Arsenal still confident of beating Barcelona and Schalke to UAE starlet Abdulrahman
Arsenal still confident of beating Barcelona and Schalke to UAE starlet Abdulrahman
The United Arab Emirates playmaker was supposed to be on
trial at Emirates today - but his club playing hardball over
sought-after 21-year-old
Olympic hero: Omar Abdulrahman of UAE dribbles against Senegal
Cameron Spencer
Arsene Wenger has made a bid to sign Olympics star Omar Abdulrahman to beat off competition from Europe's big guns.
Arsenal boss Wenger is hopeful of agreeing a deal
which would see the United Arab Emirates international come over for a
week's trial ahead of a deal for the biggest star in the Middle East.
Rashid
bin Mubarak Al Hajri, deputy chairman of Abdulrahman's club Al Ain,
said: "Have we had an offer from Arsenal for him to come to train? Then
yes.
"We've also had offers from Spanish teams, and other teams
also, but the player will decide ultimately. We got a lot of offers for
Omar. If he finds the right environment, then we will be very
supportive.
"It's a package that will have to be right, where he
can improve his football. I'll leave that for Omar - that's for him to
decide."
Al Ain have now blocked him coming for a trial - which was due to start today [Monday] - as they battle to keep the playmaker.
Barcelona,
Borussia Dortmund, Schalke and Valencia have all been trying to sign
the 21-year-old who caught the eye in the Olympics last summer.
But
Arsenal have worked hard on the deal for the past few months and are
still confident of tying up a permanent transfer but view the trial as a
way of assessing whether Abdulrahman adapts to English football and
culture. Matthias Ginter of Freiburg
PA
Meanwhile, Arsenal are also still hopeful of a £6m deal for Freiburg's Matthias Ginter as revealed in Mirror Sport on June 5. ** Read our scouting report on Matthias Ginter **
Ginter,
19, has been likened to Phil Jones because he is adaptable and can play
in defence and midfield while he is seen as one of Germany's best
prospects with Borussia Dortmund also keen.
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