Valeri offered UAE deal

With clubless skipper Neill Lucas also pondering a $1 million one-year deal in Qatar, Mark Bresciano based in the UAE with Al Nasr and Sasa Ognenovski signing for Qatari Stars League Umm Salal, the trickle of Australians heading into the oil rich Arabian Peninsula is turning into a flood.

Japan-based centre-back Matthew Spiranovic is also wanted by newly-promoted Qatari Stars League side Al-Sailiya whilst James Troisi has the option to snare a $4.5 million three-year deal with El Jaish should his proposed move to Juventus fall through.

Capped 45 times by Australia, Valeri, 27, is a free agent after failing by a whisker to win promotion to Serie A with Sassuolo this season, the club coming unstuck 3-2 on aggregate against Sampdoria in a play-off last month.

It's understood he wanted to remain in Italy, where he has spent a total of eight years, first on the fringes at Inter Milan, then in Serie B with Grosseto and Sassuolo.

But a contract extension has, as yet, not been forthcoming.

An agent based in Dubai told The World Game: "Carl Valeri has an offer coming from a Pro League team in the UAE and it is up to him.

"I don't know what else he has on the table but the deal is there if he wants it. His fellow Australian Mark Bresciano has done very well here with Al Nasr and there is no reason Carl, as a current Australian international, would not thrive and command high wages."

Neill, who was released by Abu Dhabi-based Al-Jazira at the end of last month, is currently in the US, where his agent Darren Jackson has joined him, sparking speculation that he may also be looking at landing a Major League Soccer deal. He also has interest from China.

The mooted Troisi move to Turin, meanwhile, appears to have become the possible victim of Pescara's decision not to sell emerging star Marco Verratti - dubbed the new Andrea Pirlo - to Juventus. Troisi and Ouasim Booy were to be the sweeteners in the deal for newly-promoted Pescara who would also have received $18 million.

The deal appeared to hinge on that chain of events but Troisi’s agent, London-based Frank Trimboli, is still working on securing his switch to the Old Lady after his exit from Turkish Super Lig side Kayserispor.

The attacking midfielder's Adelaide-based father Alby Troisi said: "I am aware that the Pescara side of the deal is now not going to happen but we have been in touch with Juve and negotiations are continuing and hopefully something will be resolved in the next few days.

"I am optimistic he will still join Juve. James is very keen to play in Europe and he won't probably look elsewhere until those avenues are exhausted. It's my understanding that Juve are still keen and the deal, to my understanding, is still alive. He will not obviously be going to Pescara now but that doesn't mean he will not still be signed by Juve and placed on loan elsewhere."