Al Ahli bid for Riyad Mahrez, Adrien Rabiot wanted by Atletico and Manchester United

A look at the latest transfer speculation surrounding players potentially on the move.

Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli have submitted an official proposal for Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, according to Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano. The 32-year-old winger has two years remaining on his current deal and the treble winners would only be tempted to sell the Algerian for a significant fee. It is understood that Mahrez was unhappy with his playing time under Pep Guardiola last season as City swept the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League and would be willing to make a move this transfer window.

Inter Miami face competition from Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan and clubs in Saudi Arabia to sign Jordi Alba, reports ESPN. The 34-year-old left-back left Barcelona at the end of the 202223 season after reaching an agreement to end his contract one year early. It is understood that the in-demand Spain international will make a decision on his future following this week's Uefa Nations League finals.

Bournemouth are close to securing a deal for Justin Kluivert from Roma. The 24-year-old winger, who spent last season on loan at Valencia, looks set for a move to the Premier League, according to Fabrizio Romano. Kluivert, the son of former Ajax, AC Milan and Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert, appears to have no future at Stadio Olimpico under current Roma manager Jose Mourinho.

Real Betis’ William Carvalho is set for a move to Al Nassr to play alongside Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo next season, reports Italian football journalist Rudy Galetti. The 31-year-old defensive midfielder joined Betis in 2018 from Sporting. While no financials have been disclosed, it is thought Betis are holding out for a fee of €15 million.

Adrien Rabiot is being pursued by Atletico Madrid and Manchester United as his Juventus contract nears its end, reports Diario AS. The 28-year-old midfielder is set to become a free agent again at the end of this month, after arriving in Turin on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. It is reported that Atletico hope to entice a move to Spain to play alongside his France teammate Antoine Griezmann, despite the financial leverage of Manchester United. However, Tuttosport reports that Old Lady are confident that they will reach an agreement with Rabiot over a new deal and so he will remain at the club next season.

Tottenham are interested in Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, football.london reports. The 23-year-old midfielder is expected to leave Chelsea this summer, but he could be set to remain in the Premier League, with Spurs and Newcastle looking at the England international. Gallagher is reportedly one of various midfield options, alongside James Maddison, that new Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou is looking to bring to North London as he looks to bolster his squad for next season.

Manchester City have enquired about Paris Saint-Germain teenager Warren Zaïre-Emery in swap deal for Bernardo Silva, according to RMC Sport’s Fabrice Hawkins. Portugal international midfielder Silva, 28, was close to joining Barcelona last summer, before going on to prove a vital part of Pep Guardiola's squad as they won a historic treble. Zaïre-Emery, 17, is one of the top talents in PSG's academy but is said to prefer a move to Spain.

More from Rashmee Roshan Lall

US VP candidate Kamala Harris and the complexity of racial identity

Beirut blasts: What do we do with the world's ammonium nitrate?

How the pandemic is testing the solidarity of the European Union

When it comes to peace, is the EU really a great power?

The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

While you're here

National Editorial: Donald Trump has left his mark on the Middle East

Con Coughlin: The thorn in the side of Biden's foreign policy team

James Reinl: Biden’s Yemen U-turn gets thumbs-up overseas

Raghida Dergham: Will Biden's 'maximum diplomacy' with Iran work?

While you're here

Chitrabhanu Kadalayil: Singapore election is more than just a family feud over LKY's legacy

Sholto Byrnes: Robert Mugabe and Lee Kuan Yew: two leaders with very different legacies

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: UAE and Singapore can be partners for a world in transition

Nick March: Singapore and UAE are on the move – in airport development

MATCH INFO

Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai

UAE%20v%20West%20Indies

%3Cp%3EFirst%20ODI%20-%20Sunday%2C%20June%204%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESecond%20ODI%20-%20Tuesday%2C%20June%206%20%0D%3Cbr%3EThird%20ODI%20-%20Friday%2C%20June%209%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMatches%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Stadium.%20All%20games%20start%20at%204.30pm%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Adithya%20Shetty%2C%20Ali%20Naseer%2C%20Ansh%20Tandon%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Basil%20Hameed%2C%20Ethan%20D%E2%80%99Souza%2C%20Fahad%20Nawaz%2C%20Jonathan%20Figy%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Lovepreet%20Singh%2C%20Matiullah%2C%20Mohammed%20Faraazuddin%2C%20Muhammad%20Jawadullah%2C%20Rameez%20Shahzad%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Sanchit%20Sharma%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Al Ahli bid for Riyad Mahrez, Adrien Rabiot wanted by Atletico and Manchester United

Jordi Alba could join former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi at inter Miami while Bournemouth chase Roma winger Justin Kluivert

More from Rashmee Roshan Lall

The bio

While you're here

While you're here

MATCH INFO

On Women's Day

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

While you're here

UAE%20v%20West%20Indies