Wigan may not discover whether they can sign Egyptian striker Amr Zaki until late June.

Zaki's club Zamalek claimed earlier this month that they were close to agreeing a deal with the Latics.

The transfer was expected to be finalised after Sunday's Egyptian Cup final, in which Zaki scored the winner against ENPPI.

Wigan general manager John Benson visited Cairo over the weekend to watch Zaki in action but he was unable to push the move through.

Zamalek are not willing to let Zaki leave until they have found a suitable replacement and they have admitted they are finding that difficult, although they will give Wigan a definite answer by June 22.

"We need to find a close match for Zaki before letting him go," Zamalek chairman Mamdouh Abass said in the Wigan Evening Post.

"There is no player in Egypt who could have led us to the cup final except for him. We are going to make a final decision by June 22."

Wigan boss Steve Bruce is understood to want Zaki on an initial loan deal with a view to signing him permanently for £6million next summer.

More news from SportingLife.com