Roda Antar and Alex Brosque are the other names on the table besides Motjaba Jabbari to replace Mark Bresciano at Al Nasr, according to a source at the Oud Mehta-based club.
Jabbari, 29, an Iranian midfielder currently with Tehran’s Esteghlal, is believed to be the favourite to replace Qatar-bound Bresciano. But Lebanese playmaker, Antar, 31, of China’s Shandong Luneng and 28-year-old Australian forward Brosque, of Japan’s Shimuzu S-Pulse, are also under consideration.
Bresciano, 32, announced on Twitter.com on Friday that his one-year association with Walter Zenga’s Al Nasr had come to an end after 11 goals in 23 appearances, helping the team to second in the league.
“Reports are correct. I’m moving to Al Gharaffa,” said Bresciano, following reports he had bought out the remainder of his two-year deal. “I’m very excited to start this new part of my football journey.”
Al Gharaffa’s failure to land Javad Nekounam from Spain’s Osasuna, after he joined Jabbari’s Estaghlal instead, led Bresciano to Qatar and Jabbari Dubai-bound.
But Estaghlal’s chairman Ali Fathollahzadeh has said that, despite an official offer of US$1.7 million from Al Nasr for Jabbari, they would only release the player in the January transfer window, should coach Amir Ghalenoei approve.
This leaves Antar and Brosque as viable summer options. Brosque has scored 11 in 44 appearances for Shimizu, as well as five goals in 11 matches for Australia he has also played for Sydney, Brisbane and Feyenoord.
Antar, formerly of German outfits FC Koln, Freiburg and Hamburg, has represented Lebanon 34 times and scored 17 times. He’s scored 27 in 92 games for Shandong since 2009. Jabbari has scored 26 goals in 119 games for Esteghlal and has represented Iran on 24 occasions with four goals.
Al Nasr team manager Khalid Obaid told Gulf News: “We should have a deal within the next two or three days. We don’t know which of the three players we are taking yet. We need to see which one can fit into the squad best but this is undecided.”
Brazilians Leonardo Lima and Bruno Cesar Correa, along with Italian Guiseppe Mascara, make up Al Nasr’s other foreigners for next season, as the club chase their first league title in 27-years.
Elsewhere, Sharjah have offered €3.5 million for Osasuna’s Iranian midfielder Masoud Shojaei and Bani Yas have confirmed Esmail Belmaalem’s switch from Raja Casablanca, Meanwhile, Guinean striker Alhassane Keita has joined Dubai Club from Emirates and Senegal’s Pape Pate Diouf has moved to Al Dhafra from Copenhagen.
