For a brief moment, Al Nasr looked to have secured one of the transfer coups of the summer.
On Monday night, the Dubai club’s official account released a short video of Ivan Rakitic arriving at their Al Maktoum Stadium. The Barcelona midfielder, a runner-up with Croatia at last summer’s Fifa World Cup, was shown around the refurbished arena, accompanied by members of the Nasr board.
He was given a guided tour, and posed for pictures holding the Nasr No 4 jersey – his number at Barcelona.
However, Rakitic was simply visiting the Arabian Gulf League club, three-time UAE champions, during a recent vacation in the emirate. A Primera Liga champion with Barcelona in the season just gone, and an apparent target for Manchester United this window, his immediate future seems set to stay in Europe.
Saying that, perhaps one day he will be back at Al Maktoum Stadium, in a more permanent capacity. Nasr supporters can only dream.