Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that the Premier League champions are in the market for a striker this month, but stopped short of confirming whether that player was Swansea City’s Wilfried Bony.
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It has been confirmed that City are in talks with Swansea over a deal for 26-year-old Bony, although the two clubs are yet to agree on the final fee, with the Welsh club holding out for £30 million (Dhs 166.62m), some £5m (Dhs 27.7m) more than City are keen to pay.
Indeed, Bony, who was the top Premier League scorer in 2014 with 20 goals, revealed ahead of his trip to Abu Dhabi to join the Ivory Coast squad, that he expected the move to be finalised “within a few days.”
Pellegrini was questioned on the proposed move during his press-conference for City’s trip to Everton, and while the Chilean admitted his club were looking at centre-forwards, he refused to name Bony.
“I will answer this question when I know more about that because I don’t talk about rumours,” Pellegrini said. “We are going to replace Alvaro Negredo because it was the decision that we took in the moment we sold him.
“We decided to see in December if we needed another striker. We need another striker so we are going to find which is the best player to bring in.”
Pellegrini also responded to rumours that he could be in line for the Barcelona job, but the 61-year-old insisted he was “very happy” at the Etihad Stadium.
“I have a contract for this year and next year,” he added.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
