DUBAI // Cosmin Olaroiu, the Al Ahli coach, has confirmed the Dubai club had been in talks with Italian striker Mario Balotelli and had even made an offer, but were turned away.
Liverpool have been looking to offload their unsettled 24-year-old Italian international, who has been struggling to make an impact since his £16 million (DH91m) to Anfield from Milan last summer, and he could score only once in 16 appearances last season.
According to ESPN, he was No3 on the list of the worst finishers in the English Premier League last season, with a goals-shot ratio of 2.78 per cent.
Still Ahli, who struggled in the absence of a striker last season, were keen to bring him to the Rashid Stadium.
WATCH: Lima scores twice in Al Ahli's preseason game against Udinese
“We thought about Balotelli and we even had a discussion with his agent Mino Raiola,” Olaroiu told Sky Sports Italia. “But Balotelli turned down our proposal because he wants to play for another.”
Had Ahli managed to convince “Super Mario” to accept their proposal, it would have the biggest coup of the transfer market, but the rejection did not stop Ahli from staging another, albeit smaller, coup by signing Benfica’s Brazilian striker Lima instead.
Olaroiu and his team, who travel to Iran later this month for the first leg of their AFC Champions League quarterfinal against Naft Tehran on August 26, have been preparing for the season in Italy and played Inter in a warm-up match on Wednesday.
Ahli managed to hold the Italian giants to a 1-1 draw, with Lima scoring for the Dubai club, and Olaroiu was pleased with the performance of his players.
“It was an important test for us,” the Romanian was quoted as saying on Ahli’s website. “I always prefer to play against the best, the big clubs, because it gives our players an opportunity to fight against top players and learn from their experience.”
Al Shaab, meanwhile, have agreed a deal with Egyptian club Ismaily to sign their 25-year-old midfield star Amr Al-Sulaya on a one-year deal.
Mohammed Abu Saud, president of the Ismaily club, announced the deal through the Egyptian media, saying representatives from the Sharjah club will be travelling to Egypt in coming days to sign the agreement.
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