Dubai: UAE striker Ahmad Khalil looks to have returned to Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club after images of him with paperwork alongside board member Khalifa Sulaiman were circulated on social media over the weekend.
Khalil left Al Ahli for Al Jazira last summer before the Al Ghusais outfit were merged with Al Shabab and Dubai Club to form Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club.
The 27-year-old endured a torrid six months in Abu Dhabi, with just two appearances for Al Jazira, before a resurgent four goals in nine appearances for Al Ain whom he joined on a short term deal in January going on to win the league and cup double.
A return to Shabab Al Ahli, with whom he scored 122 goals in 249 appearances between 2006 and 2017, winning four league titles and five cup competitions, would see him complete a homecoming if confirmed.
Reports follow confirmation of Senegalese striker Makhete Diop leaving Shabab Ahli for China’s Beijing Renhe after having spent seven years in the UAE, five with Al Dhafra and two with Shabab Ahli.
Shabab Ahli’s Croatian forward Ante Erceg has also joined Denmark’s Brondby, while South Korean midfielder Moon Chang-jin had been made a free agent. Only Brazilian-born Moldovan forward Henrique Luvannor looks to have been retained among the foreigners.
In terms of local Emirati players, Ahmad Al Attas has also joined Shabab Ahli from Al Jazira along with Abdullah Al Naqbi from Al Dhafra, while Mohammad Marzouk and Khamis Esmail have joined Al Nasr and Al Wasl respectively.
More deals are expected to be announced in the coming days, including the rumoured arrival of Chilean coach Jose Luis Sierra, who is thought to be replacing outgoing Mahdi Ali at Shabab Ahli, after having left Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad.
Elsewhere, Dibba Fujairah have completed their foreign quartet with the signing of Brazilian striker Bruno Mezenga from Turkey’s Eskisehirspor. He joins retained Moroccan and Jordanian midfielders Driss Fettouhi and Yaseen Al Bakhit alongside new Moroccan midfielder Yahya Jabran under Brazilian coach Paulo Comelli.
