Al Kamali close to Lyon loan

UAE international defender Hamdan Al Kamali has flown to France to complete a six-month loan deal to join Ligue 1 heavyweights Lyon.

Lyon had been interested in the 22-year-old Al Wahda defender since making an inquiry about his services at the end of last season, and appear to have finally landed their man.

Al Wahda had previously rejected Lyon’s advances as they had not made a serious offer for his services, but have backed down with the player determined to make the move.

Al Kamali will undergo a medical with Lyon before putting pen to paper on the loan deal, with an option to make the move permanent.

The youngster will become the first UAE footballer to play in Europe and Al Wahda coach Josef Hickersberger told Sport360: “It’s also good for the UAE to have young players playing abroad with these opportunities.”

“It’s a really good chance for him, a big opportunity to play for one of the best teams in Europe.”

Al Wahda captain Haider Ali told The National: “He is very excited and we all pray and wish for him to do well. He is young and ambitious, and he always talked about being known internationally.”

“I hope he will keep the UAE flag flying high and return a better player for both, the club and the national team.”