Lucas Hernandez won the Bundesliga in each of his four seasons at Bayern Munich. AFP
Lucas Hernandez won the Bundesliga in each of his four seasons at Bayern Munich. AFP
Lucas Hernandez won the Bundesliga in each of his four seasons at Bayern Munich. AFP
Lucas Hernandez won the Bundesliga in each of his four seasons at Bayern Munich. AFP

Lucas Hernandez joins PSG but still question marks over Kylian Mbappe's future


Steve Luckings
  • English
  • Arabic

Paris Saint-Germain made their fifth signing of the summer on Sunday, securing defender Lucas Hernandez from Bayern Munich on a five-year contract.

The French 2018 World Cup winner joins Manuel Ugarte, Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio and Lee Kang-in as Parc des Princes newcomers since Luis Enrique's appointment as coach on Wednesday.

Hernandez, who has signed a deal with the French champions until 2028, said: "I'm feeling so happy, I've been waiting to join PSG for some time now and at last it's happened."

While neither club has disclosed the size of the transfer fee, multiple reports estimated the deal to be worth around €40 million to Bayern.

Born in Marseille, 27-year-old Hernandez has never experienced Ligue 1 football having joined Atletico Madrid as a youngster in 2007 from fellow Spanish club Rayo Majadahonda.

A question mark hangs over Hernandez's fitness with the player only turning out 107 times for the Bayern in four years.

He has been sidelined since undergoing surgery after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the ninth minute of France's opening World Cup match against Australia in Qatar.

Hernandez won the Bundesliga in each of his four seasons at Bayern and the Champions League in 2020, though he was an unused substitute when Bayern beat PSG 1-0 in the final.

“We would like to thank Lucas Hernández for four very successful years together. He always gave everything, we were always impressed by his fighting spirit and his passion. FC Bayern wishes him all the best for the future,” said Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen.

Hernandez will link up in defence with Slovakia captain Skriniar, who joined on a free transfer the day after Luis Enrique's unveiling as manager, with forward Asensio moving from Real Madrid.

Uruguay midfielder Ugarte followed the day after from Portuguese club Sporting, with the Ligue 1 champions signing South Korean international Lee from Real Mallorca on Saturday.

  • Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring against Lens at the Parc des Princes on Saturday, April 15, 2023. AFP
    Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring against Lens at the Parc des Princes on Saturday, April 15, 2023. AFP
  • Lens' Kevin Danso, left, and PSG's Kylian Mbappe fight for the ball in Paris on Saturday. AP
    Lens' Kevin Danso, left, and PSG's Kylian Mbappe fight for the ball in Paris on Saturday. AP
  • PSG's Kylian Mbappe speaks with manager Christophe Galtier> AFP
    PSG's Kylian Mbappe speaks with manager Christophe Galtier> AFP
  • Kylian Mbappe helps Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba get up. AFP
    Kylian Mbappe helps Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba get up. AFP
  • Kylian Mbappe after scoring against Lens. AFP
    Kylian Mbappe after scoring against Lens. AFP
  • Kylian Mbappe is congratulated by Achraf Hakimi, left. AFP
    Kylian Mbappe is congratulated by Achraf Hakimi, left. AFP
  • Lionel Messi after scoring his team's third goal. AFP
    Lionel Messi after scoring his team's third goal. AFP
  • PSG's Lionel Messi scores his side's third goal. AP
    PSG's Lionel Messi scores his side's third goal. AP

Former Barcelona and Spain boss Luis Enrique has been quick to recruit as major doubts persist over the future of Kylian Mbappe.

During Luis Enrique's official unveiling to reporters, PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi warned the 24-year-old France striker he "must sign a new contract" if he wished to remain at the club this season.

Mbappe, widely regarded as one of the best players in world football, has a year left on his contract but has made clear he will not be taking up the option of extending that by a further 12 months next summer.

The impasse is likely to force PSG's hands to negotiate Mbappe's sale this summer, with Al Khelaifi saying it was "impossible" the French club would allow a player valued at €180 million to leave for free.

Real Madrid remains Mbappe's most likely destination, with the Spanish giants failing in their bid to lure the former Monaco striker to the Bernabeu in 2022.

PSG have already seen Argentina World Cup winner Lionel Messi depart after the end of his contract, while Junio Dina Ebimbe joined German side Eintracht Frankfurt.

Spanish defender Sergio Ramos has also left Parc des Princes following the expiration of his PSG deal, and Argentine striker Mauro Icardi is in talks with Galatasaray following a successful loan with the Turkish club last season.

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.

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

Profile of RentSher

Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE

Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi

Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE

Sector: Online rental marketplace

Size: 40 employees

Investment: $2 million

Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY

Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Centre Court

Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)

Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)

Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)

Court 1

Garbine Muguruza (14) v

Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)

Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24) 

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

World%20Cup%202023%20ticket%20sales
%3Cp%3EAugust%2025%20%E2%80%93%20Non-India%20warm-up%20matches%20and%20all%20non-India%20event%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3EAugust%2030%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Guwahati%20and%20Trivandrum%0D%3Cbr%3EAugust%2031%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Chennai%2C%20Delhi%20and%20Pune%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%201%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Dharamsala%2C%20Lucknow%20and%20Mumbai%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%202%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Bengaluru%20and%20Kolkata%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%203%20%E2%80%93%20India%20matches%20at%20Ahmedabad%0D%3Cbr%3ESeptember%2015%20%E2%80%93%20Semi-finals%20and%20Final%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: July 10, 2023, 5:46 AM