Manchester United
Manchester United are lining up fallback plans if their pursuit of Sergio Ramos falters, according to a Dutch report.
De Telegraaf of the Netherlands reports Louis van Gaal will dip back into the Dutch well in the event of a failed bid for Ramos, eyeing Lazio's Stefan de Vrij.
The same report indicates Van Gaal is eyeing Ajax keeper Jasper Cillessen if David de Gea completes a move to Madrid, as well. The former Netherlands manager has already brought Dutch rising star Memphis Depay to Old Trafford this summer, and signed Daley Blind last summer from Ajax for £14 million (Dh80.7m).
A Sky Sports report on Tuesday said United had launched a £28.6 million bid for defender Ramos.
Read more: The National's Transfer Talk page
Manchester City
Edin Dzeko “simply doesn’t want to leave” Manchester City, according to his agent Irfan Redzepagic.
Speaking to Italian radio's Rete Sport, Redzepagic said he was "surprised" by reports out of Italy suggesting Dzeko might be involved in disucssions to join Roma.
“I have had no contact with Roma, nor am I aware of any talks between the two clubs,” he said.
AS Monaco
Monaco have signed France Under-20 international Fares Bahlouli from Ligue 1 rivals Lyon on a five-year deal, the principality club announced on Tuesday.
The attacking midfielder, considered one of the brightest talents to come out of Lyon’s productive academy, moved for a fee of €3.5 million (Dh14.3m), according to sources close to the deal.
Bahlouli has made just nine top-flight appearances for Lyon but was part of the France U20 side that won the recent Toulon tournament.
* Agence France-Presse
Marseille
Marseille have reached a deal with Manchester City that will see Dutch international defender Karim Rekik move to the Stade Velodrome, the Ligue 1 side announced on Tuesday.
Marseille said the clubs had “found an agreement in principle for the permanent transfer of the Dutch international this Tuesday evening, pending a medical”.
Rekik, 20, joined City in 2011 but has hardly played for the English club and spent last season on loan at Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven.
His arrival will provide a boost to Marseille, who have seen Andre-Pierre Gignac, Andre Ayew, Jeremy Morel and Dimitri Payet all leave the club so far this summer.
He will be the third new signing at the Velodrome, following the recruits of winger Georges-Kevin Nkoudou from Nantes and goalkeeper Yohann Pele from Sochaux.
* Agence France-Presse
Saint-Etienne
Ivory Coast forward Max Gradel will only leave Saint-Etienne this summer if the price is right, his coach Christophe Galtier said on Tuesday.
Gradel was outstanding in the second half of last season for the club, scoring 13 goals in the last 13 games to help Saint-Etienne qualify for Europe after returning from winning the Africa Cup of Nations with his country.
The former Leeds United player later confirmed that he wanted to leave for pastures new, but Galtier said Gradel, 27, is expected back for pre-season training on July 13.
“Since I have been at the club, we have never prevented a player from leaving and going where he wants provided the conditions are right, both for the player and the club,” Galtier said.
“It will be the same for Max-Alain Gradel. We are not going to give away our leading scorer if he can’t find a club capable of putting on the table an offer that matches our valuation.
“If that is not the case, our leading scorer will stay at the club and I will be very happy.”
Saint-Etienne have already lost Franck Tabanou since the transfer window opened, with the left-sided player joining Swansea City for around €4.9 million.
However, they have signed the midfielder Vincent Pajot from Rennes and are on the brink of bringing in Benoit Assou-Ekotto, the Cameroon international formerly in England with Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers.
* Agence France-Presse
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Date: Sunday, November 25
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs
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What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
