Al Ain star Michel Bastos looks set to join Italian giants Napoli on loan until the end of the season with the Boss reportedly unimpressed by his early-season form.
Al Ain are believed to be bringing back Jires Kembo-Ekoko back from his loan spell in Qatar, returning to the team that he netted 13 goals for in his debut season.
Bastos has struggled for form and fitness in his short time with the club and has been unable to find a consistent role in Quique Sanchez Flores’ 4-2-3-1 formation.
The move comes as a surprise considering Al Ain had tracked the Brazilian for some time before signing him from Lyon last summer.
The deal is unlikely to be done by the time Al Ain finish their game on Saturday with Ajman, who the Boss travel away to looking to move out of mid-table mediocrity.
Elsewhere, Al Shabab have the chance to make up ground on Al Ahli when they face a tough test against third-placed Sharjah.
The Eagles are six points behind the league leaders but can narrow the gap to three following the Red Knight’s 0-0 draw with Al Wahda.
Sharjah themselves can move into second place if they are able to come away from the Maktoum Bin Rashid Stadium with all three points.
Also in the clamour for role of nearest title challengers are Walter Zenga’s new-look Al Jazira who travel to Al Wasl.
In Friday night’s action, Al Shaab pulled off a shock 2-0 win at home to Al Nasr, dragging them one point out of the relegation zone ahead of Dubai Club and Ajman.
Badr Al Noubi and Michael Laurent N’dri scored the decisive goals for the Sharjah-based side in a result that leaves Al Nasr 10 points off the top of the table in the league. The win is just Al Shaab’s third of the season.
In Dubai, in a battle at the bottom, Dubai Club could only manage a 1-1 draw with newly promoted Emirates Club. Syrian midfielder Jehad Al Hussein gave the hosts the lead five minutes before the break but it was cancelled out in the 66th minute by a Jair header.
At the Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium, hosts Al Dhafra and Bani Yas fought out a bore draw. The home side had the better of the match but failed to take their chances in a largely forgettable game.
RESULTS & FIXTURES
Friday
Al Shaab 2-0 Al Nasr
Al Dhafra 0-0 Bani Yas
Dubai 1-1 Emirates
Al Wahda 0-0 Al Ahli
Today
17:05 Ajman v Al Ain
17:05 Al Shabab v Sharjah
20:00 Al Wasl v Al Jazira
