Dubai: Al Jazira announced the signing of South Korean midfielder Park Jong-woo on a three-year deal from China’s Guangzhou R&F on Monday.
The 26-year-old former Busan IPark player replaces Brazilian-Palestinian midfielder Jucilei who joined China’s Shandong Luneng last week.
Al Jazira had been in negotiations with Hertha Berlin’s Japanese midfielder Hajime Hosogai to replace Jucilei, but it is understood the player opted to stay in Germany where he remains under contract until 2017.
Park, meanwhile, is a worthy alternative having represented his country on 13 occasions since 2012. He also scored seven goals in 96 appearances for Busan IPark between 2010 and 2013, and one in 34 appearances over two seasons with Guangzhou.
In 2012 he received a two-match ban for igniting a diplomatic row between South Korea and Japan after the third place playoff between both countries at the London Olympics. He held a sign which read “Dokdo is our territory” in reference to South Korea’s long running border dispute with Japan.
This is Al Jazira’s second confirmed summer signing after Brazilian midfielder Thiago Neves, 30, joined from Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal for €11 million (Dh45 million) last month.
Neves replaced Argentinian midfielder Manuel Lanzini. The club are still looking to replace Burkino Faso midfielder Jonathan Pitroipa, after negotiations with AS Roma’s Ivorian forward Gervinho broke down. Meanwhile Montenegrin striker Mirko Vucinic is likely to be retained after topping the league scorer’s charts with 25 goals last season.
Belgian coach Eric Gerets was replaced by Brazilian tactician Abel Braga at the end of last season after The Spiders crashed out in the third round of the President’s Cup against relegated Ajman and finished second in the Arabian Gulf League.
Elsewhere, Al Dhafra have completed their foreign quota for next season after signing Spanish striker David Barral from Levante.
Barral, 32, formerly of Spain’s Real Madrid youth team, Sporting Gijon and Turkey’s Ordospur, joins the Western Knights on a one-year deal after having scored 11 goals in 35 league appearances last season.
French coach Laurent Banide’s foreign quartet is now complete with Iraqi defender Ahmad Ebrahim having signed from relegated Ajman and Argentinian midfielder Jorge Luna joining from Chile’s Santiago Wanderers. Senegalese forward Makhete Diop has been retained having signed a three-year contract extension.
Meanwhile, Dutch striker Michiel Kramer, 26, arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to finalise his move to Bani Yas from Dutch side Ado Den Haag. Kramer is the second signing for the Sky Blues after Australian defender Mark Milligan joined for A$1 million (Dh2.875 million) from Melbourne Victory.
In other news Al Ain’s Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan is set for talks with Chinese club Shanghai SIPG, after the Garden City accepted an offer on the 29-year-old. Gyan topped the league scorer’s charts for three seasons in a row after joining from Sunderland in 2011 but he struggled to replicate that form last season after suffering injuries.
