Al Ain claim they are in pole position to sign Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan on a permanent deal as an unnamed Qatari club also bid for the player.

Gyan, who is on season-long loan from English side, Sunderland has become a transfer target for clubs in Arab region with the possibility of a return to Europe also on the cards.

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill, is understood to be keen to have Gyan return to England when his loan expires but the Black Cats have also revealed that they received a bid on Monday from an unspecified Qatari club.

However, Al-Ain chief executive Carlo Nohra is confident the United Arab Emirates club will hold on to Gyan despite outside interest for the on-loan Sunderland striker.

"Everyone is declaring their interest in Gyan, and rightly so (because) he is performing very well and everyone should be interested," Nohra said.

"But we are very comfortable with our legal situation in this. We have a contract in place which has certain provisions for a permanent transfer so we are in no rush to make the decision now."