Al Ain are set to announce a double deal for Anzhi Makhachkala forward Yannick Boli and Al Hilal striker Nasser Al Shamrani as the club look to shake up their foreign contingent before the transfer window shuts on Thursday.
The Garden City side, currently second in the Arabian Gulf League, have decided to replace frontman Douglas and winger Danilo Asprilla for the second half of the season. The transfers could be confirmed on Monday, with both players then made available for Thursday’s league trip to Emirates club.
French-born Boli, 29, arrives from the Russian Premier League, where he spent the past two-and-a-half years after beginning his professional career at Paris Saint-Germain. In 62 league appearances for Anzhi, he scored 26 league goals.
Al Shamrani’s acquisition, potentially on a six-month loan, comes as more of a surprise, considering the Saudi Arabia forward has struggled since being crowned Asian player of the year in 2014. In the past two seasons, problems with fitness and form have restricted Al Shamrani to 11 Saudi Pro League starts.
Pressure has been building on Al Ain to augment their squad, despite the club sitting one point off the league summit and having finished runners-up in the 2016 Asian Champions League in November. Earlier this month, they exited the President’s Cup, prompting manager Zlatko Dalic to again call for reinforcements.
However, of the foreign players, only Douglas was expected to make way. The Brazilian, who missed a decisive penalty in the Champions League final, has been a regular target for sections of the Al Ain support. He has six goals in the league this season.
The decision to replace Asprilla represents more of a shock, even though the Colombian is currently serving a five-match suspension for a gesture made during that President’s Cup defeat to Al Nasr. Asprilla joined Al Ain from Bulgaria’s Litex Lovech 12 months ago.
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