Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan is wanted at Al Wasl by their new coach Diego Maradona.
The ambitious Dubai-based club revealed they were "working" on a deal to sign Forlan, who was voted the best player at last summer's World Cup, less than a month after announcing Maradona as boss.
"He (Forlan) is one of the big names on the line, I can't deny that but we still haven't closed this deal," Al Wasl chief executive Ashraf Ahmad Mohammad told The Gulf News.
"We are working on it. We are certainly doing our best to bring top things to this country, because the UAE deserves it."