Mahmoud Hassan, the Egyptian forward, has reluctantly agreed to put his transfer to Celtic on hold until the summer, after his club informed him he is not for sale.

The 19-year-old, whose nickname is Trezeguet, has admitted he is desperate to move this month to Scotland and even handed in a transfer request last week, stating that he was hopeful a deal could be pushed through soon.

However, his club - Al-Ahly - held a meeting with him involving their president Sayed Abdel-Hafiz and manager Mohammad Yousuf, which resulted in the young playmaker having to accept that any move will now have to wait until the summer.

"I am under contract to Al-Ahly and I have no choice, but to respect that," he said. "The club have told me they need me for the remainder of the season. They told me they have completely rejected the idea of a transfer to Celtic. They have promised me they will revise their thoughts in the summer.

"But at the request of my coaching staff, the matter of a transfer is now closed."