Faltering Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ahli are attempting to end the winter transfer window with a bang by signing Newcastle United striker Papiss Cisse.
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Cisse, 29, is a leading candidate among a number of centre forwards the Red Knights are considering ahead of the UAE market shutting at midnight on Thursday. He could even arrive in Dubai tonight, if positive talks continue.
The move would tempt both player and club financially. He has only 18 months left on his current contract, which pays him a figure of approximately £40,000 (Dh224,618) per week before tax, that last season’s treble winners would be able to significantly better.
And despite the English transfer window being shut, Premier League clubs are allowed to sell players to clubs in countries where the market remains open.
A gentle reminder that Papiss Cissé has the best goals to minutes ratio in the Premier League this season. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/iSDP28yu8g
— TheMackemSlayer (@TheMackemSlayer) February 11, 2015
However, the bid for the Senegal international – who has scored 32 goals in 88 top-flight appearances for the Magpies – faces some difficulties.
Cisse rejected a move to Qatar last year and did not follow up on interest from big-spending Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai SIPG last month. With little more than a day left during the window in the UAE, there is also a race to convince all parties about a move that would be a huge statement of intent from the seventh-placed Dubai outfit.
“Cisse is one of a small number of strikers we are looking at,” a senior Al Ahli source said. “The only difficulty is that we are so close to the transfer window closing.
“This is making things problematic as we have little time to manoeuvre.”
Cisse has been unable to secure a regular starting spot for Newcastle this term, but has scored an impressive nine times in 15 league games. He was unable to replicate that form at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, failing to find the back of the net as Senegal crashed out at the group stage.
Papiss Cissé also known as #Chelsea‘s nemesis. @CissePapiss @NUFC #NUFC #Newcastle #CFC #senegal #team221 #galsen https://t.co/lqcl4EV8ks
— FSF (@FootballSenegal) February 4, 2015
Ahli management are desperate to add a physical presence up top in coach Cosmin Olaroiu’s 4-2-3-1 formation after jettisoning club legend Grafite to Qatar’s Al Sadd.
Summer signing Carlos Munoz has scored seven goals in 15 appearances in all competitions, but his small frame and desire to drift across the pitch has made him ill-suited to their game plan. The lack of a focal point was glaring during Sunday’s damaging 1-0 defeat to Al Shabab.
The Chile international will make way if a replacement can be found despite only joining from Bani Yas in October.
Munoz’s exit or deregistration would complete a remarkable turnaround for Ahli, whose aggressive approach to reviving their campaign would have seen all four foreign players replaced since January 18.
The Rashid Stadium-outfit plucked Morocco winger Oussama Assaidi from Premier League giants Liverpool, pulled off a major coup by securing Brazil playmaker Everton Ribeiro from Cruzeiro and brought in tall South Korean defensive midfielder Kwon Kyung-won on Tuesday.
