Ahead of the end of the summer transfer window, which shuts at midnight on Monday in Europe and at 9pm UAE time on Tuesday for the Premier League, correspondent Greg Lea looks at players who might move on the final day.
Paul Pogba
Manchester City and Barcelona were both heavily linked with France international Pogba earlier in the summer, but Chelsea are the club pursuing him as the end of the window approaches.
Having already parted with Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal – and having lost their first two league games – Italian champions Juventus would be loath to sell Pogba when there is little chance of bringing in a replacement.
But, as the likes of Wolfsburg have found in selling Kevin de Bruyne to Manchester City, Premier League cash is hard to turn down, and a large offer from Chelsea on the final day could be enough to land Europe’s most coveted young player.
John Stones
Stones will almost certainly still be an Everton player beyond the deadline after the club rejected his transfer request last week. Having bid for him three times already this summer, however, Chelsea may be prepared to tempt Everton with one final offer on deadline day, particularly given their surprising lack of defensive solidity so far this term.
It could be argued that Roberto Martinez’s side would have been better served by accepting £40 million (Dh226.2m) for the youngster and refreshing their squad with the proceeds but, at this stage, it would be a major shock were Stones to turn up at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Charlie Austin
His 18 goals in the Premier League for a relegated side was a fantastic return last season, but that alone has not been enough to secure Austin a transfer back to the top flight.
Queens Park Rangers have been adamant throughout that their star man will not be sold for anything less than £15m, with Newcastle United, West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion, Everton, Leicester City and Crystal Palace all yet to make a concrete offer despite reportedly being interested in the former Burnley man.
After disappointing starts to the season, teams such as Stoke City and Sunderland may be tempted to join the race, especially if QPR lower their asking price at the last minute.
Saido Berahino
Similar to Everton’s firm stance on Stones, West Brom have continually said that striker Berahino is not for sale. The England Under 21 international was again left out of Tony Pulis’s matchday squad at the weekend, though, and could still complete a move to long-term admirers Tottenham Hotspur, who are in desperate need of a new forward after drawing another blank against Everton on Saturday.
West Brom have rejected two offers from Mauricio Pochettino’s outfit, with Berahino’s transfer request also dismissed by the club. Tottenham may have to offer in excess of £25m to get the deal done, but Pulis’ decision to drop the 22-year-old forward from the team suggests he may be happy enough to let him go.
Other business?
Tottenham’s capture of Bayer Leverkusen’s Son Heung-min came somewhat out of the blue last week, and there could be more surprise signings in store on deadline day.
Chelsea’s probable failure to land Stones could see Jose Mourinho turn his attentions elsewhere, with Zenit St Petersburg’s Ezequiel Garay and Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos possible targets as the Premier League champions look to bolster their back line.
Another centre-back may also be needed at Manchester United, particularly after Jonny Evans completed a £6m switch to West Brom on Saturday.
Their most pressing need, however, is at the top of the pitch, with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez – who himself looks set to depart – the only senior strikers at the club. Monaco’s Anthony Martial has been linked in recent days, but time is running out to get that deal done.
Arsenal are also in the hunt for a new centre-forward, while Liverpool arguably remain short of a defender or two.
Though there will be no balls kicked in anger on Tuesday, it is nevertheless shaping up to be an intriguing day in the Premier League.
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km
Price, base: from Dh571,000
On sale: this week
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
