Ali Mabkhout says he has recently been approached by two Spanish Primera Liga clubs with the view to a possible transfer from Al Jazira this summer.
The UAE striker, top scorer at last year's Gulf Cup and then at the Asian Cup in January, was linked earlier this season with a move to Germany's Bundesliga following the national team's third-place finish in Australia.
A club was believed to have sent representatives to Abu Dhabi to enquire about Mabkhout’s availability, although Jazira advised the player to wait until the end of the season before reassessing his options.
On Sunday night, Mabkhout scored in Jazira’s 4-2 victory at Al Wasl, their final match of the 2014/15 Arabian Gulf League, to help the capital club finish second in the standings. In the process, he took his tally for the season to 16 goals, setting a professional-era record for goals scored by an Emirati in a single top-flight campaign.
Mabkhout has 44 goals in 107 league matches for Jazira since making his debut in 2008. He was a member of the squad that captured the 2011 UAE championship. With the national team, he has scored 22 times in 33 appearances.
He will now shift focus to the President’s Cup, which kicks off on Thursday with Jazira’s home tie against Ajman. However, when asked, after the Wasl match, whether it would be his last in the Arabian Gulf League, he replied: “I hope, I hope. I will see after the President’s Cup. We’re going to talk to the club and we’ll see what happens. I don’t know what will happen in the future.
“[English] Premier League clubs have spoken before, and two weeks ago two teams from La Liga, but until now there is nothing [concrete].”
Mabkhout, 24, would not specify which clubs have registered an interest, but did say he believes it could be the right time to test his talent outside the country. Until now, no Emirati has earned a full-time contract with a prominent European side.
“I don’t know, but I’m ready for my next step, to decide to go to Europe and a big league away from the UAE and the Asian Champions League,” he said. “I like the Premier League so I hope to play there or also La Liga. I think the Spanish league would be good for me.”
Mabkhout’s progress this season has been swift, as the forward has formed a formidable front line at Jazira that includes Mirko Vucinic, winner of the league’s Golden Boot. Mabkhout, though, maintains he can still improve on areas of his game if he is to make a potential transfer to Europe a success.
“I need to work harder for myself,” he said. “This is not enough, I need to work a lot because it will not be the same there; it will be more difficult.”
Jonathan Pitroipa, Mabkhout’s teammate at Jazira, has witnessed at close quarters the Emirati’s rise this campaign. The Burkina Faso midfielder, who scored a hat-trick against Wasl on Sunday, said he believes Mabkhout has the ability to succeed in European football, although he would prefer his colleague to remain at Jazira for now.
“The team need him,” Pitroipa said. “I don’t know what he wants, but if he stays it’s better for the team because we know he’s a good player and if we have him in the team we can win a lot of games.
“For me, he has a lot of quality. If he works more he can play in Europe at a good club.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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