Midfielder Ahmed Tawfik has ended speculation regarding his future at Zamalek after signing a four-year contract extension on Tuesday, the club announced.

The 23-year-old was eligible to sign for any club as a free agent next January as his previous deal with Zamalek runs out in the summer of 2015. The new contract will tie him down until 2018.

Several reports linked Tawfik with a move to arch-rivals Ahly, who are on the lookout for a new defensive midfielder.

Tawfik, who joined Zamalek from Mansoura in 2010, was a regular member in Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam's squad last season but was relegated to the bench under Portuguese coach Jaime Pacheco, who prefers to deploy Ibrahim Salah and Tarek Hamed in the heart of midfield.

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