LONDON // Tottenham Hotspur are in poll position in three-way battle to sign Craig Bellamy with Fulham and Celtic, the Scottish giants, also in the bidding after Roberto Mancini, the Manchester City manager, revealed that the striker was not in his 25-man Premier League squad.
However, Robinho, who cost City a then British record transfer fee of £32.5 million (Dh188.5m) when they signed him from Real Madrid in 2008, appears to have a future at the club after all the Italian said that he would be one of the 25.
But Spurs could lose out unless Daniel Levy, their chairman, releases funds ahead of the outcome of Tottenham's Champions League two-legged play-off against Young Boys of Switzerland over the next fortnight.
Levy is ready to sanction to signing of up to three new players, but only if Spurs qualify for the Champions League proper.
Aston Villa's Ashley Young remains another major target.
If Spurs make the Champions League proper they are ready to offer Villa £18.5m for Young, or do a cash-plus-player deal.
Villa have been offered David Bentley, Jermain Jenas and Robbie Keane, but are in a state of limbo following the departure of manager Martin O'Neill.
Bellamy is now up for grabs after Mancini's decision. That means City will either sell the player, or farm him out loan.
Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, admitted his interest in Bellamy last night.
"Craig is an outstanding player and if he is available he would certainly be of interest to us," said Redknapp.
It is understood Redknapp is trying to convince Levy to finalise the Bellamy deal next week but bide his time over Young.
However, Mark Hughes, Fulham's Welsh manager, who lured Bellamy to City when he was in charge of the Manchester club, stressed he wants to sign his fellow countryman again.
Hughes said: "Yes, I'd be interested in signing Craig. He's one of the top players in the Premier League."
Hughes has signed Bellamy twice before, at Blackburn Rovers and then City, and was also his manager when in charge of Wales.
Hughes added: "If he comes on the market, and if we're in the position where we can conclude a deal for Craig Bellamy, then yes we would be very interested. It seems that Manchester City won't be using Craig at Premier League level, so from his point of view it is very important that he makes the right decision for his career."
If Spurs do qualify for the Champions League that may entice Bellamy, although he may yet be lured by an easier life at Celtic where he previously had a loan spell when a Newcastle player.
Meanwhile, Mancini confirmed Robinho will be in his squad yesterday, saying: "He came back yesterday, he is very tired but he is on the list."
Robino has had an unhappy time at Eastlands and returned to his former club Santos on loan in January. He has previously stated his desire to remain in Brazil, but is seems Mancini has plans for the gifted forward.
sports@thenational.ae
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Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
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Favourite singer: Adele
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
