Chelsea believe their pursuit of the Real Madrid forward Robinho will go "to the wire" after selling Shaun Wright-Phillips to Manchester City yesterday.
The winger, 26, who had a seven-year spell with City from 1998 until 2005, has signed a four-year deal at the club for an undisclosed fee.
He said: "I'm delighted to come back to City and I can't wait to get started again." Now Luiz Felipe Scolari will step up his chase for Robinho.
The Brazilian manager has trailed his fellow countryman all summer as he looks to add more attacking flair to his squad
The Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said: "We are ever confident that it will get done and we hope that he will be joining us." The Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon insisted last night that he has not given up hope of staving off Chelsea's attempts to sign Robinho.
He said: "Robinho continues being a Real Madrid player and the coach counts on him. Those in charge of the sporting side of things want him to continue."
Chelsea were also linked with a world-record £80million (Dh560m) bid for Kaka, but he said: "Me going to Chelsea? I'm staying as a Rossoneri player.I've always said I'm happy at Milan and as long as my aims remain the same as Milan's I'll stay here."
Martin O'Neill will not attempt to rush Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry into signing a new contract if he is still with the midlands club when the transfer window closes on Monday.
Barry's agent Alex Black claimed the long-time Liverpool target "will not leave Aston Villa" before the current window ends. It will be a massive relief to Villa boss O'Neill who admits he was resigned during to losing the services of the England player.
He said: "If Gareth stays with us, I will be really delighted. But as for the future now, let's go one step at a time."
* With agencies
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
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