Nations title. The sanction was later frozen by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upon his appeal. A final verdict is yet to be returned. "We could also incur a $100,000 fine should the court uphold his sanction, but that's a long shot," Aboul-Hassan added. "Merreikh's offer has been totally rejected, and Al-Hadari is bound to stay at Ismaili until further notice. "His contract is still valid and it doesn't include a release clause." Ismaili first considered selling Al-Hadari to generate some cash after suffering a severe financial plight.
