Dubai: Al Ahli chairman Abdullah Al Naboodah hasn’t given up hope of signing Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano from Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk despite the player reportedly backing out of negotiations.
Al Naboodah had tweeted last Wednesday that Shakhtar had agreed to an €8 million (Dh32.8 million) fee for Adriano, but Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu said the player was not interested in discussing personal terms.
Speaking in an Arabic TV interview, Al Naboodah said: “I had tweeted about this, that we did have an agreement with Shakhtar.
“Over the last three weeks we were close to a deal with the player. Things have changed a little over the last four or five days. But hopefully things are progressing to a positive resolution for Al Ahli.
“I cannot give you a percentage (to success). At the end of the day it’s all down to money. We must get to a figure that’s acceptable for us and the other party. It’s a matter of finances and hopefully in the coming days, things will become much clearer.”
