Pro League: Teams play it cool after leaving for pre-season camps

Champions Al Ain led the exodus of Pro League teams heading for cooler climes yesterday, with questions still remaining about the identity of the club's final two foreign players.

Al Ain's Asamoah Gyan has his bags packed ahead of Al Ain's departure to Spain for a pre-season training camp.
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Al Ain led the exodus of Pro League teams jetting off for cooler climes Tuesday, with questions still remaining about the identity of the club's final two foreign players.

The defending champions, who travelled to Spain for a 15-day pre-season camp, are still looking for replacements for Ignacio Scocco, the Argentine midfielder, and Yasser Al Qahtani, the Saudi Arabia forward.

Scocco left midway of his two-year contract due to personal reasons and Al Qahtani returned to Al Hilal at the end of his loan period.

Al Ain have been linked with Michel Bastos, the Brazilian midfielder from French club Lyon, and Park Chu-young, the South Korean captain and forward who plays for the Premier League club Arsenal.

"The negotiations to sign the two remaining foreign players are ongoing but it can be anyone the club has shortlisted," a spokesman for Al Ain said.

"There may be a possibility a deal could come through soon from any of those the club is negotiating to join the squad in Madrid."

Al Ain secured a permanent transfer for Asamoah Gyan, the Ghana international, from Sunderland, while Mirel Radoi, the Romanian midfielder is midway through a two-year contract.

Al Ain began the pre-season preparation with a 10-day camp in Austria and concluded the second phase back in the UAE with a four-team friendly tournament in which they finished level on seven points with Saudi club Al Shabab, who were declared winners by virtue of a better goal difference over the UAE side.

Meanwhile, Al Nasr and Al Shabab left Tuesday morning to Italy and Germany respectively while Al WaslAl Ahli and Baniyas will fly out Wednesday to Germany, Spain and Portugal, respectively.

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