German Bundesliga side Schalke have confirmed they have agreed a deal to sell their Peruvian winger Jefferson Farfan to Arabian Gulf League outfit Al Jazira.
The club’s sporting director Horst Heldt told the German football magazine Kicker on Monday that: “Schalke and Al Jazira have reached an agreement in principle.”
The Kicker report added that the transfer fee for the 30-year-old, who moved to Schalke from PSV Eindhoven in 2008, would be just under â¬10m.
It also claimed Farfan, whose contract is due to expire next June, could earn â¬10 million (Dh39.76 million) per year if he moves to Abu Dhabi.
Farfan’s arrival is expected to lead to the departure of Burkinabe international Jonathan Pitroipa, while the club’s Argentinian midfielder Manuel Lanzini has been in talks with West Ham.
Al Jazira had been interested in Brazil star Robinho, but he joined the Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande last Thursday.
One Brazilian who has joined Al Jazira, however, is Thiago Neves, who was unveiled alongside the club’s three other summer signings, South Korean midfielder Park Jong-woo, defender Fares Juma and goalkeeper Saif Rashed, at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium last week.
New coach Abel Braga also held his first press conference in his second stint at the club, but refused to confirm his interest in Farfan.
Meanwhile, Argentinian striker Joaquin Larrivey is on the verge of a â¬2 million move from Celta Vigo to Al Wasl, according to a source at the club.
The 30-year-old former Cagliari and Rayo Vallecano player had previously been linked with the Cheetahs but travelled to the UK last week to formalise a contract with newly promoted English Premier League side Norwich City instead.
City backed out of the deal at the last minute, leaving Larrivey to fall back on his first option. Neither Al Wasl nor the player’s agent, Daniel Dos Rios, have confirmed the move, but Larrivey has been widely reported to be on his way to Dubai to finalise a transfer to an unnamed club.
Al Wasl released a statement on their pre-season tour of Holland and Spain on Monday, which said they were in “the final stages of an agreement” with a fourth foreign player, and that the player would join the camp shortly.
If confirmed, Larrivey will replace outgoing Brazilian striker Ederson Alves, who joined Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol last week.
Larrivey scored 11 goals in 35 appearances for Celta Vigo last season, but has been deemed surplus to requirement at the club after their acquisition of 23-year-old Swedish striker John Guidetti on a free transfer from Manchester City.
