Zamalek president Mortada Mansour announced that Milutin Sredojevic will become the club’s new head coach after he stepped away from Orlando Pirates, but the Serbian has labelled the report as ‘total nonsense’.

Pirates announced Sredojevic’s departure late on Saturday with the Serbian coach citing personal issues as the reason.

Micho has been linked with the Zamalek job since the departure of Khaled Galal, who was sacked last month following a defeat by fierce rivals Al Ahly. However, it looked like it wasn’t going to happen when Mansour announced that Serbian head coach Aleksandar Stanojević would become their new manager after compiling a five-man shortlist for the role.

The Zamalek boss has then said the announcement was just a trick and that Sredojevic will be joining the club instead.

‘Micho was our first choice. Tarek Yehia will be his assistant, Ayman Abdelaziz will be appointed as team coordinator, and Amir Mortada will continue in his role as director of football,’ he said in a televised statement to Zamalek Al Youm, Al Mehwar TV.

‘Stanojević will not take charge of Zamalek. It was a trick to find out who the club’s enemies are and I revealed them in front of everyone,’ he concluded.

However, Sredojevic has hit out at the reports saying that he is travelling to Serbia to visit his sick mother and that Zamalek will have to fork out millions to bring him to the club.

‘That report is total nonsense. I am travelling to see my mother who is sick in Serbia. And we shall see what will come after that. [Whether] I will come back to Africa,’ the Serbian told TimesLive.

‘But if he [Mansour] really wants me he needs to fork out millions.’

He added: ‘The moment [after] Pirates announced I have resigned [I travelled]. I am now in Istanbul flying to my country. That is total nonsense about the other guy [Mansour]. How is it mathematically possible to do the things in that way?

‘He has been begging me to come to his team and whatever. Maybe I will even go. But the point is I have not signed anything‚ I have not agreed anything.’

Sredojevic revealed he resigned from Pirates because his mother ‘has breast cancer’ and has been undergoing chemotherapy.

Pirates are yet to comment on the issue as they prepare to face Highlands Park in an MTN8 quarter-final on Saturday evening.