Dubai: Al Nasr signed 27-year-old Macedonian striker Ivan Trickovski on a two-year deal from Belgium’s Club Brugge on Tuesday.
Trickovski played under current Al Nasr coach Ivan Jovanovic for two seasons at Cyprus’ APOEL and was part of the squad that reached the 2011/12 Uefa Champions League quarter-finals. He replaces injured Brazilian striker Eder Luis.
Brazilian midfielder Leo Lima is also said to on the verge of leaving Al Nasr, with the club thought to be in talks with Moroccan midfielder Houssine Kharja, 31, from Qatar’s Al Arabi and formerly of Italy’s Roma, Inter Milan and Fiorentina.
Elsewhere, newly promoted Fujairah are said to be close to signing Chilean midfielder Jorge Valdivia for a reported Dh27.6 million from Brazil’s Palmeiras. Valdivia, 30, is no stranger to the region, having spent two years at Al Ain from 2008 to 2010. Fujairah have already signed Ivorian former Al Ain striker Boubacar Sanogo and Ghanaian midfielder Charles Takyi in a double swoop from Germany’s Energie Cottbus.
Al Jazira striker Felipe Caicedo has joined Spanish La Liga side Espanyol after being released to make room for incoming Montenegrin striker Mirko Vucinic from Juventus.
Meanwhile, Al Wahda defender Hamed Al Kamali, the brother of UAE defender Hamdan, was an unused substitute in Tuesday’s Uefa Champions League second qualifying round match for Maltese club Valletta in their 1-0 defeat at home to Azerbaijan’s Qarabag.
The loanee could become the first Emirati to feature in a Uefa Champions League match if he features in next Tuesday’s return leg in Baku.
Hamed’s brother Hamdan spent six months on loan at French Ligue 1 side Lyon in 2012 but didn’t make a first-team appearance.
UAE midfielders Omar and Amer Abdul Rahman also spent two weeks on trial at English clubs Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers, but both failed to make the move permanent. If Hamed features for Valletta in any match, he will become the first Emirati to play in Europe.
