Hapoel Petah Tikva's pursuit of Bolivian defender Diego Arroyo is entering its final stretch, with the club voicing confidence that Shakhtar Donetsk will complete the paperwork on a loan move in the coming days, ONE reported Friday.

According to the report, the loan conditions between the two clubs have already been agreed in principle. What remains is for the Ukrainian side to sign off formally — a step Hapoel Petah Tikva are said to be optimistic will happen shortly.

Arroyo, 22, joined Shakhtar from Bolívar of Bolivia in February 2025 in a deal reported at roughly a million dollars, one of the most expensive transfers involving a Bolivian player. He has made only limited appearances for the Ukrainian club since, making a loan spell in Israel a plausible next step in his development.

The club is also working a second defensive target, ONE reports: Roy Zrihan, a product of Hapoel Rishon LeZion's academy who signed a five-year contract there. Hapoel Petah Tikva are said to be waiting on a compensation committee to rule on his transfer status before they can move the deal forward.

Coach Omer Peretz has been trimming his preseason squad in the meantime, releasing several trialists over recent days. Of those still involved, forward candidates Omer Korsia and Majed Dahleh and defender Ido Ben Zaev are not expected to feature in this weekend's fixture.

New forward signing Klay, who arrived on Tuesday, trained with the squad for the first time on Thursday and is tipped to be among the substitutes rather than start.

In defense, Alex Musonda's injury absence means Israeli is set to line up alongside Uriel Dagni at the back.

The squad business comes ahead of Saturday's opening round of the Toto Cup, when Hapoel Petah Tikva host newly promoted city rivals Maccabi Petah Tikva at HaMoshava Stadium in a 20:30 kickoff. An open training session was held Friday morning, with hundreds of fans reported in attendance.

It is the first meeting between the two Petah Tikva clubs in two and a half years; both are now set to face off twice more in Ligat Ha'al proper, once Maccabi Petah Tikva's promotion to the top flight takes effect in December and again in February. For Hapoel, the derby serves as an early gauge of a squad rebuilt around a top-flight playoff return last season — the club's first in two decades.