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    Arsenal name striker Eddie Nketiah’s transfer price amid Ivan Toney and Dominic Solanke links

    ARSENAL have named their asking price for striker Eddie Nketiah, according to reports.Despite signing a new contract in the summer of 2022, the forward has failed to become a permanent fixture in the Gunners’ starting XI.
    Eddie Nketiah’s future with Arsenal is well and truly up in the airCredit: EPA
    Arsenal are interested in signing Brentford ace Ivan Toney this monthCredit: ALAMY
    The Gunners are willing to accept a £30million offer for Nketiah if they can get ToneyCredit: GETTY
    Nketiah has fallen behind Brazilians Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli in the Emirates pecking order.
    Crystal Palace were keen on signing the striker before he put pen to paper on a new deal but still hold an interest in signing him.
    But they’ll have to stump up at least £30million to acquire his services, according to The Daily Star.
    SunSports understood the Gunners are willing to part company with Nketiah as they’re hot on the heels of Brentford ace Ivan Toney.
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    The Star claims Arsenal are also interested in signing Bournemouth ace Dominic Solanke and will sanction the sale of Nketiah if either player is brought in.
    Arteta, however, has seemingly poured cold water on the prospect of winter reinforcement, telling Sky Sports: “That’s a possibility.”
    He added: “Unfortunately, Jurrien [Timber] has a very long-term injury.
    “He’s doing really well but is still far from training with the team.
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    Eddie Nketiah wants to stay and fight for his place in Arsenal’s starting XICredit: GETTY
    “It’s what we have, with Tomi [Takehiro Tomiyasu] having to leave.
    “We’re open for the transfer market, but the emphasis is of making the most of the players we have.
    “We’ll work with the club to understand if there are any possibilities, and whether we have any good options.
    “But first of all, we will focus on the players we already have.”
    Despite his lack of first-team football, Nketiah is determined to stay and fight for a place in Arteta’s starting XI.
    He told FourFourTwo last October: “It was just my love for the club.
    “London’s home, the club is home, but I’ve been an Arsenal fan all my life and that played a big part.
    “Talking to the manager and the plans he had for me, and the fact he needed me… I knew I wanted to learn, develop and help this club.”
    Nketiah could lead the line for the Gunners this afternoon in their FA Cup third-round clash with Liverpool after it emerged Jesus is a major injury doubt. More

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    My grandad is Muhammad Ali – now I’m following his path as boxer but I’ve turned down huge payday out of respect for him

    NICO ALI WALSH has such respect for his iconic grandfather that no amount of money could convince him into a cash-grab fight. The middleweight prospect has quite possibly the greatest ever boxing shoes to fill as the grandson to Muhammad Ali.
    Nico Ali Walsh is the grandson of Muhammad AliCredit: Getty
    Muhammad Ali is considered The GreatestCredit: Getty
    Nico with his iconic grandfatherCredit: @nicoaliwalsh
    So far, Nico has forged his own path to success in the ring with a 9-1 record but his iconic surname will always be able to make him millions.
    Although the American is uninterested in profiting from a crossover-style spectacle bout if it means his grandfather’s legacy takes a hit.
    Nico told SunSport: “I have so much respect for this legacy, it’s bigger than me. I can’t be selfish with it because a lot of people care for it. 
    “Just going to Africa and seeing so many people chant, “Ali” just for the love and respect they have for my grandfather was crazy. 
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    “So, this legacy is bigger than me. I can’t be greedy and be like, ‘I’m going to do a money-grab and start fighting YouTubers.’ 
    “That’s insane, I didn’t get into boxing for the money. I think the money will come in time and I love what I’m doing right now, taking the long road. 
    “I want to be champ one day, I want to get to that undisputed level and you can’t do that fighting YouTubers.” 
    Nico, 23, has continued to be linked with a clash against social media star-turned prizefighter Jake Paul, 26.
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    And despite distancing himself from it, Nico praised Paul for his first-round knockout win over boxer Andre August.
    He said: “I’ve got to say, Jake Paul, he keeps getting popped up but I give him a ton of respect.
    “His last fight he fought a legitimate boxer, a no-name boxer and I heard he did well. 
    “That’s what it’s going to take to get to contender status, to get to champ status, to get to a title fight. 
    “It’s going to take fighting someone that nobody knows about, not making any money from it.
    “Just building your resume and then just fighting for millions one day.” 
    Paul claimed an offer to fight Nico was respectfully declined in the past.
    Giving his side of the story, Nico said: “I don’t remember if there was ever a legitimate offer but we’ve made it very clear that we don’t want something like that, respectfully. 
    Jake Paul knocking out Andre AugustCredit: Getty
    Nico Ali Walsh has distanced himself from fighting Jake PaulCredit: Getty
    “We respectfully decline anything like that and it is out of respect for my grandfather, it is out of respect for the legacy that I’m trying to build, it’s out of respect for the career I’m trying to build for myself. 
    “Once you’re categorised in that category it is so hard to break out of that cast.” 
    Tommy Fury, 24, insisted he was going to beat Paul and then return on his path to world championship boxing.
    But after edging past Paul, the ex-Love Islander went straight into facing YouTube sensation KSI, 30, winning controversially on points.
    The foray into the world of influencer boxing has left Fury laughing all the way to the bank – but his title ambitions are now seen as the joke.
    And Nico said: “I know Tommy, love Tommy, he’s an awesome dude, the Furys are awesome but it’s options you’ve got to weigh. 
    “There’s two options, on one hand you’ve got life-changing money and on the other hand you’ve got a boxing legacy. 
    Jake Paul was beaten by Tommy FuryCredit: Getty
    Tommy Fury was a controversial winner over KSICredit: Reuters
    “So you can’t fault anybody for picking one or the other but in my case I will always side with legacy over money.” 
    Nico recently returned with victory in Guinea, beating Noel Lafargue by split-decision over six rounds.
    The bout – documented in an OnlyFans series called Rise & Grind – gave the boxing prodigy the chance to bounce back from his first ever loss.
    He said: “It was super relieving. It’s crazy because nowadays in boxing people value your record more than your ability almost.
    “And that kinda sucks because I’m such an old school guy, I’m only 23-years-old but I’m an old head.
    “And I respected these guys coming up; my grandfather, George Foreman, Joe Frazier all those old school guys, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard.
    “These guys didn’t care about records they cared about putting on awesome fights and nowadays it’s just not like that.
    “So when I did get that loss, me personally I took it as a learning experience but for the world of boxing, for the viewing of boxing I thought, ‘This could really do some damage.’
    “Because people value that record so much but coming back off that it makes your comeback even more when there’s a minor setback.”
    Read more on The Sun

    Nico’s episode of “Rise & Grind” is now available to watch on OFTV More

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    How ‘Cristiano Ronaldo money’ blocked Man Utd from signing Harry Kane before Bayern transfer

    MANCHESTER UNITED failed to sign Harry Kane last summer because he would have cost them “Cristiano Ronaldo money”.United had been keeping tabs on Kane for almost 10 years as he set the world alight at Tottenham and became record goalscorer for the club as well as England.
    Manchester United tried to sign Bayern Munich star Harry Kane in the summerCredit: Getty
    Man Utd didn’t sign Kane because he would have cost as much as Cristiano RonaldoCredit: Getty
    According to The Mail, the Red Devils tried to finally get their star man in the summer when the striker had only one year left on his Spurs deal and was adamant he wouldn’t extend this time around.
    The North Londoners’ chairman Daniel Levy was under immense pressure by owner Joe Lewis to sell the 30-year-old in order to avoid losing the club’s greatest asset for free the year after.
    However, Levy, who is well known for being an immensely tough negotiator, was not at all keen on letting the England captain going to a Premier League rival, even though the player wanted United.
    Therefore, United would definitely have had to splash a staggering amount to seal a deal with the Tottenham bigwig.
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    However, the Manchester giants would also have to spend a staggering amount on the forward’s wages.
    Kane would have cost Erik ten Hag’s side a total amount similar to Ronaldo during the Al-Nassr superstar’s second stint at Old Trafford.
    It’s understood that the Tottenham legend’s salary at Bayern Munich is in the neighbourhood of £500,000 per week, including signing-on fee and bonuses.
    Therefore, United would have found themselves back at the same situation they were in when Ronaldo returned in 2021.
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    The Red Devils would be dealing with an expensive contract of a player in his thirties that wouldn’t have much resale value at the end of his deal.
    That led to United backing off and Kane ultimately moving to Bayern after a £104million deal with Tottenham.
    And the centre-forward has already amassed a staggering total of 22 goals and seven assists in 19 appearances with the German champions. More

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    Football legend Harry Redknapp calls on pensioners to apply for cash boost

    FOOTBALL legend Harry Redknapp has teamed up with the Department for Work and Pensions in a major push to help pensioners secure a cash boost. The goal is to encourage low-income seniors to apply for Pension Credit before the December 10 deadline for a chance to net an extra £300, adding to the average yearly support of £3,900. 
    Harry Redknapp teams up with DWP to urge pensioners to apply for Pension Credit ahead of deadline day on December 10Credit: DWP
    Speaking from his car window, Redknapp described Pension Credit as a “brilliant signing” and called on pensioners and their loved ones to check out the online calculator to see what they could get. 
    The former Tottenham and West Ham boss became famous for hanging out of his car window to give interviews during his managerial career, particularly on transfer deadline day.
    He said: “It’s always an exciting time of the season – I would just say to anyone, check in with your mum, dad, nan, or grandad.  This could be a brilliant signing.”

    Pensions minister Paul Maynard said: “We want every pensioner to receive all they help they can and with time ticking down to deadline day and the window drawing to a close, now’s the perfect time to check out our Pension Credit calculator and make sure you or your loved ones aren’t missing out on this vital support. In many cases, it’s an open goal to more money in your pocket.”
    Currently, 1.4 million pensioners are reaping the benefits of Pension Credit, but there are sill significant numbers on the sidelines, unaware of what they are missing.
    The DWP estimates there are 850,000 more pensioners eligible for the benefit who aren’t claiming it.
    Applying by December 10, 2023 could secure them the extra cost-of-living payment, with the possibility of backdating for up to three months, provided they were eligible during that time.
    As well as this cash boost, pensioners are set to receive an 8.5 percent increase to their state pension after the Chancellor  confirmed the Government would “honour its commitment” to the triple lock.
    Who is eligible for pension credit?
    Anyone over the state pension age living in England, Scotland or Wales is eligible for pension credit.
    The state pension age is currently 66 for both men and women.
    To qualify, you’ll need to have a weekly income of less than £201.05 for single people or £306.85 for couples.
    Your income is worked out taking into account various elements including:

    Your state pension
    Any other pensions you have saved, for instance, workplace or private pension savings
    Most social security benefits, for example, carer’s allowance
    Any savings or investments worth over £10,000
    Earnings from a job

    The calculation does not include:

    Attendance allowance
    Christmas bonus
    Disability living allowance
    Personal independence payment
    Housing benefit
    Council tax reduction

    If your income is too high to get pension credit, you may still get some savings pension credit, so it’s worth checking.
    It used to be the case that couples, where one person was over state pension age, could claim, but new rules now mean that both people in a couple must be over retirement age to apply.
    This means if you’re single and move in with a partner who is younger than the state pension age, you will stop being eligible.
    But if you’re already receiving pension credit under the old system it won’t stop unless your circumstances change.
    Most read in The Sun
    How much can you get in pension credit?
    There are two parts to the pension credit and pensioners can be eligible for one or both.

    Guarantee credit – tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level. This is £201.05 a week if you’re single and £306.85 a week for married couples.
    Savings credit – provides extra money if you’ve saved money towards retirement. You can get an extra £15.94 a week for a single person or £17.84 a week for a married couple.

    You may also get additional pension credit if you are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have to pay certain housing costs such as mortgage interest payments.
    How do I apply
    You can apply for pension credit four months before you reach state pension age.
    Applications for pension credit can be made on the government website or by ringing the pension credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.
    You will need:

    National Insurance number
    Information about any income, savings and investments you have
    Information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want to backdate your application to (usually 3 months ago or the date you reached state pension age)

    Your partner will also need to provide their information if you have one.
    How will I be paid?
    Your benefits will usually be paid into a bank account around every four weeks.
    You will be asked to provide your bank account details when you claim though concessions are sometimes made for people who don’t have access to a bank account.
    Meanwhile, savers with old pensions could save thousands of pounds in retirement by combining all their pots, new data shows.
    Plus, how losing your job can actually get you an extra £29,300 in your retirement fund.
    You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members. More

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    Lionel Messi set to break another record as World Cup-winning jersey tipped to fetch over £8MILLION at auction

    LIONEL MESSI’S World Cup-winning kit is set to smash the record fee paid for sporting memorabilia. A six-pack of the icon’s Qatar 2022 tops are tipped to cost more than the £8.1million paid for a Michael Jordan jersey and £7.1m for Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt.
    Lionel Messi’s first-half top from the final win vs France is one of six of his World Cup 2022 shirts under the hammer as a setCredit: Getty
    This Diego Maradona top fetched £7.1m, more due to his handball than a glorious solo goal he soon added to it as Argentina beat England 2-1 in 1986Credit: Getty
    Michael Jordan’s ‘Last Dance’ season in 1998 was the most-watched on TV in NBA history, with his shirt fetching £8.1m 24 years laterCredit: Getty
    Messi’s jerseys being auctioned include the first-half one from Argentina’s epic final victory over France.
    The 36-year-old scored twice in a 3-3 draw before also netting in the 4-2 shootout triumph – helping him win an eighth Ballon d’Or.
    Sotheby’s in New York are overseeing the sale, with some proceeds going to charity.
    The Barcelona legend, who has since left PSG for Inter Miami, will see half a dozen of his shirts from Qatar go under the hammer.
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    Pride of place goes to his top from the opening half of the final – in which the only goal was his spot-kick on 23 minutes.
    The batch of tops is made up of his semi-final one against Croatia, the last-eight tie with Holland and round-of 16 clash against Australia, plus two from the three group matches.
    If the valuation is met, Messi’s six shirts will surpass the record set in September 2022 by a jersey of basketball all-time great Jordan, now 60, from 25 years ago. 
    That shirt is from the 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 in the Chicago Bulls superstar’s famous “Last Dance” season.
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    For football fans, however, a more notable comparison to Messi’s tops might be the late Maradona’s short-sleeved shirt with which he leapt to handle the ball in against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final.
    The Argentinian called it the “Hand of God”. But England keeper Peter Shilton called it “cheating” – and never forgave him.
    But Shilton’s Three Lions’ colleague Steve Hodge swapped shirts with Maradona after the game – and got £7.1m for his part of the bargain at Sotheby’s in London last year.
    The New York arm of that auction house said the Messi tops are being brought to sale by US-based tech start-up company AC Momento.
    Sotheby’s added: “A portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to UNICAS Project, led by Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) Barcelona Children’s Hospital with the support of Leo Messi Foundation, to meet the needs of children suffering from rare diseases. 
    “This follows the work the Leo Messi Foundation has completed with the SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital Pediatric Cancer Center which treats 400 children with cancer each year.
    “The set of shirts will be on view at Sotheby’s New York in a free, public exhibition open from 30 November to 14 December (the same period during which bids are invited).” More

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    Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney praised after donating thousands to burgled shop

    WREXHAM’S celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been hailed for saving a burgled shop from going out of business.Stephen Tapp’s local sportswear store Wrexham Trainer Revival was broken in on October 28, only a month after he celebrated his new location.
    Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been praised once moreCredit: Getty
    Reynolds and McElhenney saved a burgled shop with a generous donationCredit: Getty
    That terrible incident left Tapp facing financial trouble and thus a donations page was set up online.
    Just as the owner was ready to close shop, Reynolds and McElhenney stepped in with a £3,500 donation.
    That took the grand total to £7,000, a sum that will keep the local business going.
    Tapp told the BBC: “It was overwhelming – I literally had to be picked up off the floor.
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    “One of the biggest actors in Hollywood donating money to my little shop, it’s ridiculous.
    “We were about to wrap up the online donations page, then they doubled the amount I’d already received – taking it to £7,000.
    “After spending so much time talking to the police my head wasn’t in a very good place.
    “I was very close to packing up and selling it all on eBay – the support I’ve had from everyone has been amazing.
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    “The donations page was set up by an American couple I’ve only met once – that money has covered all of my costs and kept the business going.
    “By Sunday tea-time, with the amount of messages I received on social media, there was no way I could give up.
    “They’re welcome to the shop anytime. There’ll be a couple of free T-shirts there for them, that’s for sure.” More

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    Ex-F1 engineer Rob Smedley launches new karting series for kids, with supporting cast that includes Idris Elba.

    EX-F1 engineer Rob Smedley is trying to change the future of motorsport – with a little bit of help from Hollywood star Idris Elba.Smedley, who worked at Ferrari and Williams, has launched the Global Karting League, an electric go-kart series targeted at youngsters – whose parents don’t have deep pockets.
    Rob Smedley wants to do something ‘more purpose driven’ after leaving F1
    The Wire and Luther actor Idris Elba, seen here at the wheel of a Formula E racing car, is helping out the karting scheme via his academyCredit: Getty
    A junior karter gets to grips with the electric kart
    The series, which kicks off in the UK, will offer kids the chance to turn up and race electric go-karts for a fraction of the price of traditional petrol karts.
    Smedley, who is also working with the Idris Elba Speed Academy, hopes Global Karting League will give young racers the opportunity to reach F1 from different demographics.
    He said: “I’ve spent all my life in Formula One and when I stopped with the teams I wanted to do something more purpose driven.
    “One of the things that really interested me was how the majority of the drivers in F1 come from privileged backgrounds.
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    “And that only seemed to be getting more and more prevalent. I spent a lot of time looking at why and it comes down to grassroots level.
    “If you want to participate and be successful, you’ve got to have a huge budget and that’s just prohibitive. A huge barrier.
    “If you want to race at national level, you are getting into £100,000 and the next level and race in Europe, that’s £250,000 a year and it’s not open to anyone but ultra high net worth families.
    “We started with a blank sheet of paper and wanted to massively reduce the cost and complexity and that’s how the Global Karting League was born.
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    “It is about nurturing talent, creating a credible pathway through karting from the very grassroots and kids who’ve never done it before, to eventual world champions.”
    Smedley says that unlike football, many potential star drivers have never had the opportunity to try their hand at racing.
    He added: “If football was costing tens of thousands of pounds, we wouldn’t have found the immense talent across the years from different corners of the Earth.
    “You wouldn’t have found Leo Messi, you wouldn’t have found David Beckham, Paul Gascoigne or George Best.
    “We also have the Idris Elba Speed Academy. He’s somebody like myself who wants to give back.
    “He wants to represent those underrepresented communities. We had 400 kids try out and we filtered that down to 12 kids with the highest potential and put them into the Global Karting League, and they are all fully-funded.”
    One junior karter on the series is Sienna Greene, 15, from Coulsdon, who has the ambition of reaching F1.
    She said: “I first tried karting at a birthday party when I was about nine and I won and a little later I joined a cadet programme at my local track.
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    “Working with Idris has been fun. He’s a lovely person, and he’s really down to earth.
    “I prefer racing the electric karts to the petrol ones because if I do make a mistake, I find it easier to fix, compared to a petrol kart which takes longer to get back up to speed.” More

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    Inside Benjamin Mendy’s £5m mansion as he is forced to slash price as it languishes on the market

    BENJAMIN Mendy has slashed a whopping £750,000 off the asking price of his £5million mansion as he battles bankruptcy following his rape trial. The former Manchester City footballer, 29, must sell the sprawling Cheshire property to avoid financial ruin. 
    Benjamin Mendy’s mansion has now been put up for saleCredit: Savills
    The ex-City defender now plays for Lorient in FranceCredit: Getty
    As he chases up to £10m of back pay from his old club and while rebuilding his career at French Ligue 1 club Lorient, Mendy has now reduced the asking price to £4.25million.
    It comes as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is seeking a bankruptcy order against the footballer over a nearly £800,000 tax debt. 
    The house is described by estate agents as “one of the finest contemporary homes in Cheshire”. 
    The 11,000sq-ft residence is set in over 1.75 acres of grounds and boasts six bedroom suites, an open plan living area, games room, home cinema, swimming pool, steam room, gym and spa. 
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    It was bought by Mendy from cricketing legend Andrew Flintoff in 2018 for £4.8million. 
    Flintoff, who never lived at the house, bought it for £1.8million in 2008 and spent two years rebuilding the property – before renting it out. 
    His tenants included former footballer Peter Crouch and wife Abbey Clancy. 
    The former Man City star was already a millionaire when he joined from Monaco in 2017 on a six-year contract.
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    His deal guaranteed him a basic £100,000-a-week salary and up to £170,000 with bonuses.
    But instead of pocketing £31.2million, he ended up fighting bankruptcy after his 2020 arrest for rape.
    He was cleared of raping a woman following a retrial in July.
    Jurors unanimously cleared him of both charges after three hours of deliberation.
    But despite going free, he was forced to close his image rights company after being chased for unpaid tax.
    The footballer took a huge financial hit after being charged in 2021, with City stopping his salary the following month.
    The sprawling property boasts a luxurious interiorCredit: Savills
    Peter Crouch was a former tenant at the mansionCredit: Savills
    The property is worth millionsCredit: Savills
    There is even a home cinema at the swanky padCredit: Savills More