Manchester United announced they have reached an agreement in principle to sign Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro in a deal worth up to a reported £60 million ($70 million).
The Brazilian has been offered a four-year contract with the option of a further 12-month extension, with the transfer subject to the agreement of personal terms.
United manager Erik ten Hag has been desperate to land a defensive midfielder since taking charge at Old Trafford and after failing to sign Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong.
The Red Devils have endured a horrible start to the season, sitting bottom of the table after embarrassing defeats against Brighton and Brentford.
The 30-year-old, who joined Real in 2013 and has been a key figure in midfield for the Spanish club, has won five Champions League titles.
"Manchester United is delighted to announce that the club has reached agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of Casemiro," a statement from United said.
"The transfer is subject to the agreement of personal terms, UK visa requirements and a medical."
Ten Hag did not discuss the transfer during his press conference on Friday, but Real boss Carlo Ancelotti was more forthcoming when speaking to the media.
"I've discussed it with him this morning. He wants to try a new challenge, a new opportunity," Ancelotti said.
"The club understand it. With all he's done for this club and the person he is, we have to respect it. If he doesn't stay, we'll have an enormous sense of gratitude to him for all he's done. We have replacements within the squad."
Real Madrid said they will hold a "tribute and farewell" to Casemiro on Monday which will be attended by the club's president, Florentino Perez.
Casemiro's wealth of experience and success at the highest level will make him a certain starter instead of either Fred or Scott McTominay in central midfield.
He is unlikely to be available for United's next match against Liverpool at Old Trafford on Monday. Instead, Casemiro's debut could come at Southampton in the Premier League on August 27.
United are looking to get their campaign back on track at a time of intense pressure on the Glazer family. Protests are planned against the owners before and during Monday's clash with Liverpool and Sir Jim Ratcliffe has publicly declared his interest in buying the club.
Asked about the protests against the Glazer family, Ten Hag said: "I can only say the owners want to win and the fans, we want them behind the club.
"I can understand sometimes but I am not that long in the club that I can see all the backgrounds, but we have to be unified and fight together."
Anthony Martial has returned to training ahead of the game but his availability is unclear after injury, increasing the chances of Cristiano Ronaldo starting again.
SPECS
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday, 6pm UAE
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
