Aberdeen transfer target Oday Dabbagh was once hailed as a better striker than Juventus and Bayern Munich legend Mario Mandzukic.
The Dons could seal a transfer deadline day move for Palestinian international Dabbagh, who currently plays for Charleroi in Belgium.
It is understood Aberdeen aim to secure Dabbagh on loan until the end of the season with the option to buy, if the move is successful.
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin needs to bolster his attack as Aberdeen have scored just one goal in the last eight Premiership matches.
The 26-year-old Dons’ target was rated as the best striker he has worked with by Ante Mise, who coached legend Mandzukic while assistant of the Croatia national team.
Mandzukic was a World Cup runner-up with Croatia, and also won the Champions League with Bayern Munich and was a runner-up in the same tournament with Juventus.
But Mise managed Dabbagh at Al-Arabi in Kuwait, where the striker was top scorer in the run to the national league title.
Mise said: “His (Dabbagh’s) technical skills, ability, speed and how he understands football is unbelievable.
“I’ve been a coach for about 15 years and he is the best striker that I have ever had, for sure.”
Dabbagh, who has netted 16 goals in 42 games for Palestine, joined Charleroi from Portuguese side Arouca in 2023.
He has scored one goal in 15 appearances for Charleroi in the Jupiler Pro League this season, making four starts.
Leading scorer in Kuwait top-flight
Left-footed Dabbagh, who can also play on the right-wing, is contracted to Charleroi until 2026.
But who is Dabbagh and what can he bring to Aberdeen if the deal is completed?
The Jerusalem-born striker began his career with West Bank Premier League (WBPL) team Hilal al-Quds.
In the under-23s Asian Cup in China in 2018, Dabbagh scored three goals in four games.
This goal return helped Palestine reach the quarter-finals in their first appearance in the tournament.
Across the following three seasons, he scored 37 goals to help Hilal al-Quds win three consecutive Palestinian Professional League titles in the West Bank.
In the 2018-19 title-winning season, Dabbagh finished the league’s top scorer with 16 goals.
Dabbagh then transferred to Kuwait in July 2019 for Al-Salmiya.
Unfortunately he suffered a collarbone injury early in his time at the club.
He then had spells at Al-Qadisiyah and Al-Yarmouk before signing for Al-Arabi in January 2021.
Dabbagh said: “My move to Al-Arabi marked a pivotal turning point in my career.
“I credit a lot of my success to coach Ante Mise, the former Croatian assistant manager.
“He was always advising and telling me exactly what I needed to do to reach my full potential.”
In his debut campaign at Al-Arabi, the striker was the league’s top scorer with 13 goals in 18 matches – despite only playing the second half of the season.
The goals from Dabbagh were pivotal to Al-Arabi winning the title for the first time in 20 years.
Dabbagh secures historic move to Europe
That form earned a move to Portugal with Arouca in 2021 .
That is where he first came to the attention of Aberdeen head of recruitment, Nuno de Almeida.
When making his debut away at Porto, Dabbagh became the first home-grown Palestinian footballer to play in Europe’s top leagues.
On completing the move, Dabbagh said: “FC Arouca is giving me the opportunity to play in Europe alongside some of the best players and clubs.
“I know that this club reflects my personality.
“We’re going to give everything from start to finish and we’ll never throw in the towel.”
In his debut season for Arouca, he scored four times.
In the following campaign, Dabbagh netted 11 goals in 21 matches.
Scoring form earns move to Belgium
His form attracted the interest of a number of European clubs, but Belgian outfit Charleroi won the race to sign the striker.
Dabbagh has scored six times for Charleroi.
He has netted once this season, a 1-1 draw with Standard Liege in November.
The striker’s last appearance for Charleroi was when coming off the bench in the 78th minute in a 1-1 draw at Gent in January 17.
He has played in six World Cup qualifier matches this season for Palestine.
In a recent interview, Dabbagh said: “I want to reach the pinnacle of the sport and play in the biggest leagues in the world.”
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