Dubai: Bani Yas confirmed the signing of South Korean midfielder Kim Jung-woo on Thursday.
The 32-year-old joins on a one-year deal from South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors following a year’s loan with Sharjah last season, where he scored once in 28 appearances.
Kim, who has netted six times in 68 appearances for his national team since 2003, replaces outgoing Omani defender Abdul Salam Al Mukhaini, and is the club’s first signing under new Spanish coach and sporting director duo Luis Garcia and Jesus Garcia Pitarch.
Chilean striker Carlos Munoz will be retained, while Portuguese defender Ricardo Costa from Valencia, Glasgow Rangers’ Tunisian defender Bilel Mohsni and Chilean defender Jose Rojas remain reported targets.
Elsewhere, Paulo Bonamigo’s Sharjah have replaced Kim with retained Brazilian defender Mauricio Ramos, who has assumed Palestinian citizenship to occupy the club’s Asian player slot. Brazilian midfielder Fellype Gabriel has also been retained, while compatriot strikers Luan Michel de Louza and Wanderley Santos Monteiro Junior join from Brazil’s Palmeiras and Qatar’s Al Arabi, respectively.
Meanwhile, Vinicius Eutropio’s Ittihad Kalba have confirmed the signing of 29-year-old Jordanian striker Tha’er Al Bawab from Romania’s Gaz Metan Medias.
Al Bawab, formerly of the Real Madrid and Barcelona B teams in Spain, scored four goals in 16 appearances with Gaz Metan Medias last season and has scored five times in 20 appearances for his national team since 2005.
In other news, Fujairah have given up on the supposed Dh27.5 million transfer of Chilean midfielder Jorge Valdivia from Brazil’s Palmeiras, after failing to agree personal terms. And new Brazil coach Dunga has appointed Audrey Lopez as his assistant instead of widely-tipped Al Wasl coach Jorginho, quelling speculation that the former Brazil defender is about to break his contract with the club.
