Manchester United
ESPNFC are reporting comments from Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc that "the matter is close to being finished" with regards to Angel Di Maria making a move to the Ligue 1 champions.
“I’m rather positive about it but,” says the Frenchman, “in transfers, we have seen what can happen – so as long as it’s not official ...
"When I tell you that, it's the truth. The most important thing is to see him in the PSG squad. But as you know, he belongs to a great club called Manchester United. Be patient."
Argentine winger Di Maria has been left behind from Man United's US tour, which has fuelled speculation he would be on the way out. But as recently as the weekend United manager Louis van Gaal was saying "I hope Di Maria shall stay" as he stressed the need for more pace in his side.
Di Maria came on hot for United last season following his record £59.7 million (Dh340.8m) move from Real Madrid, but cooled quickly and finished with just three goals in 27 Premier League appearances. Nevertheless, he did contribute 10 assists and was in fine form during the Copa America, leading to thoughts he would still come good for Van Gaal’s side.
Tottenham Hotspur
According to a Daily Mail report, Tottenham Hotspur are reigniting their search for an impact buy this summer, specifically ramping up their efforts to recruit West Bromwich Albion target man Saido Berahino.
Spurs, who finished fifth last season in the Premier League, have made more news for their sales this summer, including Paulinho's £11m move to Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande, as well recent moves to offload Benjamin Stambouli, Younes Kaboul and Etienne Capoue.
Their highest-profile arrival has been Toby Alderweireld from Atletico Madrid, along with Kieran Trippier from Burnley and Kevin Wimmer from Cologne, all defenders.
In Berahino, Spurs would be investing in a 21-year-old who produced 14 goals in 38 league matches for West Brom last season, presumably to pair with Harry Kane. Neither Roberto Soldado nor Emmanuel Adebayor, the club’s other two first-team strikers, have offered the club much the past two seasons.
Read more: The National's Transfer Talk page
The Mail report indicates, however, that Tottenham are yet to arrive at agreeing with West Brom's £20m valuation of Berahino, and any bid that falls below that threshold is likely to be dismissed.
Meanwhile, Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, various reports suggest, is active on many other fronts.
The Mail indicates there are talks to send Adebayor to Aston Villa, while Vlad Chiriches has been linked to Serie A in multiple outlets.
German outlet Kicker meanwhile has reported a rejected bid from Spurs for Schalke's Leroy Sane, 19, at €12 million (Dh48.7m). Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt told the magazine, "Leroy is a player with tremendous prospects," and added he could be worth well north of Tottenham's valuation "if he so advanced".
Arsenal
According to the Mirror, Southampton launched a bid to re-claim Calum Chambers from Arsenal, if only for a season, but Arsene Wenger shot down the idea.
Wenger pried Chambers away from Southampton just last summer for £16m, one of a mass exodus of talent from the south coast club last summer and again this transfer period.
But the Ronald Koeman-coached club appear to have tried to pull one back, at least temporarily, looking to bring the defender in on a season-long loan. Wenger, however, goes the report, is not entertaining loan offers for the 20-year-old after he impressed in spurts last season. He appeared in 23 Premier League contests, with another five in cup competitions.
Stoke City
Stoke City have signed Netherlands winger Ibrahim Afellay on a two-year contract, the Premier League club said on Monday.
The 29-year-old, who has played 50 times for his country, left Barcelona at the end of last season after four years.
“It’s no secret that Ibrahim was wanted by a number of clubs and we are understandably delighted that he has chosen to join us,” Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes told the club’s website.
“He’s clearly excited about the prospect of playing in the Premier League and the fact that he knows so many players who are already at the club will no doubt help him settle into his new surroundings.”
Afellay started his career with PSV Eindhoven and helped the Netherlands reach the 2010 World Cup final before joining Barca.
The Spanish giants won the Champions League in 2011 but Afellay’s career in Spain was stalled by injuries and he was sent out on loan to Schalke from 2012-13 and Olympiakos last season.
Afellay was Stoke’s eighth signing of the close season after Philipp Wollscheid, Jakob Haugaard, Joselu, Marco van Ginkel, Glen Johnson, Shay Given and Moha.
*Reuters
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have recruited striker Jordan Ayew from French side Lorient, the Premier League club said on Monday.
The 23-year-old Ghana international has signed a five-year contract at Villa Park.
“I am really pleased to bring Jordan to the football club,” manager Tim Sherwood told the Villa website.
“He is a fantastic young player who is perfectly suited to the Premier League.”
Villa have also agreed a deal to sign Cordoba fullback Jose Angel Crespo, the Spanish club said.
The 28-year-old has been in a contractual dispute with the Andalusian side following their relegation from La Liga last season and has been looking for a move away.
“Cordoba and Aston Villa have reached an agreement for the transfer of Jose Angel Crespo to the English club,” Cordoba said on Twitter.
“The defender ... will travel to England today for a medical ahead of the signing.”
Villa, who sold striker Christian Benteke to Liverpool this month, have also signed French defender Jordan Amavi and Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye from Ligue 1 clubs since the end of last season.
*Reuters
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Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Background: Chemical Weapons
MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 0 Southampton 3 (Ings 49', Armstrong 54', Redmond 79')
Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
Results
2pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: AF Thayer, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: AF Sahwa, Nathan Crosse, Mohamed Ramadan.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: AF Thobor, Szczepan Mazur, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mezmar, Szczepan Mazur, Ernst Oertel.
4pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup presented by Longines (TB) Dh 200,000 (D) 1,700m, Winner: Galvanize, Nathan Cross, Doug Watson.
4.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m, Winner: Ajaj, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mohamed Daggash.
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
Race card
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammed Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Saeed Ahmed, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Muhammed Jumah, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Scores
Day 2
New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227
New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
