ASAMOAH Gyan is to become one of the highest-paid players in world football after agreeing a deal with Al Ain that will earn him £36.5m over the next five years.

But The Journal understands that Sunderland will not recoup all of the £13.1m they paid to Stade Rennes two years ago, but have insisted in a contract clause that would see them receive a significant percentage of any subsequent transfers.

Reports in Gyan’s homeland of Ghana had even suggested that Al Ain, the league champions of the United Arab Emirates, would be willing to pay £15m for the striker.

But that figure will in fact be closer to £4m, which will go along with the £6m it cost Al Ain to take the player on loan for the whole of last season.

Gyan’s representatives told media in Ghana that he had signed a five-year permanent deal worth £140,000 a week – and that of course is tax-free.

Sources close to the deal told The Journal that “only a few minor details need to be sorted out” and Sunderland will be at long last free of a player who had become a millstone, despite having left the Stadium of Light last August.

Martin O’Neill was certainly not interested in welcoming back someone who walked out on the Premier League 10

months ago as he was about the enter the prime years of his career.

Sunderland believed a deal was all-but done in May and that Al Ain were ready to cough up £6m, only for matters to stall.

Gyan’s worth has declined because of the standard of play in that part of the world, and no other team was realistically going to pay anywhere close to the fee Sunderland wanted.

His £6m loan spell with Al Ain, whose home gate averages about 3,000, ended this month, and a number of clubs, including Galatasaray of Turkey, intimated that they would be interested in signing the 26-year-old, although his wage demands were always going to be too high for most.

But for obvious reasons, the man knows as Baby Jet in his own country has decided to extend his stay in the United Arab Emirates.

It would be fair to say that the club’s record transfer signing will not be missed on Wearside.

Gyan has found himself in trouble in Ghana after he was alleged to have “slapped” a fan on Monday night.

The incident was reported to have happened while Gyan was with other national team squad members near the town of Kibi.

The fan in question has been accused of criticising Gyan for his penalty miss two years ago against Uruguay in the quarter-final of the World Cup in South Africa.

This is said to have resulted in the player slapping the man, who had confronted him as he was getting into his car.

Ghana captain John Mensah, who enjoyed two loan spells with Sunderland, said: “I was not around when the incident occurred, but I must say I am sorry for what happened.

“The victim should have also considered that errors are part of the game – and the fact that the incident is past and gone and should means that is not be revisited.”

MOTHERWELL manager Stuart McCall admits there is “very little” chance of agreeing a short-term deal with James McFadden.

McCall had already seen a £200,000 cut to his budget before the increased financial uncertainty sparked by the collapse of Rangers.