Saudi Arabia are reportedly pursuing Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Jr with an offer of more than €1 billion.
Reuters and ESPN reported that the player is willing to hear the offer from the kingdom, which will be the biggest deal in the sport.
Vinicius, 24, has apparently been approached by the kingdom's Public Investment Fund about the possibility of moving to the Saudi Pro League on a five-year contract worth around €200m a season plus bonuses.
According to Reuters, the deal could include a separate 10-year contract to become an ambassador for the 2034 World Cup, which is set to be held in the country – the second time the global finals will be held in the Middle East.
While a formal offer has yet to be presented, Vinicius has reportedly given permission to PIF to approach Real Madrid.
According to the reports, while Vinicius is "happy and motivated" in Madrid, the lucrative offer must be looked at carefully.
However, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said these are just rumours and added Vinicius is focused on performing for Real Madrid.
"The Saudi rumours do not affect Vinicius at all. He's a fantastic player who wants to help Real Madrid be at the top, as he did in the last few years," Ancelotti said ahead of the Uefa Super Cup final against Atalanta on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia has been making major moves in the world of football with the aim of turning the SPL into a league that attracts the world's best players.
The process started with the PIF taking majority ownership of the country's four main clubs: Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr.
The kingdom announced expansion plans this year. The kingdom's ministry of sport launched the latest phase of the "sports clubs investment and privatisation project" to bring in fresh investment at 14 more clubs.
Six clubs were made available for investments from August – Al Zulfi, Al Nahda, Al Okhdood, Al Ansar, Al Orouba, and Al Kholoud.
After that, eight more clubs – Al Shoalah, Hajar, Al Najmah, Al Riyadh, Al Rawdhah, Jeddah, Al Taraji, and Al Sahel – will be up for privatisation at a later stage.
The scale matches the ambition of the SPL, which has witnessed several significant transfer deals. Al Hilal spent €90m to buy star forward Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain.
That came alongside Karim Benzema moving to Al Ittihad after Cristiano Ronaldo signed a historic deal at Al Nassr.
Saudi Arabia also tried to persuade Kylian Mbappe to move to the SPL but the France captain turned down lucrative offer and joined Real Madrid in June.
The proposal for Vinicius is said to be similar to the one made to Mbappe. If he does agree, the Brazilian could link up with former Premier League players Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino at Al Ahli.
Vinicius, who is under contract until 2027 after signing an extension in 2022, is a contender to win the Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world after helping Real to a Champions League and La Liga double last season.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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.
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
More on animal trafficking
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
RESULT
Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
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