Jadon Sancho is "guaranteed" to be at Borussia Dortmund next season, the club's CEO has insisted, as media speculation continues to link a number of Europe's top clubs to the England winger.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Barcelona are among the clubs reportedly interested in 19-year-old Sancho, who has seen his value skyrocket after a remarkable season in Germany.
Dortmund, who signed Sancho for €7.8 million (Dh32m) from Manchester City in 2017, have repeatedly ruled out selling the England international in recent months, but speculation resurfaced this week after the club signed two similar attacking players in Thorgan Hazard and Julian Brandt.
But in an interview with Bild newspaper on Sunday, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said they would not let Sancho leave, at least not this summer.
"It is safe to assume that Jadon will not play for Dortmund for the next 10 years," said Watzke. "But in terms of the present day, we have very clear agreements. Jadon is not on the market and he is guaranteed to be a Dortmund player next season."
Sancho earned his first England call-up in October, and established himself as a regular starter as Dortmund challenged for the Bundesliga title this season, scoring 12 goals and assisting 17 in 34 league appearances.
The team eventually finished two points behind champions Bayern Munich, but Watzke insisted that Dortmund will continue to challenge for the title in future.
"We want to be champions, but Bayern are like Mount Everest, an 8000-metre challenge. You can try to tackle it, and we will do that," he said.
"German football has a problem abroad because people see it as having a football monoculture. We broke that this season, and we feel we owe it to German football to set our sights on the title."
Watzke also admitted, however, that neither Dortmund nor Bayern could hope to keep up with the financial might of the Premier League.
"England takes in €2.1 billion more than us in TV rights money every year," he said. "As long as it stays like that, we can only have occasional success. No German team will be able to remain at the top of the European game anymore."
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
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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
