Wasl look to push through deal for former Porto winger

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  • Helder Barbosa (l) in action for AEK Athens (AFP).

    Al Wasl’s new coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena has utilised his Greek contacts to try and push through a move for flying AEK Athens winger Helder Barbosa.

    Barbosa, 29, has scored an impressive 15 goals during 68 appearances since being snapped up on a free transfer in July 2014 after leaving Braga. Such form has not gone unnoticed by the Argentine supremo, who featured at left-back for the Superleague Greece giants during 2007/08.

    The Cheetahs have one spot remaining in their four-player foreign quota. Only ex-Santos attacking midfielder Ronaldo Mendes, 23, has been added since Portugal veteran Hugo Viana exited and woeful playmaker Rogerinho’s loan, unsurprisingly, was not extended.

    They have so far eschewed the line of thought which saw ill-fitting target man Edgar Bruno – who was sold to Turkey’s Adanaspor on Friday after being mothballed since January – recruited last summer. A desire exists to replicate the versatile attack of 2014/15, in which current star forwards Caio Canedo and Fabio De Lima, plus now Vasco da Gama loanee Ederson Alves, plundered an incredible 46 goals in the Arabian Gulf League alone.

    Barbosa would fit this model, with the one-time-capped Portugal international comfortable on

    either flank or in the hole.

    Interest was first registered in him last month. A fear then existed that big-spending Chinese Super League outfits would outbid Wasl on both wages and transfer fee for a player valued at approximately Dh12.3m. But the summer transfer window there shut on July 15, without any concrete offers.

    Negotiations have continued since in a bid to reach an agreement. This process was stalled as AEK competed in the Europa League qualifying rounds, but it is now hoped significant progress can be made in time for the wide man to feature when 2016/17 kicks off with a trip to Sharjah in the Arabian Gulf Cup on September 3.

    Barbosa rose to prominence during several loan spells in the Primeira Liga although he struggled to make an impact at Portugal giants Porto. His big break finally arrived in 2010 when he headed to Braga on a free transfer.

    He scored 18 goals in 108 appearances there, before heading to Athens two years ago following a disappointing loan spell at Almeria in which he scored just one goal in 28 La Liga games. He has come into his own in Greece, scoring 15 goals and assisting 17 more during 68 matches. Barbosa also became champion of the 2014/15 Football League as AEK returned to the top flight and then followed this up last term with the Greek Football Cup.

    Wasl have been active in the domestic market as they look to improve on last term’s second successive sixth-placed finish.

    A total of 10 Emirati buys have been made so far, headlined by anchorman Humaid Abbas’ arrival on a free transfer from Al Ahli plus the exchange deal which took right-back Khalid Sabeal to Zabeel Stadium and midfielder Salem Abdulla to Al Jazira.

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