Spain international defender Aymeric Laporte has completed a move to Al Nassr from Manchester City after signing a three-year contract with the Saudi Pro League club.
Laporte sealed the switch after a reported £23.5 million ($30m) transfer fee was agreed between Nassr and City, and the 29-year-old centre-back becomes the latest in a long line of established stars to move to Saudi Arabia this summer.
Laporte is the sixth major signing made by Nassr, following former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane, midfielder Seko Fofana from Lens, full-back Alex Telles from Manchester United, and midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan. Portuguese winger Otavio joined the club earlier this week.
He will also play alongside Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to the Riyadh giants in December last year and has since been made club captain.
Among the many deals involving big-name players to move to Saudi this summer, Brazilian star Neymar has joined Al Hilal in a transfer record €90m deal, Ballon d'Or holder Karim Benzema leads Al Ittihad's attack, and Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez has moved to Al Ahli.
Laporte left City after five-and-a-half years at the club, during which he won five Premier League titles, three League Cups, two FA Cups, and the Uefa Champions League as part of last season's treble-winning season.
The France-born defender immediately established himself as a key player for Pep Guardiola but a long-term knee injury during the 2019/20 season saw him fall down the defensive pecking order. He reclaimed his starting place in the 2021/22 campaign but was again reduced to a squad player last season.
The arrival of Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol, another left-footed central defender, this summer from RB Leipzig was set to further limited Laporte's opportunities.
Laporte told City’s official website: “I am proud to have represented Manchester City over the last six seasons. When I first joined, I was excited about the prospect of winning trophies. However, I could not have imagined the success we would go on to achieve together.
“I would like to thank the coaches, my team-mates and of course the brilliant City fans for all of their support throughout my time in Manchester. I will always be a City fan and I look forward to seeing you all again.”
City's director of football Txiki Begiristain added: “Aymeric has been an excellent player for Manchester City during a great time for the club.
“He fitted into the team seamlessly upon arrival in 2018 and played a key role in many of our successes over the years that have followed.
“The form of the other defenders in the squad made it hard for him to find sufficient game time in 2022-23 and we respect his decision to seek a move elsewhere."
Laporte, who has made 22 appearances for the Spain national team having represented France at youth level, will help to shore up a Nassr defence which has conceded four goals in their opening two Saudi Pro League games, with both ending in defeat.
The signing of Laporte will also further boost Nassr's chances in the Asian Champions League after the Riyadh club booked their place in the group stage with a tense 4-2 win over UAE champions Shabab Al Ahli. Nassr trailed 2-1 with seven minutes remaining before a late blitz earned an ultimately deserved victory.
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The%20specs
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
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