Morgan Schneiderlin is expected to leave Southampton this summer, with Arsenal and Manchester United both interested. Toby Melville / Reuters
Morgan Schneiderlin is expected to leave Southampton this summer, with Arsenal and Manchester United both interested. Toby Melville / Reuters

Manchester United are in the ‘driving seat’ over Arsenal in signing Morgan Schneiderlin



Manchester United expect to be victorious in their race with Arsenal over the signing of Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, according to reports.

Both United and Arsenal are in the market for a defensive midfielder, and both have identified Schneiderlin as their primary target.

However, the Guardian has reported that United are in the “driving seat” to sign the France international, who is eager to leave Southampton to play Uefa Champions League football.

United manager Louis van Gaal has made no secret of his desire to strengthen his midfield, and the club have reportedly been weighing up a move for Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger.

However, given his age and proven Premier League pedigree, Schneiderlin, 25, is said to be the preferred option at Old Trafford.

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Arsenal are also in contention, although the club are reportedly concerned that United will trump any bid – and salary package – they can offer.

Schneiderlin wanted to join Tottenham Hotspur last summer, but Southampton blocked any potential move.

However, the chances of Ronald Koeman and the club retaining the midfielder this time around appear less likely.

Three days ago, the player told French radio that “negotiations are ongoing” over his departure from the club “and should be completed in the coming days. Hopefully before the resumption of (Southampton’s pre-season) training next week.”

It is thought that Southampton would entertain offers in the region of £25 million (Dh144.6m).

Elsewhere, after wrapping up a deal for Petr Cech, Arsenal are set to return to Chelsea in a bid to prise away teenage midfielder Charly Musonda, according to reports.

The Czech Republic goalkeeper is expected to complete his move across London in the coming days, but he could soon to be joined by fellow Chelsea player Musonda.

According to the Daily Express, Arsenal are prepared to offer Chelsea £8m for the 18-year-old midfielder. Before Musonda’s move to Chelsea, Arsenal were also thought to be in the running when he was 14 years old at Belgian club Anderlecht.

He opted for a move to Stamford Bridge but is now considering his options over concerns about his long-term future.

It has been reported that Chelsea wanted to use Musonda as part of the deal to sign Colombian striker Radamel Falcao from Monaco, but the French club are not keen on the teenager.

Other clubs credited with an interest in Musonda include Ligue 1 side Marseille and his former club Anderlecht.

Elsewhere, Japan striker Shinji Okazaki signed for Leicester City and will become the seventh Japanese player to feature in the Premier League.

Okazaki, 29, joins from Mainz to end a stay of four-and-a-half years in German football, having also played for Stuttgart.

Leicester announced the signing late on Friday and said Okazaki has agreed to a four-year deal, with the move subject to gaining a work permit and international clearance.

The fee was not disclosed. Okazaki is Japan’s third-highest scorer with 43 goals in 93 games, scoring in the 2010 and 2014 World Cup finals.

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The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

The Laughing Apple

Yusuf/Cat Stevens

(Verve Decca Crossover)

Key changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

Omar Yabroudi's factfile

Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah

Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University

2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship

2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy

2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment

2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment

2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager

 

 

 

 

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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro
Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books 

If you go

Flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.

The stay

Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.

Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases

A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.

One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait,  Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.

In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.

The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.

And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.

 

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Keep up with all the Middle East and North Africa athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics

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