Sven-Goran Eriksson said he will not comment on Asamoah Gyan’s potential transfer to Shanghai SIPG until after his side play Guangzhou R&F in the Chinese Super League on Wednesday.
The Chinese club, currently second in the table, have reportedly had a bid for the striker, believed to be almost €20 million (Dh81m), accepted by Al Ain, the Arabian Gulf League champions.
Gyan, 29, is expected in Shanghai this week to discuss his financial package — said to be worth around €250,000 per week — and possibly undergo a medical. As of yet, Al Ain have not formally commented on the transfer. However, Chinese state agency Xinhua have reported that Gyan is on his way to Shanghai.
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Speaking Tuesday at a pre-match press briefing before Shanghai face Guangzhou R&F, Eriksson was quoted as saying: “I will not comment on Gyan today because my focus is on the game and this press conference is not the appropriate place to discuss it. I need all my 20 players focused on the match.”
If the transfer does go through, it will represent one of the most significant deals to have been struck by a UAE club. Gyan joined in 2011 from England's Sunderland, initially on loan in a deal worth £6m (Dh34.3m). He earned a permanent move the following summer after scoring 22 goals to fire Al Ain to the league title, securing the Golden Boot in the process. Al Ain are thought to have paid Sunderland a similar fee to the loan arrangement. Intriguingly, The National understands the Premier League club are entitled to a portion of any sell-on fee, which could reach up to 20 per cent.
Gyan, the Ghana captain, finished his second and third seasons again as the league’s top scorer. In four years at Al Ain, he has helped the club clinch three league championships and one President’s Cup, scoring the winner in the 2014 final. In last year’s Asian Champions League, he led the tournament’s scoring charts with 12 goals, as Al Ain advanced to the semi-finals.
Gyan’s 2014/15 campaign was his least productive, though, when a persistent quadriceps problems limited him to 17 league appearances — five as a substitute. He still managed to score 13 goals. In all, he has found the net for Al Ain 95 times in 83 league appearances. Last July, he signed an extension that runs until 2018.
A move to Shanghai would mean the Chinese side have to dispense with one of their expatriate players, since China’s top flight employs a 5-foreigner rule. SIPG are currently second in the standings, one point behind Beijing Guoan after 17 matches.
Asked which player could possibly make way for Gyan, Eriksson responded: “I would also like to comment about this after our game tomorrow”.
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