The 27-year-old winger put pen to papers on a three-year deal with Al-Taawoun late on Sunday, six months before concluding his deal with Zamalek.

It’s not the first time for Fathi to wear Al-Taawoun’s jersey, as he joined the Saudi team on loan in the 2017-18 season, scoring five goals in 11 appearances.

Fathi excelled while on loan at Alexandria-based club Smouha last season, prompting Zamalek to rely on him as a regular starter this term.

He made a superb start to the season, scoring four goals in the opening eight games of the season and providing an assist. One of his goals included a brilliant screamer against Ahly in Zamalek’s 5-3 Cairo derby defeat in November.

The former Zamalek winger was also called-up by the Egyptian national team for the FIFA Arab Cup last month but was overlooked for the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Fathi is one of a handful of players that the cash-strapped Zamalek was at risk of losing at the end of the season when their deals run out. Those players include key Moroccan duo Achraf Bencharki and Mohamed Ounajem as well as defensive midfielder Tarek Hamed.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)