The dream of playing in Europe for promising Fujairah youngster Mohammed Khalfan has been put on hold for family reasons and he is back training with his Arabian Gulf League club.
Portuguese top-tier club Sporting Braga had approached Fujairah for the 21-year-old midfielder, who scored six goals in Division One last season and helped his team gain promotion.
Khalfan travelled to Portugal and cleared his medicals, but the death of his father, former Fujairah player Ali Khalfan, has led to the move falling through, according to Sultan Al Shara, the Fujairah chief executive.
“We received another offer from a Belgian club as well,” Al Shara said. “The player passed his medicals, but circumstances at home in his family have prevented his transfer. That is why we have renewed his contract for two more years.”
Al Shara revealed Al Ain were also keen to take Khalfan on their books for the coming season and had offered a loan deal, but Fujairah had to turn that down as well.
Al Ain, meanwhile, have returned home from their camp in Austria and coach Zlatko Dalic was pleased with the “commitment and desire” his players had shown during the preparations for their Asian Champions League quarter-final against Saudi club Al Ittihad.
The first leg of the tie, in Al Ain, is to be played Tuesday.
“Hopefully, we will be able to translate this commitment into success at the local and continental level in the new season,” Dalic said.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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