الخبر كامل من الجريدة اللندنية.

30 December 2007

SVEN'S SAUDI SWOOP
By Alan Nixon
Manchester City boss Sven Goran Eriksson is ready to swoop for Saudi Arabian sensation Yasser Al Qahtani in a £7million move.

Eriksson is keen on the striker, who also captains the national team, and has offered him a deal which could be signed in the next few days when the transfer window opens.

Al Qahtani, Asia's player of the year, has already been to City for secret talks - with owner Thaksin Shinawatra interested in the deal for football and financial reasons.

Saudi Arabia have never had a player in the English top flight and the City owner is keen to tap into the lucrative market of the football-mad Saudis.

However, Eriksson is keen on Al Qahtani for purely football reasons with the striker being voted the best in Asia this month after starring for his club Al Hilal and his country over the last year.

The Saudi hit-man has also been offered to other Premier League teams but City moved in first - and need extra fire power on their payroll and within their budget.

A deal of around £7m will kick in if Al Qahtani settles in well at Eastlands and proves to be a success. City are trying to agree a £1m loan arrangement for the first 12 months in case the deal does not turn out well.

It's a transfer that will surprise City supporters who have seen their team chase a Champions League finish since Shinawatra took charge and Eriksson guided them on the field.

But experts in Asia claim this may just be a masterstroke because of Al Qahtani's goalscoring ability and undoubted flair.

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