DUBAI // Sultan Al Shara, the vice president of Fujairah, has denied reports linking the club with an ambitious move for Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh.
Fujairah are in the market for a striker after parting ways with the Ivorian Boubacar Sanogo.
A photograph of Al Shara with Chamakh in Dubai recently led to speculation that the 31-year-old Crystal Palace striker could be on his way to the Arabian Gulf League.
The Fujarah official has moved quickly to quell the rumours.
“Marouane Chamakh is an old friend and I met him a couple of days earlier in Dubai,” Al Shara said. “It was just a friendly, informal meeting, but unfortunately some people on social media have interpreted this as some sort of negotiations to bring Chamakh here. That is not true.”
Al Shara said their meeting lasted 30 minutes. The pictures, posted on social media by friends of the player, showed both Al Shara and Chamakh giving a thumbs up, which in turn led to speculation that this suggested a deal had been agreed for the Moroccan.
Al Shara said he had “absolutely no intention of negotiating with the player” and the task of “hiring new players or renewing with them has been left to our coach Ivan Hasek”.
Al Dhafra, meanwhile, have confirmed the club has turned down two bids from rivals AGL clubs for Senegalese striker Makhete Diop.
Khamis Al Mansouri, the club’s deputy chief executive, confirmed Al Nasr and Baniyas have made offers for the 26-year-old striker, who has scored more than 100 goals for Dhafra.
The offers did not match Dhafra’s valuation of the player and Diop will see out the remaining 12 months of his contract.
Dhafra are waiting on a decision from Al Ahli on whether they can extend Iraqi midfielder Humam Tariq’s loan deal but have released Moroccan midfielder Youssef Kaddioui and Lebanese defender Bilal Najjarin.
Najjarin’s two-year deal with Dhafra comes to an end this month and he will move to promoted club Dibba Fujairah.
Elsewhere, Hazem Emam, captain of Egyptian powerhouses Zamalek, could be headed for the AGL after the club’s chairman Mortada Mansour confirmed they had received an offer for the 26-year-old midfielder.
Mansour did not divulge the identity of the club.
“We have a formal offer from a UAE club for Emam and the club’s board has already approved the offer. Now, Emam will make a call,” he said.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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