Jose Mourinho has signed a pre-contract agreement with Manchester United with a view to replacing Louis van Gaal as manager of the English giants next season, Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Sunday.
Citing sources from Gestifute, the agency company owned by Mourinho's representative Jorge Mendes, El Pais suggest a deal has been struck that could see the former Chelsea manager make £15 million (Dh79.7m), even if he doesn't end up taking charge at Old Trafford.
If United don’t complete the deal by May 1, Mourinho will be entitled to £5 million compensation, should negotiations drag on beyond June 1 or break down, the 20-time English champions would owe the Portuguese a further £10 million.
Read more: Marcus Rashford example is Manchester United way with youth – would Jose Mourinho get it right?
Also see: Louis van Gaal clings, just barely, to FA Cup, to hope of glory – and to Manchester United
The El Pais report runs under a headline that reads, roughly, “Mourinho wagers on United and is away from Madrid” and goes on to say “everyone agrees” the Portuguese has a hard deal in place with the club.
“Agents near to the English club,” the report says, “said the document attached to United and Mourinho is a common legal instrument in the football industry”.
United “guarantee the right to gain technical services for future seasons while Mourinho ensures the payment” if United never commit to formally hiring him.
The report notes such an arrangement indicates elements in the United leadership structure still “harbour doubts” about Mourinho and maintain “a margin to probe the market for other alternatives”.
The report notably goes on to assert Real Madrid officials have been trying for months "to lay the groundwork for an agreement" with Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes. In trying to pursue Mourinho, Madrid club officials discovered "his rights have belonged to United since February".
Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in December after losing nine out the first 16 games of their Premier League defence.
“I look forward to the future,” Mourinho told BT Sport this week.
“I want my football back, time flies and July will be just around the corner.”
Van Gaal is under mounting pressure if he is to see out the final season of a three-year deal he signed in 2014.
United were dumped out of the Europa League by bitter rivals Liverpool 3-1 on aggregate on Thursday and face an uphill battle to make it into next season's Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League.
They currently sit sixth in the table, four points behind Manchester City in fourth, ahead of their trip to City later on Sunday.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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
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Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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