Illia Zabarnyi has agreed a five-year contract with French champions Paris Saint-Germain after leaving English club Bournemouth. Photo: Paris Saint-Germain
Illia Zabarnyi has agreed a five-year contract with French champions Paris Saint-Germain after leaving English club Bournemouth. Photo: Paris Saint-Germain
Illia Zabarnyi has agreed a five-year contract with French champions Paris Saint-Germain after leaving English club Bournemouth. Photo: Paris Saint-Germain
Illia Zabarnyi has agreed a five-year contract with French champions Paris Saint-Germain after leaving English club Bournemouth. Photo: Paris Saint-Germain

Uefa Super Cup: PSG seal €66m Illia Zabarnyi deal ahead of clash with Spurs


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European champions Paris Saint-Germain have completed a €66 million deal to sign Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi on the eve of their Uefa Super Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

PSG, who face Europa League winners Spurs in Italy on Wednesday, announced the arrival of Zabarnyi in a move reported to be worth an initial €63 million which could rise a further €3m with performance related add-ons.

The Ukrainian international has agreed a five-year contract with the Ligue 1 side having joined Bournemouth in January 2023 from Dynamo Kyiv.

He was voted the Cherries supporters' player of the season for the 2023-24 campaign which saw Andoni Iraola's team surpass the club's highest Premier League points total for the second campaign running.

“I'm very happy to join Paris Saint-Germain, the best club in the world, with the best project,” the 22-year-old told the Ligue 1 club's website.

The Kiev-born centre-back, who has 49 international caps, becomes PSG's second signing of the summer transfer window after goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier who joined from Lille for €40m.

“I am a kid that is living his dream. Ever since I was small I wanted to play at the very highest level,” Chevalier said after signing. “I’m really delighted to be here. I will wear this shirt with passion and ambition.”

His arrival suggests that Gianluigi Donnarumma's days at PSG are over after the Italian keeper was left out of the squad to take on Premier League side Spurs.

Donnarumma was arguably the best goalkeeper in Europe last season, playing a key role in PSG's Uefa Champions League run that ended with a spectacular 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the final.

But with one year left on his contract, he has so far refused to sign a new deal and PSG appear determined not to let him leave for free at the end of the season, as Kylian Mbappe did when he joined Real Madrid last summer.

PSG will be returning to competitive action for the first time since losing in the Fifa Club World Cup final to Chelsea.

Tottenham, meanwhile, head into the match having earned their spot by beating Premier League rivals Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Victory in Bilbao – which meant Spurs had ended a 17-year wait for silverware – was not enough to save manager Ange Postecoglou from the sack after a disastrous domestic campaign that saw them finish one spot above the relegation zone in 17th place.

The Australian was replaced by Thomas Frank who left London rivals Brentford after seven years in charge to become Tottenham's fourth permanent manager since June 2021.

And ahead of the Premier League opener at home to Burnley on Saturday, Frank's first competitive match sees them take on Luis Enrique's impressive young side.

The German coach insists he is ready to take on “the best team in Europe” at the Stadio Friuli in Udine.

“We're playing in a final; it's fantastic,” Frank told Uefa.com. “Hopefully we can use some of the experience we have from the last final that the team played against Manchester United.

“[Paris] are the best team in Europe. They won the treble and it looks like they are extremely strong in all 11 starting positions.

“It's a fantastic challenge to have in the first game but, of course, we believe in ourselves. We're going to a final and there will be one objective – try to win it. We don't see it as a test; we see it as two good teams against each other, and we want to win.”

With the likes of defender Kevin Dann (€25m from Lens), winger Mohammed Kudus (€63.8m from West Ham United) and striker Mathys Tel (€35m from Bayern Munich) already on board, Spurs are keen for further signings.

Reports on Tuesday suggest Crystal Palace winger Eberechi Eze is on their wishlist with Frank keen to strengthen his attacking options after James Maddison was ruled out for a majority of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

England international Eze, 27, scored 14 goals across all competitions for Palace last season, including the FA Cup final winner against Manchester City that sealed a first major trophy for the Eagles.

Brazilian winger Savinho, who started for City in their Wembley defeat to Palace, has also been linked with a move to the South London club.

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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

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Quarter-finals

Saturday (all times UAE)

England v Australia, 11.15am 
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm

Sunday

Wales v France, 11.15am
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What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows

Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.

Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.

The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.

After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.

The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.

The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.

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It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.

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Based: Riyadh

Sector: Software

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Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing

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Updated: August 12, 2025, 12:59 PM