Donny van de Beek is a star player for Ajax and has been attracting interest from Europe's biggest cluvs, including Real Madrid. AFP
Donny van de Beek is a star player for Ajax and has been attracting interest from Europe's biggest cluvs, including Real Madrid. AFP
Donny van de Beek is a star player for Ajax and has been attracting interest from Europe's biggest cluvs, including Real Madrid. AFP
Donny van de Beek is a star player for Ajax and has been attracting interest from Europe's biggest cluvs, including Real Madrid. AFP

Ajax star Donny van de Beek 'not taking Spanish classes' amid talk of Real Madrid move


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Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek appeared to admit there is interest in him from Real Madrid but insisted that "nothing is official".

Van de Beek, 22, has established himself as one of the brightest prospects in European football, helping the club last season to the domestic double of Eredivisie and Dutch Cup, with nine goals and 10 assists in 34 league games and four goals and one assist in five cup games.

He was also central to Ajax's run to the Champions League semi-finals last season, a run that included superb wins over Real Madrid and Juventus, during which Van de Beek scored three goals and created two assists in 12 games.

Like other star members of last season's Ajax team, Van de Beek has been attracting interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs, with reports claiming Real Madrid are prepared to take him to the Bernabeu for €55 million (Dh218m).

However, the Dutch international midfielder has insisted that no decision has been made about his future.

"Playing in the sun is always nice, but no, I haven't started taking Spanish classes,' Van de Beek said in an interview with magazine Helden. "I still haven't said yes to anyone, it's all open. I know what I have here, I'm loved by Ajax and I love Ajax.

"My feeling should be positive at a club, not only that they want me but also that I fit in their system of play. Of course, I also want to know the game time they will give me."

Van de Beek has continued his fine form this season with eight goals and six assists in 23 league games to help Ajax lead the league table, level on points with second-placed AZ Alkmaar. Both clubs are six points clear of Feyenoord in third.

Should Van de Beek leave, he will be following Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie De Jong as young Dutch stars to depart Ajax since last season's success. Defender and captain De Lijt joined Italian champions Juventus last summer, while De Jong moved to La Liga holders Barcelona, both for approximately for €75m, not including add-ons and bonuses.

Meanwhile, Hakim Ziyech - another Ajax star - will join Premier League side Chelsea for €45m at the end of the season.

While an exit seems inevitable at some point in Van de Beek's career, he said he could still remain at Ajax for the foreseeable future.

"Nothing is official [with Real Madrid]," he said. "There is no contract. That is the situation. That has not changed throughout the season."

"I don't want to choose. Both are great clubs, but as I said before, Ajax is also a great club. Therefore, there is nothing to choose from. Everything would be very good."

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

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Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour

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Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue  
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Investors: Founder's friends and Family

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'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'

Director:Michael Lehmann

Stars:Kristen Bell

Rating: 1/5

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Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (11.30pm)

Saturday

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Women
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Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

Company profile

Company: Eighty6 

Date started: October 2021 

Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh 

Based: Dubai, UAE 

Sector: Hospitality 

Size: 25 employees 

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investment: $1 million 

Investors: Seed funding, angel investors  

Sustainable Development Goals

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation

10. Reduce inequality  within and among countries

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16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development

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