John Terry was banned for four matches and fined £220,000 after being found guilty of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, on this day in 2012.

The Chelsea captain denied the charge but a Football Association regulatory commission ruled he was guilty of misconduct during his side’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to QPR at Loftus Road on October 23 2011.

The 31-year-old England defender announced his retirement from international football a week before the FA’s decision and decided not to appeal against it.

An FA statement read: “An independent regulatory commission has today found a charge of misconduct against John Terry proven and has issued a suspension for a period of four matches and a fine of £220,000, pending appeal.

“The Football Association charged Mr Terry on Friday 27 July 2012 with using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand and which included a reference to colour and/or race contrary to FA Rule E3[2] in relation to the Queens Park Rangers FC versus Chelsea FC fixture at Loftus Road on 23 October 2011.

“The charge was the result of The FA’s long-standing investigation into this matter, which was placed on hold at the request of the Crown Prosecution Service and Mr Terry’s representatives pending the outcome of the criminal trial.”

The incident occurred in Chelsea’s defeat to QPR when the pair clashed verbally on several occasions in the match.

Terry was previously found not guilty – in Westminster Magistrates Court in July 2012 – of a racially-aggravated public order offence as the prosecution was unable to prove he had called Ferdinand a “f****** black c***” as an insult.

Terry admitted using the words, but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying.

The FA decided to launch their own investigation of the matter which angered Terry and he announced he was quitting international football with immediate effect, saying his position was “untenable”, on the eve of the independent hearing.

Terry’s legal team had argued the governing body’s own rules dictated that his acquittal in court meant the case could not proceed but the FA decided to carry on with their investigation, stating their charge was distinct from the court charge.

The panel who handed Liverpool striker Luis Suarez an eight-match ban when they found him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra the season before declared simply using racist language was enough to breach FA rules.

Chelsea have taken only five points from their opening six Premier League games this season – their worst start to a campaign since 1978.

Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa leaves them in 14th and extended their winless run to three games.

Here the PA news agency looks at the reasons behind the west London club’s performance problems.

Is Mauricio Pochettino the right man?

Pochettino’s youthful Chelsea squad have experienced teething problems, with their only league win coming with a 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Luton. Their forwards have been wasteful in front of goal, with striker Nicolas Jackson missing seven big chances in six games with just a single goal to show for it. The Blues have shown signs of promise at times but individual errors and questionable changes to the formation will mount pressure on Pochettino, who is expected to perform after Chelsea’s £1 billion-plus transfer spree since May 2022.

How does Pochettino compare to other Chelsea managers?

Pochettino has struggled to improve a Chelsea slump that started under Graham Potter and continued during Frank Lampard’s woeful temporary return. In Pochettino’s first six Premier League games the Blues have scored only five goals, winning once and losing three times. That is slightly better than Lampard’s second spell at the helm, which saw the Blues score seven goals and take four points in their first six games before finishing 12th. Potter managed nine goals and 11 points in his first six games, while Thomas Tuchel – who won three trophies during his Stamford Bridge tenure – picked up 14 points in his first half a dozen Premier League fixtures. With a lack of goals holding Pochettino’s side back, the 51-year-old will hope that an increase in chances taken can turn the tide.

What about all the money they spent?

Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium forked out over £450 million on transfers this summer and have broken the British transfer record twice since January to land midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. Caicedo has had a mixed start at Stamford Bridge after his £115 million move from Brighton. The Ecuador midfielder had a poor cameo on his debut against West Ham before he gave the ball away for Anthony Elanga’s second-half winner against Forest. Jackson is yet to live to up to his exciting first two games in blue and has missed golden chances which have cost Pochettino’s side. Fernandez, however, is the shining light in Chelsea’s midfield and has shown his quality on the ball.

Are injuries to blame?

Chelsea had 12 players missing through injury for last week’s 0-0 draw at Bournemouth, forcing Pochettino to rotate once again. Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia are yet to make their debuts for the club due to being sidelined and the exciting Carney Chukwuemeka’s knee injury at West Ham was more serious than what was first hoped. Suspensions picked up by Nicolas Jackson and Malo Gusto will add further problems for Pochettino when they face Fulham.

What’s next for Chelsea?

After hosting Brighton in the Carabao Cup and a west London derby at Craven Cottage, the Blues face a tough run that includes Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle in their next eight league games. They will need to find an upturn in form if they do no not want to slip further out of the race for European qualification for a second successive season.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is determined to stay fit after revealing his frustration at his latest injury setback.

The England striker returned from a fractured cheekbone to score Everton’s third goal in their 3-1 win at Brentford.

“It’s difficult when you keep getting sidelined and you’re doing everything to stay on the pitch, but I think everyone knows I’m doing everything I possibly can,” Calvert-Lewin told the club website.

“I’m in a good place now, feeling physically fit, strong, fast. I’m buzzing to get the goal and long may it continue.

“We knew we needed a result and most importantly a win but we have to continue the work we’ve been doing, keep the momentum and take that into next week.”

James Tarkowski had headed the Toffees back into the lead against his old club after Mathias Jensen cancelled out Abdoulaye Doucoure’s opener.

Calvert-Lewin then secured Everton’s first win of the season and condemned the Bees to a first home defeat.

“I think that Everton deserved to win,” said Bees boss Thomas Frank. “The first five games we played this season, we performed very well – this was a bad performance. We need to learn from that, move forward and bounce back.

“What this group of fantastic players have done very well over all the years I’ve been in charge here is that, after a bad performance, they’ve bounced back.

“Everything that Everton came with didn’t surprise us. We expected everything, we just handled it poorly. We just didn’t deal very well with it.

“There are two things, besides the bad performance, that we need to look into: one is defensive set-pieces, obviously we conceded two goals and we weren’t on top of them.

“Secondly, is our quality and decision-making on the ball, especially in the first half. We were throwing the ball away way, way too easy with touches, passes and decisions.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists it is too soon to say his “mentality monsters” have returned but he has been impressed by how they have handled adversity so far this season.

The 3-1 Europa League victory over LASK in Austria was the fourth time in six matches this season the team have bounced back from going behind.

However, despite the early setbacks they have yet to concede a goal after the 37th minute and strong second-half performances have seen them turn things around against Bournemouth, Newcastle, Wolves and now the team from Linz.

That has been achieved against the backdrop of introducing an all-new midfield but he is not yet ready to repurpose the tag he bestowed on the side who won the Champions League and Premier League in back-to-back seasons.

“I understand why you are asking me this. It was not long ago I was being asked about us being 1-0 down, 1-0 down, 1-0 down,” he said.

“I understand that this may come up again some time, but this feels completely different.

“When I said that phrase (mentality monsters) at that time, it was not that I planned that way. I just remember watching a game and thinking, ‘oh my God, how did they come back?’.”

“Now it is just that we have changed a few things and turned games around. Staying in a game is a duty and we did that so far which is why we have turned situations.

“Mentality? That is something we will create. What we have now is a mood. This is a spirit we have created because the boys really like playing with each other.

“It is a close group. It is early, that is obvious, and we made 11 changes (against LASK) and when you saw the spirit of the boys at the start it was not like we are on holiday.

“If you saw the dressing room there was a real competitive mood there. I liked that a lot. Again, the boys who came on enjoyed the minutes they got.

“Something is growing but I have no clue how it will go.”

The fact Klopp was able to change the entire team from Saturday’s win at Wolves and still win fairly comfortably is an indication of not only the depth but also the quality he has at his disposal.

It was far from a weakened European team, however, with first-choice centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at the back and almost £100million-worth of attacking talent in Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz up front.

But the major difference was being able to bring summer signings, and two of his new revamped midfield, Dominik Szobozslai and World Cup-winner Alexis Mac Allister plus Mohamed Salah off the bench for the last half hour to see out the game and avoid any late drama.

It means those key players will be fresh for Sunday’s visit of West Ham as they look to make it five successive Premier League wins.

“I made 11 changes. I don’t know what you thought, but maybe some thought it was too much,” added Klopp.

“Everyone deserved to play for what they have shown in pre-season and training. I wanted a team that did not think for one second about Sunday who would go into it and enjoy it.

“Will I do this in every (European) game? Probably not. But we can mix it in a different way.

“For a squad still without Thiago (Alcantara), no Trent (Alexander-Arnold) and no Conor Bradley we can still change 11 times.

“If we have luck – and by luck I mean everyone stays healthy – and we have 23 players like this at this level we can react in all the games we have and we’ll always have a really good team on the pitch. I like that a lot.”

Sheffield United have condemned racist abuse and threats aimed towards goalkeeper Wes Foderingham following the 2-1 Premier League defeat at Tottenham.

Foderingham,  who made a string of fine saves to deny Spurs before conceding two goals in added time, said in an Instagram post on Saturday night:  “I don’t mind opposition fans calling me every name under the sun. But be easy with the racism and family threats. Think before you type.”

The Blades responded on Sunday morning offering support for their keeper and promising to investigate.

A statement read: “Sheffield United condemn the racist, abusive and threatening messages that have been sent to Wes Foderingham after yesterday’s game against Spurs.

“The club will now work with relevant bodies to investigate and support Wes.

“There is no room for racism in our game.”

Tottenham also responded with a statement of their own offering to assist Sheffield United with their investigation and ban any Spurs fans found to be responsible for the abuse.

The Spurs statement read: “We are disgusted to hear of racist, abusive and threatening messages sent to Wes Foderingham following yesterday’s match.

“The Club stands firmly against all forms of discrimination and will cooperate fully with Sheffield United and the relevant bodies in their investigations.

“We shall not hesitate in taking the strongest possible action, including Club bans, against any so-called fan found responsible.”

Paul Heckingbottom’s side were 1-0 up heading into the closing stages at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to a Gus Hamer opener.

But late goals from Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski turned the game around and the Blades are still winless from their opening five fixtures.

Sheffield United have condemned racist abuse and threats aimed towards goalkeeper Wes Foderingham following the 2-1 Premier League defeat at Tottenham.

Foderingham,  who made a string of fine saves to deny Spurs before conceding two goals in added time, said in an Instagram post on Saturday night:  “I don’t mind opposition fans calling me every name under the sun. But be easy with the racism and family threats. Think before you type.”

The Blades responded on Sunday morning offering support for their keeper and promising to investigate.

A statement read: “Sheffield United condemn the racist, abusive and threatening messages that have been sent to Wes Foderingham after yesterday’s game against Spurs.

“The club will now work with relevant bodies to investigate and support Wes.

“There is no room for racism in our game.”

Paul Heckingbottom’s side were 1-0 up heading into the closing stages at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium thanks to a Gus Hamer opener.

But late goals from Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski turned the game around and the Blades are still winless from their opening five fixtures.

Mauricio Pochettino is saddened by some of changes he has witnessed in English football, believing a move towards a more technical way of playing costing the Premier League some of its identity.

The manager is in his sixth full season working in England since being appointed at Southampton midway through the 2012-13 season.

He stabilised relegation-threatened Saints and pulled them clear of the drop zone before helping establishing them in the top flight the following year.

At his next job, Tottenham, he transformed the club from perennial underachievers into regular Champions League qualifiers and took them to the final in 2019, losing 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid.

He is working his first Premier League job since being sacked by Spurs in November of that year, and is tasked with turning around Chelsea’s fortunes after a wretched campaign last season that saw them finish 12th.

The value and commercial appeal of England’s top flight has grown hugely since Pochettino replaced Nigel Adkins at St. Mary’s more than a decade ago, with the appeal and financial incentive on offer to foreign stars greater than ever.

It has influenced English football to move away from some of its traditional habits, typically thought to have been centred around stamina and physicality.

“It’s true that the Premier League is different from when we arrived at Southampton (in 2013),” said Pochettino, who takes his team to face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday looking for only their second league win of the season.

“Improved? Yes. Every season it improves, because the potential of the Premier League to sign players from everywhere has made the teams stronger.

“But it’s true that it loses a little bit of the identity of British football, or English football. Being honest, I like (it) of course, because as coaching staff we love to play in this way.

“English football always was about to fight. But to play good football in (a) different way also is to play well, because if you want to play in a different way, you need to be clever also in how you decide a philosophy and structure of the team.”

The Premier League had only 13 foreign players – not English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish – when it was launched in 1992.

The influx of players, and just as significantly managers, from overseas has seen the league grow to resemble a more technical style previously associated with Spain, Italy and other European leagues.

Pochettino added: “Losing this type of identity I think made me a little bit sad because always in my head it was different football in England, that is true.

“People want more spectacular, more things like this. Of course, that is the evolution of society. People ask for different demands, different things, and we are adapting. Football is adapting.”

Pochettino repeated his call for Chelsea’s young squad – the youngest in the league with an average age of just over 23 – to be afforded the time they need to grow into themselves following co-owner Todd Boehly’s whirlwind £1billion recruitment drive.

He cited one famous example of a player bought for big money who took time to come good.

“It’s not fair to assess one game, two games, three games; (a player) is not performing when we play someone and say ‘they need to perform like this’.

“I always use the same example. Real Madrid paid 70, 80, 100 million for one player, Zinedine Zidane.

“After six months you can ask the fans of Real Madrid. He started to perform after seven, eight months. Zidane was 26, 27.

“When you bring in a player who is 18 or 19 or 20 or 21, be careful. They are not machines. They need to settle. We need to give time.”

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from September 15.

Football

Jurgen Klopp liked his new club merchandise.

Clubs remembered Graham Taylor on what would have been his 79th birthday.

James Maddison was grateful.

Cricket

The Barmy Army were pleased to see Freddie back.

Golf

Nicolai Hojgaard went close to winning a new car at Wentworth.

F1

The Singapore Grand Prix had unexpected visitors.

Miami-based 777 Partners have signed a deal to take ownership of Everton from Farhad Moshiri.

The group, co-founded by Josh Wander and Steven Pasko in 2015, are set to buy Moshiri’s 94.1 per cent majority shareholding.

However, the deal is still subject to approval from the Premier League, Football Association and Financial Conduct Authority.

The PA news agency takes a closer look at the prospective new owners.

What is 777 Partners and what does it do?

777 Partners is an investment platform which began offering litigation funding to lawyers in return for part of any settlement fee and has subsequently branched out into sports club ownership.

Who is already in the portfolio?

Genoa in Serie A, Germany’s Hertha Berlin, Standard Liege in Belgium, Vasco de Gama in Brazil, and French third-tier side Red Star. It also has minority stakes in LaLiga’s Sevilla, which was the company’s first football club investment in 2015, and Australian outfit Melbourne Victory. In addition it also owns London Lions basketball team and a 45 per cent share in the British Basketball League. Outside of sport there are investments in Australian and Canadian budget airlines and global film studio STX Entertainment.

So why Everton?

777 has not hidden its desire to gain a foothold in the Premier League, the most high-profile league in the world, and Everton’s huge losses – more than £430million over the last five years – and Moshiri’s decision to get out after ploughing in more than £700m, with an unfinished stadium still to pay for, essentially make the club a distressed asset and ripe for a takeover.

What are the stumbling blocks?

The Premier League would have to satisfy itself no rules on club ownership are being broken, while there are also new regulations on leveraged buy-outs and proof of funding – and the extent of any borrowing to complete the purchase. Co-founder Wander also only ended a long period of probation in 2018 relating to a 2003 drugs charge which he admitted so would come under additional scrutiny for the owners’ and directors’ test. There are also a number of legal claims against the company still outstanding.

What’s 777’s track record?

Not immediately encouraging for Everton fans, who have seen more than half-a-billion pounds spent in the last seven years with little success to show for it. Vasco de Gama fans have staged protests over a perceived lack of investment and, in early September, Liege fans held demonstrations inside their ground with banners such as ‘No money, no ambition’. The recent launching of a supporters’ bond to help fund Genoa’s new training ground also did not go down well. Hertha Berlin were relegated from the Bundesliga last season and face having to repay a £34m loan at high interest.

Brighton captain Lewis Dunk revealed he emerged from the “carnage” of Roberto De Zerbi’s first fortnight in charge to earn back his place among an England squad he now feels has the belief to win trophies.

The centre-back is hoping to pick up just his second senior England cap, five years after he made his debut in a 3-0 friendly win over the United States.

Dunk has fully deserved a recall after fine form at club-level saw Seagulls head coach De Zerbi describe the 31-year-old as one of the top five defenders in Europe.

Having represented Brighton from their time in the third tier all the way up to captaining the team to a sixth-place Premier League finish and qualification to the Europa League last year, Dunk has seen plenty in his time at his hometown club.

But he admits the change in approach brought about by De Zerbi’s appointment to replace Chelsea-bound Graham Potter last year was a challenge – albeit one that was ultimately rewarding for club and skipper alike.

“Football-wise, since the new manager at Brighton has come in I see football in a completely different way, I picture it in a different way and that is the biggest thing,” he said.

“Football is not what I thought it was. Just how we play now. The idea of what I did before, I thought it made sense. But when you learn something completely different, you believe in it and this makes sense. You think ‘why didn’t I know this?’ and ‘why didn’t I do this before?’ That is just what it is.

“If I am being honest, honest answer the first couple of weeks were horrendous… I wouldn’t say horrendous, they were baffling.

“He (De Zerbi) knows that, we have spoken about it and he knew that at the time, coming in, not speaking English, speaking through a translator.

“Training changed dramatically, we work on a lot of different stuff now and the first couple of weeks were a really hard transition, especially I think we were fourth in the league when Graham left and we were flying with him, and it was a strange time for him to go and then Roberto came in and (it was) carnage for two weeks.”

De Zerbi prefers a methodical, planned approach which requires all of his players – especially defenders – to be comfortable in possession of the ball.

“It’s rehearsed – don’t worry about that,” Dunk added when asked if such tactics – which have led to famous wins over Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal – are risky.

“We rehearse it every day. That is our training. I couldn’t play his position, but now know every position on the pitch and where they should be. The time they should move and what angles they should give. So yes, we see it every day and it makes life simpler.”

Dunk earned his England recall in June, but injury forced him to pull out of the squad to face Malta and North Macedonia in Euro 2024 qualifiers.

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Manager Gareth Southgate has kept faith in Dunk, however, and he is back again at the first time of asking.

“I’m completely different person and a different player,” he said.

“I’m five years older, five years wiser and I’ve learnt a lot football-wise and life-wise in those five years, like you do.

“I’m a different person now and come here with a different confidence that I probably didn’t come with before.”

Asked what was the biggest difference he noticed between the last time he trained alongside Southgate and his players at St George’s Park to now, Dunk added: “We had a meeting the other day and he’s talking about winning the Euros and the whole squad is thinking about winning the Euros.

“So I would say that’s the big change in mentality. It’s not ‘how far can we get in a tournament’. It’s winning a tournament.

“So that is probably the biggest change I’ve seen coming back. It’s ‘we will win this tournament. We want to win this tournament’. That’s what we’re going there to do and being around these top players. I can see why he is saying that and why England can win.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has criticised the “morality officers” who have rounded on Jordan Henderson following his move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq.

The former Liverpool captain, as a long-time supporter of the LGBT+ community, has drawn widespread condemnation for his decision to move to a country where homosexuality is illegal.

However, Rodgers – who managed Henderson during his three years at Anfield – defended a player’s decision to choose where they ply their trade.

“It’s their profession, it’s their life so they have to do what’s best for them,” Rodgers told talkSPORT. “There are so many morality officers around the world nowadays that are judging people.

“But Jordan I know extremely well and I know the love he had and will always have for Liverpool.

“He was at the stage of his career where he probably wasn’t going to be the first name on the teamsheet any more.

“At 32 years of age, he’s won absolutely everything. He probably fancied a different challenge and out of respect, it probably didn’t feel right for him being at another Premier League club.

“So to go abroad and take on a new challenge clearly suited him.”

In his interview with The Athletic, Henderson stressed money was not a motivating factor for him and denied reports he was earning £700,000-a-week.

But the wealth of the Saudi Pro League, particularly Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli who are backed by the country’s sovereign wealth fund, has undoubtedly had a massive impact on this summer’s transfer window and will on windows to come.

“It’s definitely something that makes players wobble because of the money that’s talked about and what it can do for players and the legacy it can create for their families for years down the line,” Rodgers added.

“What makes (Saudi Arabia) dangerous is not only the money, they have a plan. The plan is attracting top players and looking to get top managers out there.”

Manchester United’s valuation on the New York Stock Exchange plummeted by more than £500million in the wake of a report that the Glazers have decided not to sell.

Nine months ago the owners announced a full sale was among the options being considered as part of a strategic review at the Old Trafford club.

Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe made offers to buy United, yet the interminable potential takeover process rumbles on as fans continue to protest against the Glazers.

Hopes of a full sale were seemingly dashed when the Mail on Sunday reported that the owners are taking the club off the market and will try to sell again in 2025.

That report led to more than £500m being knocked off United’s share price on Tuesday.

After the New York Stock Exchange reopened following the Labor Day holiday, the price plummeted from 23.66 US dollars (£18.83) to 19.35 US dollars (£15.40) by close.

United’s market capitalisation – the company’s worth on the stock market – was left at 3.15billion US dollars (£2.5billion) after the 18.22 per cent drop.

Earlier this year the Glazer family reportedly valued United at £6bn.

What the papers say

The now-closed transfer window may have left Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha with the crumbled wreck of a failed deal with Bayern Munich, but, according to the Daily Mail, there is still room for a deal to be done eventually.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid winger Yannick Carrasco seems likely to ditch Europe after a juicy offer from Saudi Arabia. As per the Daily Star, Saudi pro League club Al Shabab is to offer the 30-year-old £12.8million to sign on before the Saudi trade window closes.

Across the pond , Wayne Rooney looks like he could soon be parting ways with DC United after the US club left him on read when he tried to kick off negotiations for a new contract, the Daily Mail reports.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Sergio Ramos: ESPN reports the 37-year-old defender is closing in on a deal to return to Sevilla. He has been a free agent since July, when his Paris St Germain contract expired.

Jadon Sancho claimed he has been “a scapegoat for a long time” as the Manchester United winger hit back at boss Erik ten Hag for saying he was dropped for the Arsenal game because of poor training performances.

The 23-year-old did not travel to north London for Sunday’s Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium, where two stoppage-time goals condemned the Red Devils to a 3-1 defeat.

Sancho was conspicuous by his absence from the squad having come off the bench in their first three matches, with Ten Hag revealing afterwards that he was dropped due to sub-par training.

“Jadon, on his performances in training we did not select him,” the United boss said after the defeat.

“You have to reach a level every day at Manchester United and we can make choices in the front line. So for this game he was not selected.”

Sancho later posted on Twitter: “Please don’t believe everything you read! I will not allow people saying things that is completely untrue, I have conducted myself in training very well this week.

“I believe there are other reasons for this matter that I won’t go into, l’ve been a scapegoat for a long time which isn’t fair! “All I want to do is play football with a smile on my face and contribute to my team.

“I respect all decisions that are made by the coaching staff, I play with fantastic players and (am) grateful to do so which I know every week is a challenge.

“I will continue to fight for this badge no matter what!”

Sancho has struggled for consistent form since moving to Old Trafford for Borussia Dortmund for £73million in 2021. The England international has scored 12 goals in 82 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.

He started Ten Hag’s first season brightly but did not feature from October 22 until February 1 – a period that saw him watch the World Cup from afar and do an individual winter fitness programme in the Netherlands.

Sancho played in the Carabao Cup final win against Newcastle after returning and ended the campaign with seven goals and three assists.

Liverpool have rejected a £150million offer for Mohamed Salah from Saudi Arabia Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

The Egypt international has been the subject of interest from the Middle East for some time and the PA news agency understands a verbal offer was made on Friday.

However, the club have rejected it out of hand and consider the matter closed as the forward is not for sale.