Al Ain are steeling themselves for the possible exit of their Emirati lynchpin Omar Abdulrahman after pictures emerged on social media yesterday of a letter sent to the Boss from French Ligue 1 club Nice requesting to loan the supremely talented playmaker.
Although the letter, which surfaced on Twitter, was dated June 27 and did not appear on any offical outlets, the Garden City side have reportedly rejected an initial offer from Les Aiglons (the Eaglets), although speculation is mounting that a deal could be struck.
The letter initially requests the current Asian Player of the Year on a loan deal, but with the view to a permanent move to the club located on the south east coast of France.
BREAKING: @alainfcae reject OGC Nice loan offer for Omar Abdulrahman with option to buy. #AGLeague pic.twitter.com/jVH3zb2DvD
— Ahdaaf (@ahdaafme) July 12, 2017
It is understood that a Nice official travelled to the Garden City this week to discuss the transfer, with a deal reported to be more possible due to Nice having qualified for next season’s Champions League following a third place finish in Ligue 1 last term.
Although there was no offical word from Al Ain last night, a club spokesman told Sport360 a hastily-arranged meeting with club chairman Ghanem Al Hajri and team supervisor Mohammed Obeid Hammad was set to discuss Abdulrahman’s future.
If the man known as ‘Amoory’ were to leave home for France, he would join Italy’s former Internazionale, AC Milan and Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli and Brazilian former Bayern Munich defender Dante at Allianz Riviera.
A move away from the comfy confines of Hazza bin Zayed Stadium has been expected ever since Abdulrahman shone for the UAE at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
A two-week trial immediately followed with Premier League giants Manchester City, although a four-year deal broke down because of his own failure to secure a work permit, instead choosing to return to Al Ain.
Nearly every transfer window since arrives with stories of further foreign interest in acquiring Asia’s brightest talent, with Abdulrahman rejecting a one-year loan switch to Portuguese giants Benfica in January 2013.
Speculation intensified in early 2015 that the frizzy-haired magician could finally be on the move that summer with his contract rapidly running down. But instead, Abdulrahman signed a three-year extension in February and revealed a desire to stay with the Boss “for a lifetime”.
