'W1N Plate'

Chelsea beat Liverpool to sign £11m Basle forward Salah

Chelsea have beaten Liverpool to land FC Basle's Mohamed Salah for £11million, according to Sportsmail sources in Switzerland.

Sportsmail revealed the Reds' interest in the Egypt forward and talks were reaching an advanced stage until Chelsea gazumped Brendan Rodgers' side on Wednesday. 

With Juan Mata sealing his exit to Manchester United, the Blues have looked to replace the Spaniard with Salah, who impressed against them in the Champions League this season scoring in both of their group stage games, including the winner in Switzerland.

Done deal: Chelsea have signed Basle's Mohamed Salah, who has scored twice against them this season

Gazumped: Jose Mourinho's side beat competition from Liverpool for the £11m Egyptian forward

 

Salah's preference was understood to have been Liverpool, believing he will get more game time, but Chelsea's financial muscle - plus the persuasive powers of Jose Mourinho - have swung the deal. 

Chelsea confirmed on their official website on Thursday afternoon: 'An agreement has been reached with FC Basel for the transfer of their 21-year-old attacking midfielder Mohamed Salah.

'The move is subject to the Egyptian international agreeing personal terms and completing a medical examination.'

Salah later tweeted: 'Mohamed Salah Officially in @chelseafc.'

While impressing in Europe, the forward has also scored 17 goals in 27 games for Egypt.

But he has struggled to find the net as often in Switzerland this season, scoring just four times in the league for Basle to go with those strikes against Chelsea.

On his way out: Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata will be allowed to leave the club by Jose Mourinho

Well-known threat: Salah also scored for Basle in last season's Europa League semi-final against Chelsea

Bye bye, Jose!

Manchester United have agreed a club record £37million fee for Chelsea's Juan Mata to ease the pain of their Capital One Cup KO. 

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho signed off on the deal following talks with club executives and Mata is expected for a medical in Manchester on Thursday. 

United chief executive Ed Woodward agreed to break the club's transfer record for Mata as they attempt to salvage their season. 

Wave goodbye: Juan Mata is set to join Manchester United after a £37m fee was agreed with Chelsea

Dejected: Moyes will be hoping the capture of Mata will arrest his new side's slide into mediocrity

Bitter pill to swallow: Moyes had to watch as Sunderland beat his United team on penalties in the Capital One Cup semi-final at Old Trafford

Glum faces: Manchester United players look on during the unsuccessful penalty shootout against Sunderland

Seven defeats in the Barclays Premier League have left United six points off the pace in the race for fourth place - and Champions League football next season - but Mata's addition will cause a huge stir. 

The Spanish playmaker, 25, trained alone in the fitness centre at Cobham on Wednesday as his team-mates prepared for Sunday’s FA Cup tie at Stamford Bridge against Stoke City.

After the Sunderland defeat at Old Trafford, Moyes refused to talk about the Mata deal. 

Mourinho had given his players two days off following their 3-1 victory over United in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday.

No Spanish inquisition: The Chelsea squad trained at Cobham and Mata was not present for the session

They returned to training on Wednesday to discover that Mata was ‘90 per cent sure’ that he would be leaving Chelsea, three years after he arrived in a £23.5m deal from Valencia.

He has not played for the club since he was substituted in the 53rd minute of their 3-0 victory at Southampton on New Year’s Day.

Mata was replaced by Oscar when the score was still 0-0 and he ignored Mourinho as he walked off the field at St Mary’s. Mata then kicked a plastic chair in the technical area in frustration and team-mates had to calm him down.

Crucial moment: Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho substituted Mata in the match against Southampton on January 1 and the Spaniard has not played for the club since

After the game Mourinho claimed the door was open for any player who wanted to leave and Mata was one of them. 

He believes he will be given a fresh start at United and it’s a huge statement of intent by the champions after an indifferent first season under new manager David Moyes.

Mata, who was Chelsea’s player of the year for the past two seasons, will sign a lengthy contract at United when he has completed his medical.

United believe they have signed a world class player and he is expected to make his debut for the club against Cardiff on Tuesday. 

Providing Mata passes his medical, he will be free to play his first game in front of 76,000 supporters at Old Trafford.

London calling? Basle forward Mohamed Salah is a target for Chelsea

Striking option: Chelsea are believed to be interested in Atletico Madrid's Brazilian forward Diego Costa

Chelsea may decide to spend the Mata money quickly, and were vying with Liverpool to sign Basle’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah on Wednesday night. Chelsea are also keen on Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa. 

While Radamel Falcao at Monaco is still on the Stamford Bridge club’s list, he has suffered a serious knee injury that could rule him out for six months.

Mata is determined to push through the move and Mourinho is understood to have accepted that he wants to leave in search of first-team football.

The midfielder has concerns about his inclusion in Spain’s World Cup squad this summer if he is not playing regularly for his club side and Moyes will give him that opportunity as he starts building a team for the future.

This mother had to trek for nine days in -35C just to get to hospital

The birth of a child is one of the most significant moments in a family's life. 

Many are fortunate enough to experience this in the comfort of a hospital, before driving home with nothing but a table-load of presents and sleepless nights to worry about.

For this family from Ladakh, Northern India, the situation was quite different, as they were forced to travel on foot for 45 miles to get to the nearest hospital.

A different world: As there is no doctor or hospital facility in the village where the family live, they were forced to travel on foot down river Chadar, at an altitude of 11,123ft, for nine days - and then make the same journey back when the baby was born

Latest addition: The newborn baby is wrapped up warm for the nine-day journey back to their home town in Ladakh, Northern India

Long journey: Another member of the family carries the newborn's older sibling as they make their way up the frozen river, walking for eight hours a day

It took them nine days to get to their destination, Lingshed, the nearest town with a hospital, after which they had to return the same way they came - up a frozen mountain river in temperatures of -35C.

A photographer encountered the family during their nine-day journey home with their newborn baby in a basket, carrying a young child.

 

The frozen river Chadar is at an altitude of 11,123 ft,and the family walked for eight hours-a-day over the frozen river often up to their knees in bitingly cold water.

The family were forced to carry both provisions and children, and camped in mountain caves at night as they trekked back to their home town.

The photos were captured by photographer Tim Vollmer from Iceland who was trekking up the Chadar with his friends when he spotted the weather-beaten family.

No other option: The family had to bring food, blankets and other provisions on their backs or on sleds and camped out in caves at night before continuing their gruelling walk in the morning

Tough trek: The family were sometimes forced to wade through icy water and snow after the cold weather blocked the roads from Ladakh to the hospital in Lingshed

Keeping warm: A cave in the mountainside serves as shelter for the night as the family gathers around a fire in the freezing cold night

Tim said: ‘One day we met then this family with the little son and newborn, I was amazed what it is normal for someone to go through to get a child!

‘For me its just incredible, how easy and how much help we get in the western world to give birth in comparison - when you saw this little child and baby, how cold they have been, what they have to do.’

‘The Zanskar River is big and fast flowing. For most if its length between Chillimg and the Zanskar Valley the River is confined within a steep canyon.

‘Walking over the frozen river and very cold rushing water just a few inches below your feet is terrifying.

‘Travelling from Leh, the capital of Ladakh to Lingshed takes four to five days under the best conditions and the long winter snow closes the roads and passes entirely for six months annually.

‘The local people use the river to carry goods for their livelihood and sometimes people die during the dangerous trip.’

As one: Family members brought larger sleds to be able to provide some relief for the mother as she recovers from giving birth

Travelling from Leh, the capital of Ladakh to Lingshed, where the hospital is takes around five days in the summer, but during the winder, snow closes the roads and mountain passes and the frozen river is the only way out

£40million for Mata!

Manchester United have been told to pay £40million for Juan Mata after the champions stepped up their interest in the Chelsea outcast.

Despite posturing from both clubs, Chelsea are willing to sell the Spanish playmaker if United match their valuation — and David Moyes is believed to be on the brink of making an offer.

The deal is complicated because Chelsea still have an interest in Wayne Rooney, but United will not sell the striker.

Red Juan: How Mata might look in a Manchester United kit - David Moyes has been he will have to pay £40m to prise him from Chelsea

On the brink: David Moyes is seriously considering a deal for the Spaniard

Willing: Chelsea are considering the deal if United match their valuation

United manager Moyes wants to add Mata to his squad and the club have the cash to seal a deal for the Chelsea midfielder.

Moyes, who is preparing for the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Sunderland, needs fresh blood. 

United lost for the seventh time in the league this season when Jose Mourinho’s team beat them 3-1 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

They believe a deal can be done for Mata, 25, and Chelsea will sell if United find £40m.

It's complicated: Chelsea still have an interest in Wayne Rooney, but United do not want to sell the striker

United have been given enough encouragement to make their move for a player who has not featured in the Chelsea side since he was substituted against Southampton on New Year’s Day. Chelsea’s player of the year for the past two seasons is desperate to leave Stamford Bridge.

Reaction: Mata was unhappy at being substituted in the 53rd minute against Southampton

He reacted badly when Mourinho substituted him at St Mary’s in the 53rd minute. Chelsea went on to beat Southampton 3-0 and the manager said then the ‘door was open’ if players wanted to leave.

Mata has failed to convince the Portuguese manager of his worth since Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge last summer.

The midfielder fears he will lose his place in Spain’s squad for the World Cup if he is not playing regularly between now and the end of the season.

Many Chelsea players sympathise with Mata’s position, but Mourinho has more confidence in Eden  Hazard, Oscar and Willian.

Although Mourinho’s decision to cut Mata adrift appears to have been vindicated, the Spanish  playmaker remains a popular  member of the squad and he is still adored by supporters. Mourinho has claimed he wants Mata to stay, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of the player leaving if he demanded to go.

Chelsea have won their last five games in the Barclays Premier League and are only two points off top spot.

United will pursue Edinson Cavani in the summer after establishing that his club, Paris Saint-Germain, would not countenance a sale this month.

Sir Alex Ferguson is understood to have called his former United centre half Laurent Blanc to check on the Uruguay striker’s situation, and the PSG coach said they would not listen to bids in this window but would be willing to discuss the possibility at the end of the season.

Preference: Mourinho has preferered the trio of Eden Hazard, Oscar (below) and Willian (above) to Mata

It proves how comfortable Moyes is with Ferguson’s presence and is using his predecessor’s network of contacts to help to rebuild United.

Moyes was interested in Cavani in the summer but shelved a bid as he pursued midfielders and a left back. Injuries and form have  dictated that a world-class striker is required, though, and Cavani’s dissatisfaction with life in Paris means he is a prime candidate.

That does not mean Moyes wants to offload Wayne Rooney. United are  prepared to bite the bullet and let Rooney run down his contract until 2015 if he continues to turn down talks on a new deal. He has worked well with Moyes and the hope is he will be convinced to stay by the manager’s summer dealings.

Unhappy: Edinson Cavani is not happy with life at Paris Saint-Germain and United are interested

Mourinho completed a hectic 24 hours by flying to Paris yesterday for surgery on an elbow following victory over United and the Football Writers’ Association’s gala  dinner in his honour on Sunday.

He had an arthroscopy on a long-standing complaint hours after receiving his award at London’s Savoy Hotel. The operation,  performed by Dr Didier Fontes, had been planned for some time.

His first-team players had been given two days off after a run of six wins and a draw from the last seven League games. Mourinho is expected back at his desk at the Cobham training ground today as he prepares for Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Stoke.

Meanwhile, Hazard has pledged his future to Chelsea, rejecting the idea of leaving Stamford Bridge despite the expected interest from mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain.

Pledge: Eden Hazard has rejected the idea of leaving Chelsea for Paris Saint-Germain

Award: Football Writers Association Chairman Andy Dunn presents Mourinho with an award at The Savoy - the Chelsea boss then flew to Paris for an elbow procedure

‘They often write that PSG are interested in me, because they’re a big club, with lots of money involved,’ said Hazard. 

‘But I’m a Chelsea player and I like it over here. There’s no chance I will leave in January, but I also think I won’t move on this summer. I feel good in this club. This is the ideal environment to make progress as a player.’

Mourinho remarked last week about how Hazard was progressing to become a major player in his team and would be valued by Chelsea at more than £80m.

Tragic end for the little elephant who got lost

This is the dramatic moment a lion single-handedly kills a young African elephant after riding on its back until it collapses to the ground.

The elephant, thought to be around three to four years old, was caught alone as it drank from a watering hole.

Rare footage shows the young male attempt to scare the predator away by mock charging - before quickly turning on its heels.

On the run: A young African elephant flees for its life after being targeted by a lion while it was drinking at a watering hole in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe

Caught: The lion pounces on the back of the elephant, thought to be around three or four years old, as it closes in for the kill

Losing the fight for life: The lion rides on the back of the elephant until it tires so much it has no option but to drop to the dusty floor

Nowhere to left to run: As the elephant came to a standstill, the lion jumped in the air and twisted - which brought the elephant down to the ground 

  

However, the lion easily caught up and leapt on its back - riding it until it tired and dropped to the floor.

The clip was caught on camera by Heidi and Kurt Haas in the Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

 

Kurt, 67, from Switzerland, said: 'The lion tried to unbalance the elephant to bring it down, but in vain.

'Then he tried to slow its pace down by hanging on to the back. As the elephant came to a standstill the lion jumped in the air and twisted - which brought the elephant down to the ground. 

Taken down: The chase was caught on camera by Heidi and Kurt Haas, who said the kill took around 40 minutes from start to finish

Nature at its most brutal: Mr Haas said there was no sign of larger elephants nearby during the 40 minutes it took for the lions to finish the kill

'I'm sure this is a technique which has been practiced for many years.
'Then the lion's brother came to help but only to hold the elephant so his brother could deliver the lethal bites. 

'The whole thing took about 30-40 minutes before the lions - which included another female and a cub - could then begin to eat.'

Prey: It is believed the young elephant became separated from the herd after being driven to the watering hole by extreme thirst

Back-up support: The lion's brother arrives to help but only to hold the elephant so his sibling can deliver the lethal bites

It is not clear if the young elephant was part of a larger herd or living on its own.

Mr Haas said there was no sign of larger elephants nearby during the 40 minutes it took for the lions to finish the kill.

He believes the young elephant was driven to the watering hole by extreme thirst and may have become separated during the frantic search for water.

Dinner time: The lions sink their teeth into the elephant after forcing it to collapse on the floor during the hunt

Hunted: The young elephant had attempted to scare the lion away by mock charging but when that failed he quickly turning on its heels and ran

Mixed emotions: Mr Hass said it was a privilege to witness the kill 'with the eye of the film-maker and with the watery eye of an elephant lover'

He added: 'It is sad but a natural experience of nature.

'It was a privilege to see it with the eye of the film-maker and with the watery eye of an elephant lover. 

'For us it's a unique experience that we will never forget.'

Lost: It is not clear if the young elephant was part of a larger herd or living on its own, but no other members of its herd where anywhere to be seen

Feast for the beasts: A third lion joins the feeding frenzy at the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe

Mr Hass said: 'It is sad but a natural experience of nature. For us it's a unique experience that we will never forget'

"Buruh Paksa"