Arabian Gulf League title challengers Al Jazira are set to announce rising UAE star Khalfan Mubarak has inked a new contract, disappointing suitors such as champions Al Ain who hoped to swoop him up on a free this summer.

Mubarak, 23, moved within the last six months of his current deal in January. This gave hope to teams across the top flight that they could snaffle, for a bargain arrangement, one of the Whites’ best performers at Asian Cup 2019 and the top flight’s current leading assist maker with 10 recorded in 13 run-outs.

Pictures, however, emerged on social media late on Tuesday that the former Al Ahli youth player had put pen to paper on fresh terms. Sources at the Pride of Abu Dhabi expected a multi-year arrangement to be officially revealed in the coming days.

The diminutive playmaker started all three Group A matches for the hosts at the ongoing continental tournament. He was brought off early on during the disappointing 1-1 draw with Bahrain on January 5’s opening night, but produced a stunning solo goal to open the scoring last week in the 2-0 victory against India.

A facial injury picked up in that clash threatened his participation on Monday against Thailand. Mubarak, however, performed well in 84 minutes on the park prior to veteran Ismail Matar’s introduction to the fray in a 1-1 draw which helped secure top spot.

Mubarak was tipped as a successor to Omar Abdulrahman – the compatriot whose serious knee injury in October granted him access to the UAE’s XI for the Asian Cup – by then Ahli boss Quique Sanchez Flores in March 2013. But after making just one appearance for that club as an 18-year-old, he defected to the capital with Jazira.

At Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, he’s won the 2015/16 President’s Cup and 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League.

In total, he’s scored 15 times in 79 top-flight games.