Having spent £227 million on five new players this summer – more than any other football club – Manchester United are unlikely to make any more signings in this transfer window which closes on Thursday.
United have been kept abreast of developments regarding several players in recent weeks, including Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Such a move for the 33-year-old – or for former player Memphis Depay, who would be allowed to leave on a free transfer – would be dependent on United losing a striker of their own. If Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Old Trafford this week then United would likely act.
Aubameyang has yet to start a game since the arrival of Robert Lewandowski and Barcelona have been in talks with Chelsea for several weeks about Aubameyang.
Dutch attacker Depay, 28, is well regarded at Barcelona and the club are grateful to him since he arrived on a free transfer – in June, 2021 – and performed well. But despite being a starting attacker at the start of last season, Barca have signed three forwards since.
Sergino Dest, another Barcelona player, has also been linked with United but The National understands no deal is imminent.
The USA international, who usually plays right-back, would be keen on even a loan move to Old Trafford and his wages are low compared to his Barcelona teammates. But United are not intending to let Aaron Wan-Bissaka go – in a permanent deal or on loan – despite the English player wanting to play regular football. The 24-year-old has lost his place in the side to Diogo Dalot.
Barcelona do have one definite offer from La Liga rivals Villarreal who want to loan Dest, 21, who faces a season in the stands if he does not leave the Catalan club.
His USA teammate Christian Pulisic was wanted by Erik Ten Hag and there were multiple contacts about the player, but United’s priority was Antony and they reached an agreement with Ajax on Monday, subject to terms being finalised.
Pulisic is unhappy at barely featuring under Thomas Tuchel so far this season, but Chelsea, who have won only two of their opening five league games, have been reluctant to loan the player, preferring to sell if he is to leave – but that is not expected in this window.
Both Barcelona and United expect to see more outgoings. Midfielder James Garner, 21, is set to join Everton on a permanent deal for around £15 million. Other clubs were interested in signing him but he wants to join Everton. Winger Amad Diallo, 20, is likely to go out on loan to Championship side Sunderland.
Barca would ideally move four players on before the deadline, though only two departures are realistic and expected for the Catalans.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
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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
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
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