Abu Dhabi: A top official at Al Ain club has confirmed their captain and Chilean midfielder Jorge Valdivia is not for sale and that he will continue with the club until the end of his contract in 2012.
Valdivia was linked with his old club Palmeiras after Luiz Felipe Scolari took over as head coach. German club Bayern Munich and Spanish club Villarreal were also said to be interested after the player's performances with Chile in the World Cup.
"Valdivia is not for sale and he will continue with Al Ain until the end of his contract," Mohammad Bin Tha'aloub Al Darie, a member of the club's board of directors and the supervisor of football teams, told reporters.
Hectic season
Valdivia signed a four-year contract when he joined Al Ain two years ago for a record Dh85 million.
Al Ain will take part in the UAE Professional League (UFL), the President's Cup and the Etisalat Cup in addition to the continental AFC Champions League this season. They have already brought back Moroccan striker Sufian Al Aloudi to replace Brazilian striker Emerson who left the club at the end of last season. Al Aloudi will play alongside Argentine striker Jose Sand, the top scorer of the UFL last season, and Valdivia.
Meanwhile, the club has already started preparing for the new season under the guidance of coach Abdul Hamid Al Mastaki and will leave for a training camp in Austria on July 17 until August 6.
Valdivia will join his colleagues in Austria after taking a rest from a hectic season in which he took part in the UAE, Asian and the World Cup competitions.
