Chelsea's Yuri Zhirkov is about to return to Russia and join Anzhi Makhachkala, according Rasim Tagirbekov, a prospective teammate.
Widespread reports in Moscow claim the defender is on the brink of sealing a £13 million (Dh77.9m) move to the big-spending Anzhi, whose defender, Rasim Tagirbekov, has claimed Zhirkov has met with the club's squad and head coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev.
Tagirbekov told Russian newspaper Izvestia: "Of course, Yury is a great player. Everybody in the team is very glad that he will join our club.
"This transfer will strengthen Anzhi a lot. Zhirkov has already managed to talk to the team's head coach Gadzhi Gadzhiev and practically all the players."
According to Bobsoccer.ru, Zhirkov himself confirmed he had travelled to Russia, saying: "I have arrived for two days to spend my weekend here."
The sale of Zhirkov would free up space in Chelsea's 25-man English Premier League squad for another foreign player, with the club weighing up a third bid for Tottenham's Luka Modric.
Zhirkov, who turns 28 this month, has struggled to establish himself in the west London club's first team since moving from CSKA Moscow two years ago.
A knee injury hampered his progress but he has ultimately failed to depose Ashley Cole as first-choice left-back or force his way into midfield.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
The five pillars of Islam
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Salem Rashid, Mohammed Al Attas, Alhassan Saleh
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets