Andy Carroll's time at Liverpool appears to be drawing to a close. Clive Brunskil
Andy Carroll's time at Liverpool appears to be drawing to a close. Clive Brunskil

Transfer talk: August 23 - Rodgers' Carroll anger, QPR in Cesar bid



Brazil winger Michel Bastos is set to complete his EU8m move to Pro League champions Al Ain in the next few days. Read our full story here.

---

Brendan Rodgers, the

manager, has hit out at

's attempts to land striker

Andy Carroll

on the cheap - saying he would need to be a 'nutcase' to consider resurrecting

.

The striker's future has been a major talking point since Rodgers took over at Anfield earlier this summer - with West Ham, AC Milan and Newcastle all linked with moves for the England forward.

But Newcastle's attempts to sign the 23-year-old on loan, with Liverpool paying half the player's wages, just 18 months after selling him to Liverpool for £35m (Dh 204m) have received short shrift from Rodgers, who insists he does not want the player to head to the Sports Direct Arena.

"Newcastle got £35million for this player last year," he said."To even consider wanting to take him on loan is a liberty. There is nothing more on it for me.

"I need a minimum of three strikers. Once the window shuts, that it is it until January. I have got Luis Suarez, Fabio Borini and Andy Carroll.

"I would need to be a nutcase to even consider at this moment to let Andy Carroll go out, unless there are other solutions for that."

---

QPR are in talks to sign Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar, according to reports from the UK

The Brazil international was a key part of the Italian side's Champions League win two years ago but now looks set to leave the San Siro following the arrival of

Samir Handanovic from Udinese

Tottenham have been heavily linked with the 32-year-old but it is understood that QPR have opened talks with the goalkeeper over a move to the English Premier League.

The news comes just days after summer signing Rob Green's blunder set Swansea on course for a surprise 5-0 victory at QPR, sparking a step-up by manager Mark Hughes in the pursuit of reinforcements for his back line.

---

Ajax are to sign former Denmark international

Christian Poulsen

on a free transfer.

The 32-year-old midfielder was a free agent following his release by French side Evian at the end of last season and has agreed terms on a contract until June 30, 2014 subject to the successful completion of a medical.

---

Adrian Mutu

looks set to complete his move to Ligue 1 side Ajaccio after negotiating his release from Serie B outfit Cesena.

The 33-year-old former

striker is expected to sign a two-year deal with the French club early next week.

"Cesena can confirm that Adrian Mutu's contract, which tied him to the Bianconera for two more years, has been terminated by mutual consent," the club said on its website.

---

are set to complete their summer-long pursuit of

Steven Fletcher

after agreeing an initial £12m deal with

for the Scottish striker.

The 25-year-old is set to undergo a medical today ahead of completing his move to the Stadium of Light.

The final deal could be worth up to £14m for the English Championship side if certain performance-related add-ons are reached.

Wolves are also considering a £10m bid from

for their midfielder

Matt Jarvis

.

---

Denmark midfielder

Michael Krohn-Dehli

is to join

from Brondby for around EU1m (Dh4.61m).

The 29-year-old winger - who

at

- passed a medical this week and is set to join the Spanish side.

Krohn-Dehli had an unsuccessful two-year spell at Ajax six years ago, and Brondby sporting director Ole Bjur said the player had been keen to test himself overseas again.

"We as a club have tried to help him fulfil this wish if the right offer came along," he told the club's website.

---

Alessandro Diamanti

has committed his future to

by agreeing a new long-term contract.

The 29-year-old former

West Ham

striker has agreed to remain at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara for the next five years.

A statement on the club's official website said: "Bologna have reached an agreement with Alessandro Diamanti to prolong his contract until June 30, 2017."

Diamanti, who fired seven goals for the Rossoblu last season, scored the winning penalty as Italy beat England 4-2 in a quarter-final shootout at this summer's European Championships.

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%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Middle East Today

The must read newsletter for the region

      By signing up, I agree to The National's privacy policy
      Middle East Today