RONALDO IN SPANISH COURT OVER TAX EVASION CLAIMS

MADRID: Football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in court near Madrid on Monday accused of evading millions of euros in taxes, the latest player to fall foul of Spain’s taxman.

The 32-year-old entered the court in Pozuelo de Alarcon, a wealthy suburb of Madrid where he lives, in a car with tainted windows via an underground garage to avoid the glare of the dozens of cameras gathered outside.The player is expected to speak to the press after his court hearing. A podium was set up outside the courthouse behind metal barriers.

‘HIGH TRANSFER FEES BEHIND PLAYER DRAIN’ Players running down their contracts will become the norm in years to come due to skyrocketing transfer fees, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said.

Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil have both entered the final year of their deals, while many other players could also leave Arsenal for free in 12 months’ time.

“I think in the future, you will see it more and more. Why? Because the transfers are so high, even for normal players,” he told reporters on Sunday.“You will see more and more players going into the final year of the contract because no club will want to pay the amount demanded... in the next 10 years, it will become usual.

NEYMAR IN CHINA AS RUMOURS GROW

SHANGHAI Neymar greeted fans in Shanghai on Monday as speculation mounted that the Brazil star could be set to quit Barcelona for PSG for a world-record 222 million euros.

Neymar, who has remained tight-lipped about the transfer rumours, posted a message for Chinese fans on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, after arriving for a promotional visit.

“Ni Hao China! I’m Neymar Jr. and I’ve just arrived in China,” he wrote on Monday.