ABU DHABI // Jorge Valdivia, the Chile international who played a starring role during his two seasons with Al Ain, could be set for a return to the Arabian Gulf League with Al Wahda.
A club source said Al Wahda had spoken to the 31-year-old midfielder, who is on duty for his national team at the Copa America in Chile, about a potential move.
Wahda would not comment officially on Valdivia after their talks earlier this month with Oman’s French coach Paul Le Guen leaked out ahead of their 2018 World Cup qualifier against India.
Le Guen said he was not happy about that incident and decided to remain with his present job, while Wahda later appointed Javier Aguirre, the former Mexico, Japan, and Atletico Madrid coach, to take over the vacancy left after the club decided not to renew Sami Al Jaber’s contract.
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Valdivia was close to signing with promoted club Fujairah at the start of last season, but that ended in controversy with the two parties blaming each other for the breakdown in the deal.
However, signing for Wahda looks to be a more solid proposal for him as the four-time league champions look to end a trophy drought stretching back to their 2010 league title triumph.
If Valdivia’s arrival is confirmed, he is likely to replace Damian Diaz, although the Argentine midfielder has a contract until July 2016.
Valdivia may play alongside the Argentine striker Sebastian Tagliabue, who signed from Saudi Arabia’s Al Shabab on a five-year deal in 2013, and the former Arsenal midfielder Denilson, who completed his medical with the club last week after having arrived from Sao Paulo.
Wahda also renewed the contract of Kuwait centre-back Hussain Fadhel by one year at the end of last season.
During his time at Al Ain, Valdivia played an influential role and turned out to be one of the most popular players among their fans. He was handed the captain’s armband in his second season.
The Chilean won the Best Player Award in the UAE League in his debut season and won three trophies — the President’s Cup, League Cup, and the Super Cup — while in the league Al Ain finished in third place in both 2009 and 2010.
However, he cut short his four-year contract at Al Ain to return to the Brazilian club Palmeiras, where he had plied his trade from 2006 to 2008 before arriving in the UAE.
Valdivia has more than 50 caps for Chile and played at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
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