West Ham United captain Kurt Zouma is expected to seal a move to UAE Pro League club Shabab Al Ahli, according to multiple UK reports.
Zouma, 29, has been in talks with the Dubai club over a proposed move with the defender's transfer expected to be made official in the coming days.
The Frenchman has one year left on his West Ham contract and is one of the club's highest earners.
The Hammers have spent big this transfer window, including the £40 million signing of centre-back Max Kilman from Wolves, and are thought to be looking to claw back some of that outlay.
The Sun newspaper reported that Zouma will leave on a free transfer, with Shabab Al Ahli covering the final 12 months of his contract as part of the deal.
The move would make Zouma, who has 11 France caps, one of the most high-profile recruits to the UAE in recent times, bucking the trend of overseas players being recruited to Saudi Arabia.
Zouma has made more than 100 appearances for West Ham since a £29m move from Chelsea in 2021
He made headlines in February 2022 when video footage showed him kicking his pet cat was released.
Zouma later pleaded guilty in court to two counts of animal cruelty and given 180 community service.
West Ham condemned Zouma's actions at the time – fining him £250,000, which they claimed was the maximum penalty they were able to hand out – but he still continued to be picked by then manager David Moyes.
Barring any breakdown in negotiations, Zouma's move to the UAE will bring to an end his 10-year spell in English football.
During his time at Chelsea, he won two Premier League titles, a Champions League and a League Cup during – which was interspersed with loan moves to Stoke and Everton.
After moving permanently to West Ham in 2021, he won the Europa Conference League with the Hammers in 2023.
Shabab Al Ahli were last crowned champions of the UAE in 2022/23. They finished runner-up to Al Wasl last season, trailing their Dubai rivals in the final standings by nine points.
The club are coached by former Portugal and Poland manager Paulo Sousa.
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
