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David Luiz is on the verge of a Chelsea return, two years after being sold to Paris Saint-Germain for £50 million (Dh241m).
Chelsea and PSG announced terms had been agreed for the Brazil defender to return to Stamford Bridge from Parc des Princes.
“Chelsea Football Club and Paris St Germain have agreed terms for the transfer of David Luiz back to London,” Chelsea said on their official website.
“The move is now subject to him agreeing personal terms and passing a medical.”
Luiz won the 2012 Uefa Champions League and 2013 Europa League with Chelsea before moving to PSG prior to the 2014 World Cup.
His likely acquisition was part of a busy deadline day for Chelsea, who signed Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina and loaned Juan Cuadrado back to Juventus for three years.
Alonso, a 25-year-old Spaniard, is no stranger to English football, having played for Bolton Wanderers from July 2010 to July 2013. He also spent five months on loan at Sunderland in 2014.
No financial details of the deal were disclosed, but British media reported that the fee for Alonso was in the region of £23 million.
“I’m very happy. It’s a step up in my career and I think this is the perfect place for me to continue developing. It’s time for me to win some titles,” the Real Madrid academy graduate told Chelsea’s website.
Juventus on Wednesday announced Cuadrado had joined on loan until June 2019 for an annual fee of €5 million, with the option for the deal to be made permanent for €25m. The 28-year-old winger spent last season on loan with the Turin side.
The terms of the deal take Cuadrado to the end of the four-and-a-half-year contract he signed on joining Chelsea in February 2015.
Manchester City clear the decks as Bony, Nasri, Hart and Mangala leave on loan
Manchester City de-clogged some of its depth Wednesday ahead of the transfer deadline by loaning Samir Nasri to Sevilla, Wilfried Bony to Stoke City, Joe Hart to Torino and Eliaquim Mangala to Valencia
Frenchman Nasri has joined Primera Liga side Sevilla on a season-long loan deal, both sides confirmed on Monday.
Nasri scored 27 goals and won two Premier League titles in five years in Manchester, but after an injury-plagued 2015/16 season, new City boss Pep Guardiola had criticised his condition when he returned to pre-season overweight.
“The attacker arrives on loan from Manchester City until June 30 2017 without an option to buy,” Sevilla said in a statement.
Ivory Coast striker Bony joins Stoke City on a season-long loan. He has made 44 appearances for Ivory Coast, scoring 13 goals, and was a member of the team that tasted glory at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.
He was signed by City to provide backup for Sergio Aguero, but young Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho moved ahead of him in the pecking order.
Bony has not featured for City this season under new manager Pep Guardiola.
He follows Joe Hart in leaving the Etihad Stadium on loan on transfer deadline day. Hart earlier finalised a move to Italian side Torino.
“Everyone at City would like to wish Wilfried the best of luck,” City wrote on their website.
Bony is Stoke manager Mark Hughes’s fourth new recruit after Wales midfielder Joe Allen, Egyptian winger Ramadan Sobhi and Irish defender Ryan Sweeney.
Mangala, 25, moves to Spain on a season-long loan to Valencia, the clubs announced on Wednesday.
He joined City from Porto for a reported £32 million in August 2014 but has struggled to establish himself after making 48 Premier League appearances under the club’s former manager Manuel Pellegrini.
Mangala, who has not featured for new manager Pep Guardiola this season, played at Euro 2016 on home soil, won the League Cup with City last season and arrives at Valencia as a replacement for Shkodran Mustafi, who joined Arsenal on Tuesday.
Marseille and Tottenham Hotspur trade players
Tottenham Hotspur and Marseille traded players on Wednesday, with midfielder Georges-Kevin Nkoudou moving to the Premier League club on a five-year deal and Clinton N’Jie joining the Ligue 1 side on a season-long loan.
Nkoudou, 21, a France youth international capped to Under 21 level, scored five goals in 28 league games last season as Marseille finished 13th.
“#NkoudouSigns but I’m 40 years old now so I’m not sure to be as quick as I used to be,” Nkoudou joked on his Twitter account after the protracted negotiations between the clubs finally ended on transfer deadline day.
Cameroon international N’Jie, 23, joined Spurs from Lyon in August last year but suffered with injury and featured only eight times in the league last season.
Tottenham, who have five points from three games, next visit bottom club Stoke City on September 10.
Bruno Martins Indi links up with Stoke on season-long loan
Stoke City have signed Netherlands international Bruno Martins Indi from Porto on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old defender, who played at the 2014 World Cup when the Dutch finished third, made 23 appearances in the Portuguese league last season as Porto finished third in the standings.
“We have been aware of Bruno for quite some time now, as many other clubs around Europe have been,” Stoke manager Mark Hughes told the club’s website.
“He is a very accomplished defender who has a lot of experience at a very high level, including playing for Holland during their good run at the 2014 World Cup.”
Stoke, who have also signed striker Wilfried Bony from Manchester City on loan, have loaned out defender Philipp Wollscheid to Bundesliga club Wolfsburg on a season-long deal.
Stoke are bottom of the league with one point from three games and next host Tottenham Hotspur on September 10.
Burnley smash club transfer record to sign Hendrick
Burnley broke their transfer record for the second time in two weeks on Wednesday when they announced the signing of Irish midfielder Jeff Hendrick from second-tier Derby County.
The fee involved was undisclosed, but British media reports said Burnley had paid around £10 million (Dh48m) for the 24-year-old Republic of Ireland international, who has signed a three-year contract.
It eclipses the reported figure of £8.5m Burnley paid Anderlecht for Belgium midfielder Steven Defour two weeks ago.
“The Premier League was a big draw for me and it’s where I aspire to be after the summer I’ve had,” said Hendrick, who was a member of Ireland’s Euro 2016 squad.
“Burnley did so well last year, going unbeaten for five months, and how much they wanted me this summer was a real positive for me.”
Burnley manager Sean Dyche said: “After a protracted deal, we have got a main target of ours and we welcome Jeff to the club and hope he does well.
“He is someone who can add to our strength in midfield and he’s a player who is still learning and still developing and is someone who we think we can work for us now and in the future.”
Burnley, promoted from the Championship last season, are 13th in the Premier League table after three games.
Balotelli linked with Nice
Liverpool’s outcast Italian striker Mario Balotelli was to have a medical at French side Nice on Wednesday amid transfer deadline day talks between the clubs, l’Equipe newspaper reported.
The 26-year-old could be sold or loaned to Nice, the report said. Once one of the biggest hopes in Europe, Balotelli has not played for Italy since the 2014 World Cup and has been told he is not wanted by Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp.
A Nice official told l’Equipe no agreement had been reached and that the medical was “to save time” if an accord could be found.
“If the situation works out, maybe late in the day, it will be done. If we don’t agree with Liverpool, he will leave again,” the official added.
Nice want a permanent transfer but a loan was also possible, the club official was quoted as saying. Balotelli spent last season on loan at AC Milan but the Italian side chose not to extend the deal.
Arsenal midfielder Gnarby joins Werder Bremen
Werder Bremen have signed the Arsenal midfielder Serge Gnabry, the German club’s official Twitter account said on Wednesday.
Arsenal teammates and German internationals Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil “spoke very positively about the club” he was quoted as telling a news conference.
“I’ve come to Bremen to get some playing time, develop further and help the team,” he added.
Gnabry joined Arsenal in 2011 from his local club VfB Stuttgart as a 16 year old but played only 10 league games in five seasons.
He helped Germany win a silver medal at the Rio Olympics this year.
Monaco offload Love and Tisserand
Monaco confirmed the departure of out-of-favour striker Vagner Love to Turkish side Alanyaspor on Wednesday and the sale of defender Marcel Tisserand to Bundesliga outfit Ingolstadt.
Former Brazil international Love, 32, spent just seven months in Ligue 1 after joining Monaco in January and had yet to make an appearance this season.
He has signed a two-year deal with Alanyaspor after Monaco released him from his contract, while Dr Congo international Tisserand will move to Ingolstadt for a fee reportedly in the region of five million euros ($5.6 million).
The 23-year-old, who spent the past two seasons on loan at Toulouse, started in Monaco’s 1-0 win over Nantes earlier this month but was unlikely to feature regularly in Leonardo Jardim’s side.
Togo’s Romao joins Olympiakos
French-born Togolese midfielder Alaixys Romao has joined Olympiakos on a two-year deal with an option for another season, the Greek champions announced on Wednesday.
Romao, 32, was a free agent after leaving Marseille, where he spent the last three and a half years.
Previously with Lorient, Romao is a Togo international.
“It is a great challenge for me to change country, culture and championship. I am here to win titles,” said Romao.
Eliminated from the Champions League in the third qualifying round by Hapoel Be’er Sheva of Israel, Paulo Bento’s side are in the Europa League group stage and will come up against APOEL Nicosia, Young Boys of Bern and Astana of Kazakhstan in Group B.
Riviere leaves Newcastle for Spain
Newcastle United striker Emmanuel Riviere has joined Spanish club Osasuna on a season-long loan with an option to buy, the English Championship club announced on Wednesday.
Riviere, 26, signed from Monaco in July 2014, but has made only 31 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals. His last competitive appearance was at the beginning of March.
The club are currently 14th in Primera Liga after two matches of the season.
* Agence France-Press
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
All the Money in the World
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer
Four stars
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
THE POPE'S ITINERARY
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
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Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Where to Find Me by Alba Arikha
Alma Books
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.”
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
SERIES INFO
Schedule:
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wed Apr 10
2nd ODI, Fri Apr 12
3rd ODI, Sun Apr 14
4th ODI, Sun Apr 16
UAE squad
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Zimbabwe squad
Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Tentative schedule of 2017/18 Ashes series
1st Test November 23-27, The Gabba, Brisbane
2nd Test December 2-6, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
3rd Test Dcember 14-18, Waca, Perth
4th Test December 26-30, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5th Test January 4-8, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Last-16
France 4
Griezmann (13' pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68')
Argentina 3
Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90 3')
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sunday's Super Four matches
Dubai, 3.30pm
India v Pakistan
Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangladesh v Afghanistan
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The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
