Al Ain are yet to make a definitive decision about who will fill the vital last foreign slot, with a trio of Brazilian attackers featuring heavily in their thoughts.
The Boss have already this summer recruited Sweden centre forward Marcus Berg from Panathinaikos and Japan defensive utility man Tsukasa Shiotani of Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Sights have now been set on adding a sharpened offensive edge to a side who face Saudi Arabian heavyweights Al Hilal in the 2017 AFC Champions League quarter-finals and are desperate to improve upon last term’s poor fourth-placed finish in the Arabian Gulf League.
Partizan Belgrade forward Leonardo, who was joint-top scorer in the 2016/17 Serbian SuperLiga with 24 goals, rising Parana Clube playmaker Renatinho and winger Guilherme of Ekstraklasa holders Legia Warsaw are all under consideration.
The UAE’s most-decorated club are currently studying a 10-man shortlist ahead of August 6’s deadline to be registered for the latter stages of Asian competition.
Whomever comes into the four-player foreign quota will compliment retained Brazil attacker Caio, who impressed with 18 goals in 45 matches during his debut campaign.
Of the confirmed targets, Leonardo would represent the most-exciting addition. The 25-year-old excelled last term after joining on a three-year deal from Russia’s Anzhi Makhachkala, helping his new employers to a SuperLiga and Serbian Cup double.
But the peripatetic man who has also competed in Brazil, Belgium, Cyprus, Ukraine and Azerbaijan is valued at €5 million (Dh21m), plus his favourite role as an inverted left winger would see him compete with Caio.
Al Ain previously baulked at a €5.2m (Dh21.8m) request for Berg, eventually paying just €3m (Dh12.6m) for an esteemed player who currently leads the line for Sweden.
The diminutive Guilherme, 26, has spent the last four seasons in Poland after he failed to breakthrough at Portugal’s Braga. During this time, he has scored 11 times in 84 top-flight run-outs and won the league three times.
Renatinho, 25, represents an emerging talent in Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B. He is available for €2.5m (Dh10.5m) after scoring nine goals in 25 games for Parana.