Two cryptocurrency millionaires were held captive for more than two days by a London gang who made them strip naked and forced them into compromising positions in a bid to blackmail them, a court heard.

The two men’s lifestyles of excess – much of it posted on social media – was said to have likely made them targets for extortion.

A jury found two men guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment at Inner London Crown Court last week and a further three men were convicted of false imprisonment.

But the court heard that the operation had been controlled from overseas by a mastermind who instructed the offenders through WhatsApp and Snapchat, and that this kingpin – known as Nino – is still at large.

One of the victims alleged that he had also been sexually assaulted by two members of the gang. The jury cleared them of this but as a result of the accusation, the pair cannot be identified because of laws protecting alleged victims of sexual assault.

Prosecuting barrister Heidi Stonecliffe KC said that the millionaires – who are in their 20s – lived extravagant lifestyles that were ‘widely published on social media’ which ‘may well have attracted unwanted attention’.

Their ordeal ended only after a car chase of up to 70mph through residential London streets after the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad tracked down where the millionaires were being held.

When one of the victims was pulled from the offenders’ car, he did so with his hands tied and covered in cigarette burns that he said came from being tortured by the gang, including one burn in the middle of his forehead and one on his cheek.

Officers then continued the pursuit on foot, capturing Bakoya, George and Sineen following the chase

George’s knife was pictured inside a police evidence bag after being found by a police dog

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The millionaires – who are from France but were staying in Kensington – declined to give evidence in person, saying they were too afraid of the gang after the offences, which happened in July last year.

The court heard that the man behind the plot – Ibrahim Mohamed, known as Nino and entered as ‘Fatboy’ in one of the offenders’ phones – had evaded capture.

In the 52 hours that the millionaires were kept in a flat in a block called Rathbone East in Canning Town, east London, the victims said that all they were given to eat during their imprisonment was one KFC spicy chicken wing, while the members of the gang present feasted on the rest of a 20-piece bucket. One of the victims claimed that he was forced to drink toilet water.

The court was told that the millionaires transferred $30,000 in cryptocurrency to the gang but that when no more money was forthcoming, one was let go while the other was driven away. In a recorded interview that the jury heard, the remaining victim said he believed he had been ‘sold’ to another gang who would try to extort more money from him.

The millionaires were held after travelling from west London to east London to buy some cannabis. Ms Stonecliffe said that, after leaving their rented black Mercedes in Shadwell, the pair were ambushed by three masked men with a gun and a knife and forced back into the car, which was then driven to the stronghold by one of the gang, Yasir Mohamed, previously convicted of drug dealing and possessing a knife.

The victims said that there they had boiling water poured over their bodies, including their genitals, and that a cigarette was stubbed out in one of their mouths.

Ms Stonecliffe described the millionaires’ ordeal as ‘cold, hard torture’. She said: ‘They were bound with tape and cable ties and beaten,’ adding that both had socks stuffed in their mouths, and were told they would be forced to have sex with each other and threatened with having their genitals cut off if they did not hand over $150,000. One was informed that his girlfriend would be raped, she said.

However, those convicted of false imprisonment and conspiracy to blackmail were all cleared of kidnap charges, possessing an imitation firearm and sexual assault.

The gang were traced through the phone of a friend of the Frenchmen, who had travelled with them in the Mercedes. Ms Stonecliffe said he was dragged from the car in the ambush but his phone had been left in the car unnoticed.

The friend travelled back to west London, where he persuaded a security guard at McDonald’s in Earl’s Court to make a 999 call. Police could then trace the location of the offenders’ hideout through the friend’s mobile.

Gerson Borges was arrested two days later when police tracked him down

Gerson Borges would later be found guilty of blackmail and false imprisonment

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The chase ended with Adel Sineen, 18, (pictured) crashing into a lamp post. He admitted dangerous driving

Isaac Bakoya (pictured) admitted false imprisonment for his role in the gangs crimes

Julius George, 22, was found guilty of false imprisonment and admitted carrying a knife

He returned to the Earl’s Court Airbnb where the victims had been staying with him and a female friend, who started receiving calls from the victims and one of the kidnappers desperately trying to have money transferred. However, Flying Squad officers advised her on stalling techniques to give the police time to rescue the victims.

To have more money transferred, Yasir Mohamed, 23, of Forest Gate, east London, drove from Canning Town to the Airbnb in Earl’s Court to gain access to another cryptocurrency wallet. Flying Squad officers were waiting and he was arrested. However, the jury cleared him of conspiracy to kidnap, false imprisonment, possessing an imitation firearm and sexual assault, and could not reach a verdict on conspiracy to blackmail.

The defendants’ barristers claimed that there was no kidnap attempt. They said the two millionaires had travelled to east London to buy a large amount of cannabis and that the means their clients used to get the Frenchmen to pay up were virtually all legitimate. It was also stated that one of the victims was under investigation in France for fraud.

However, Ms Stonecliffe pointed to the aggressive and threatening nature of demands for payment made by one gang member to the Airbnb and said: ‘That’s not payment for a deal, that’s payment for people.’

After Mr Mohamed, the next to be arrested were Julius George, 22, of Earlsfield, south-west London, Isaac Bakoya, 18, of West Norwood, south London and Adel Sineen, 18, of Camberwell, south London. 

The trio were recruited to transport the millionaires from the flat where they had been held. They were all present in the offenders’ car when the police started their pursuit, which concluded with getaway driver Sineen crashing into a lamp-post. Bakoya was arrested in the car, while armed police officers chased down George and Sineen on foot.

Sineen admitted dangerous driving but was cleared of false imprisonment and he and Bakoya were found not guilty of possessing a knife.

George admitted to carrying a knife, which he tried to throw away as he was being chased by police down a residential street. It was found by police and a police dog called Sully in a front garden and was covered in George’s DNA.

Further arrests were made of those who had stayed in the flat – Gerson Borges, 24, of Camberwell, south London, and Mohamed Osman, 29, of Finsbury Park, north London, who were found guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment. Also found guilty of false imprisonment was William Adebisi, 19, of Romford, Essex.

Gerson Borges and Mohamed Osman were found guilty of conspiracy to blackmail and false imprisonment

William Adebisi was also found guilty of false imprisonment but the jury failed to reach a verdict on conspiracy to blackmail

The jury could not reach a verdict as to whether Adebisi was guilty or not of conspiracy to blackmail. The Crown Prosecution Service is yet to decide whether it wishes to try him and Mr Mohamed again over these charges.

The Flying Squad’s operation to track down the offenders and free the held men – codenamed Operation Azawahk – relied heavily on tracking where mobile phones were being used and CCTV footage. The team traced Borges, Osman and Adebisi using these methods.

Osman, Adebisi, Borges, Bakoya, George and Sineen will be sentenced in September for their convictions. Sineen has been on bail since his arrest – apart from when he was taken into custody for repeatedly failing to turn up to court – and all the other defendants have been in custody.

Metropolitan Police Flying Squad Detective Chief Inspector Laura Hillier said: ‘These convictions demonstrate the Met’s determination to pursue those involved in serious violence, even in the most challenging circumstances.

‘Our thoughts remain with the victims, who have endured a traumatic and deeply distressing experience.

‘Significantly, this case is a rare example of a conviction of this kind being secured without victim testimony. It sends a clear message that offenders cannot assume they can evade justice simply because victims are unable or unwilling to give evidence.

‘Through meticulous investigation and the presentation of a wide range of evidence, officers were able to build a compelling case and hold those responsible to account.

‘This outcome reflects our continued commitment to tackling serious violence, protecting vulnerable people and keeping London safe. We will continue to relentlessly pursue those who seek to cause fear and harm in our communities.’

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms on Tuesday as heavy rain, hail, floods and power cuts could impact six regions

The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning covering six counties on Tuesday.

The warning will be in place for Northern Ireland from midday until 9pm. In it, the Met Office urges people to prepare a “flood plan and an emergency flood kit” if they are in an area prone to flash flooding.

The national weather agency says some flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely, and that driving conditions could be affected by spray, standing water or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus.

Delays to train services are also possible, with the possibly too of some damage to buildings and structures from lightning strikes, the Met Office says. It adds: “Some short term loss of power and other services is likely.”

Northern Ireland could see as much as 30mm of rain over the course of just two hours tomorrow. “Strong and gusty winds and hail will also be possible with the heaviest showers,” the Met Office says.

As well preparing for potential floods, people should also get themselves ready for power cuts. The Met Office says: “People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.”

Areas impacted by Met Office thunderstorm warning

• County Antrim
• County Armagh
• County Down
• County Fermanagh
• County Londonderry
• County Tyrone

The warning comes despite temperatures remaining high across much of the country today.

The mercury should hit 34C in London, with 32C to come in the Midlands, 29C in the north-west and 27C in Cardiff.

Temperatures will be cooler in Northern Ireland and Scotland, with the Met Office predicting afternoon highs of 21C in Belfast and Glasgow.

BBC Weather forecast

The BBC Weather forecast states: “Tonight, the north and west will be cloudy, and rain will continue to move in, turning rather heavy for some. Drier with clear spells elsewhere, but a small chance of a shower in the far south-east.

“Tomorrow will continue mainly cloudy in Scotland with showery rain. A risk of lightning in spots. Elsewhere, there will be a mixture of sunny spells, patchy cloud and scattered showers.”

Reform UK has pledged to launch ‘the biggest military operation in the Channel since World War Two’ to end migrant crossings.

The plan, branded Operation Fortress, would see the Royal Navy put to work protecting Britain’s borders and towing any small boats back to France.

Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf will unveil the policy later on Monday, at the start of a week of announcements by the party on migration.

He will be flanked by as-yet unnamed senior former members of the Armed Forces – who Reform claim have endorsed the scheme as ‘operationally feasible’, and one the rank-and-file of the military ‘will be ready and able to do’.

Mr Yusuf will say Britain is being ‘invaded’, accusing Tory and Labour governments of responding to the crisis by offering ‘a free ferry service and free hotels’.

He will say: ‘Nigel Farage will order His Majesty’s Royal Navy to ensure that not a single unauthorised vessel crossing the English Channel makes it to the shores of the United Kingdom.

‘Those who attempt it will be intercepted by our Armed Forces and returned to France.’

Mr Yusuf also told the Daily Mail the Navy will be permitted to use lethal force if intelligence agencies confirm the presence of known terrorists or smuggling gang leaders.

The plan would see the Royal Navy put to work protecting Britain’s borders and towing any small boats back to France. Mr Yusuf pictured last week at Ceuta after 60,000 illegal migrants came through Spain’s border 

He said: ‘Once the world realises that crossing the Channel illegally leads only to being intercepted by our Royal Marines and returned to France, the incentive structure breaks. 

‘These economic migrants will stop paying smugglers and the boats will stop coming. That is how we will stop the boats. Reform will stop the invasion.’

More than 160 migrants have died trying to cross the Channel since 2018. Reform insists that the plan is legal under international law, citing the requirement to preserve life at sea.

But it is likely to face significant challenges and opposition.

International maritime law allows states to pick up people from vessels when they are found to be in distress at sea.

But the laws do not permit those individuals to be transferred to another state unless that country has agreed to receive them.

It is unlikely the French would react positively to the Navy towing migrants back to their shores.

Reform admits the plan relies on the French complying with their obligations to stop the crossings.

The party appeared to issue a dare to the French president, stating: ‘We do not believe Emmanuel Macron would order the French navy to open fire on a boat full of civilians escorted by Royal Marines conducting a humanitarian mission.’ 

Mr Yusuf on Monday morning defended the proposals against claims the Royal Navy currently doesn’t have enough ships to return migrants back across the Channel, or that France would simply refuse to accept them.

Tom Sharpe, a former Royal Navy commander, said Reform’s policy ‘starts to unravel quite quickly’.

‘There’s a notion that the Royal Navy could steam in over the horizon and fix this problem, which is declining slightly anyway,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

‘The reality, when you start looking at what ships we have, which is basically none.

‘He’s talking about the largest maritime operation in the Channel since World War Two – a very evocative image, but that’s not the reality. We don’t have the ships.

‘And if you do bring your ships to bear, and you start investigating what exactly you’re going to do with them and where, it starts to unravel quite quickly.’

He added: ‘A billion pound warship that’s configured for anti-air warfare or anti-submarine warfare, which are both threats to the UK, is not best used ferrying people around. You’re better off using an actual ferry.’

Mr Yusuf said under the plans, the Navy will be permitted to use lethal force if intelligence agencies confirm the presence of known terrorists or smuggling gang leaders on small boats

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But responding to those criticisms, Mr Yusuf told the same programme: ‘The vessels we are talking about using are first of all the Bay Class ships, the second one would be offshore river patrol vessels, and on those vessels you have things called RHIBs; rigid hulled inflatable boats.

‘These are very small, highly manoeuvrable Navy vessels which will have Royal Marines on board that will be used to go right up alongside these illegal migrant dinghies, take them on board and escort them back to France.’

Asked what would happen if France refused to accept migrants that had been returned by Britain’s military, Mr Yusuf said: ‘In the event they do not consent the marines will nevertheless… escort the migrants onto the beaches of France and if the French disagree what will end up happening is we will end up having something of an argument with the French.’

He questioned why UK politicians would be ‘unwilling to have an argument with the French and the Elysee Palace over the invasion of Britain’.

Pressed further on what would happen if France did not let the migrants disembark on its beaches, Mr Yusuf added: ‘That would mean the French committing a crime against humanity, that is what would be happening.

‘This is a boat full of innocent civilians who are being rescued as part of a humanitarian mission.

‘If the French chose to do as you’re suggesting… the idea that President [Emmanuel] Macron would order the gendarmerie, the coastguard or anybody else under his control to commit a crime against humanity… I do not think that is a serious hypothetical.’

He went on: ‘We’ve got extensive legal opinion on this, it is legal.’

Robert Jenrick, as immigration minister in the last Tory government before defecting to Reform, ditched plans to turn dinghies back to France in 2022.

France has previously said that such plans would break international maritime law.

At the time Mr Jenrick said: ‘There are limited circumstances in which small boats can be turned around safely in the English Channel.’

Mr Yusuf will set out plans to make the Channel ‘the world’s most surveilled maritime border’ on Monday, with a Reform government creating an Integrated Surveillance Command that gives real-time ability to track all incoming boat launches using drones, the coastguard, helicopters and satellites.

Labour’s Miatta Fahnbulleh defended the Government’s drive to cut the number of migrants entering the UK.

The Energy Secretary signalled ministers would stick with their current plan to reduce the number of small boat crossings ‘because it is working – 50 per cent down on last year’. 

The Cabinet minister told Sky News: ‘I think the crossings this July were the lowest we’ve had for six years and we need to continue that.

‘And the approach that we are taking is threefold. It’s partly about enforcement, so we’ve seen a doubling of enforcement officers to make sure that people aren’t getting on those boats to begin with, and if they are and they need to be returned, they’re returned.

‘But secondly, it is about making sure that we are getting to grips with the criminal gangs that are at the heart of this – we’ve seen an increase in arrests of about 74 per cent.

‘And then the third plank is making sure that there are safe and legal routes. We think that approach is working – 50 per cent down. Everyone wants to see an end to small boats crossing.

‘It is a nightmare for the people who are on those boats, putting their lives at risk. It is a nightmare for us trying to control our borders.’

A Labour spokesman accused Reform of ‘reheating an old announcement in their desperate bid to distract from sleaze scandals.

‘The actions we’ve taken have started to have a real impact and led to 46,000 attempted crossings stopped, and 70,000 people with no right to be here removed,’ they said.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has withdrawn its support of FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s re-election.

The FAW has become the first national governing body to publicly pull its backing of Infantino, just days after he dramatically U-turned on proposals to ‘sell off’ major competitions like the World Cup. FIFA planned to create a private company, open to investment, to run its headline competitions to raise billions of pounds.

The association told Sky News it “hereby confirms its withdrawal of support for the candidature of Mr Gianni Infantino, for re-election as FIFA President for the 2027-2031 term.” See more what on the FAW said here.

The schoolgirl was raced to hospital, where she tragically died.

A nine-year-old girl has died after being found seriously injured at a Scots industrial estate.

Emergency services raced to Elliot Industrial Estate in Arbroath after the child was discovered at 12.02am on Monday, August 3.

Crews attended and she was rushed to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, where she sadly died.

Police have confirmed her death is being treated as suspicious.

A man, 35, has been arrested in connection.

Inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the schoolgirl’s death are ongoing.

Detective Superintendent Nicky McGovern said: “Around 12.02am on Monday, 3 August, 2026, officers were called to Elliot Industrial Estate in Arbroath after a nine-year-old girl was found with serious injuries.

“She was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee where she later died.

“A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection with her death, which is being treated as suspicious.

“Her family are being supported by specialist officers as inquiries continue.”

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Detectives believe he may be in Haverhill

Police have launched a new appeal for a man, who has been on the run for nearly seven months. The 32-year-old, who is wanted for breaching bail conditions, is believed to be on the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border.

Adam Cohen has been wanted by Essex Police for nearly seven months, since an appeal was released in January this year. Detectives believe he may be on the border of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, in Haverhill and are appealing for any new information into his whereabouts. Cohen has links to the Cavendish area of Suffolk, and Southend.

An Essex Police spokesperson said: “We issued an appeal to find the 32 year-old earlier this year as we want to speak to him in connection with a breach of bail.

“He’s described as 5ft 6ins tall with light brown hair and blue eyes and also has links to Southend and the Cavendish area of Suffolk. If you have any information then please get in contact with us.”

You can contact Essex Police by submitting a report on their website or by using their online Live Chat service which is available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.

If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

Wales have stuck their head above the parapet and become the first nation to explicitly stand against Gianni Infantino’s re-election as FIFA president.

Infantino’s future is under intense scrutiny after his plans to sell a £3.1billion stake in the World Cup to private investors were revealed by The Times. 

Those plans have since been opposed by UEFA, the North, Central America and Caribbean confederation (CONCACAF) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), leading Infantino to abandon them.

But as of July, Infantino had reportedly been endorsed by almost all of FIFA’s 211 member associations for re-election. Candidates must be put forward by November 18 and the vote will take place at FIFA’s congress in March. 

‘The Football Association of Wales hereby confirms its withdrawal of support for the candidature of Mr. Gianni Infantino, for re-election as FIFA President for the 2027–2031 term,’ a statement reads. 

‘The recent failures in good governance, processes, leadership, values, stakeholder management, communications and sound judgement have led us to a position where Mr. Infantino has lost the confidence of the FAW to remain at the helm of world football. Failing to put the best interests of football first is a failure we cannot accept.’

Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 after replacing Sepp Blatter and will be standing for the chance to have a fourth term in charge. 

But the events of recent days – and the controversies that blighted him before and during the World Cup – have rocked his authority. 

His plans have been widely lambasted, including by prime minister Andy Burnham, and two of his closest allies have resigned. Firstly his senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro stepped down, and then chief operating officer Kevin Lamour. 

UEFA and CONCACAF have called on Infantino to quit but their ploy to depose the Swiss football administrator has hit a roadblock after Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Lebanon reiterated their confidence in his leadership.

UEFA and CONCACAF make up 90 of FIFA’s 211 member associations. Although that is above the 20 per cent threshold to trigger a vote of no confidence, it falls short of the majority needed to topple Infantino.

With Infantino retaining support from Africa while South America are expected to take the same position, AFC members would be required to oust the FIFA president.

New Zealand could join Europe and CONCACAF’s resistance, but it is doubtful that the remaining 10 members of the Oceania Football Confederation would follow suit.

Infantino wrote to all FIFA nations claiming they would receive £30million if they back his plan to sell off stakes in FIFA’s major competitions. 

The specific proposal was to sell stakes in the tournament to a group led by Josh Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared. In that light, Infantino’s sycophantic behaviour towards Trump – including handing him the inaugural FIFA Peace Price – looks even more suspect. 

After his schemes were exposed to the public – very few individuals had known about them – Infantino initially blamed the media for misconstruing them. He has since reneged on his machinations – for now at least. 

UEFA welcomed Infantino’s abandonment of his plans, writing: ‘UEFA welcomes FIFA’s decision to withdraw its plan to sell a stake in its competitions – including the World Cup – into private hands.

‘The proposal was unanimously rejected by UEFA’s national associations and by many other federations and confederations of all sizes around the world, whose job it is to protect football.

‘We cannot keep going on like this with secret schemes on fast-track timescales, cooked up by faceless individuals and of dubious benefit to the game. We must identify those responsible and hold them to account.

‘It is right that, in the coming days and weeks, UEFA will work with its associations and in close cooperation with other confederations to reflect on how this happened and devise a plan to make sure that it cannot occur again.

‘That review should be thorough and fundamental. No option should be off the table. The current FIFA leadership has not only lost UEFA’s confidence but also that of many other members of the football family.

‘The shabby, back-room, opaque deal he hatched and tried to force through was anything but transparent. This is a victory for the whole game. But it must not be the end of the story. The proposal has gone. The task of rebuilding trust in FIFA has only just begun.’

Countless European nations, including England, Wales, the Netherlands and Norway, endorsed the statement.

A spokeswoman for the English FA added: ‘We fully support UEFA’s position. It is time for a full and robust review of FIFA’s leadership and governance to ensure that the global game is run transparently, for the benefit of all 211 member nations and with the long-term stewardship of football at its heart.’

CONCACAF, as they have all week, followed suit: ‘CONCACAF and its 41 Member Associations welcome the withdrawal of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

‘The Confederation also commends its 41 Member Associations and the wider football family for the courage and unity they have shown this week.

‘At a moment that demanded principled leadership, our members stood together in defence of football’s long-term interests and the principles of good governance. That unity has prevailed.

‘A proposal of this magnitude does not reach that stage by accident. It is a symptom of leadership that has stopped putting football first.

‘This recent unilateral and egregious act of poor governance and leadership follows a pattern of missteps and similar behaviour. A full review of this leadership must now take place.

‘This concern is not CONCACAF’s alone. It is shared across many confederations, Member Associations and those who serve and love the game.

‘When people entrusted with protecting the game conclude they can no longer do so from within, the football family is entitled to ask how such a proposal was allowed to proceed, and who bears responsibility for it.’

Infantino has since said: ‘The FIFA Forward Enterprise project was intended to provide a basis for further strengthening our FIFA Member Associations and our sport worldwide, especially in those countries where support is most needed.

‘And more so, as we said from the outset, to do this only if a majority of the FIFA Member Associations were in support and always subject to a consultation process with them, the FIFA Council, the Confederations and wider stakeholders.

‘Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place.

‘Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.

‘Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, and particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.’

It remains to be seen what happens to the FIFA president, with Infantino having previously been expected to run unopposed in the governing body’s elections next March. 

That may change now, while FIFA member nations could trigger a vote of no confidence to oust Infantino. The threshold to initiate the process is 46 FIFA member associations. For context, UEFA have 55 members. 

Wales have made the first step.  

More to follow. 

Louis Saha believes it could be time for Harry Maguire to leave Old Trafford.Maguire signed a one-year contract extension with the Red Devils in April, with the deal including the option of a further season.The centre-back struggled under Ruben Amorim, putting his future into doubt, but he became integral to Michael Carrick as United secured a return to the Champions League.And even though the 33-year-old has been an ever-present under Carrick, Saha believes: “It’s time to consider if Harry Maguire should move on.“I always come back to those moments where his career was under a lot of pressure, critics were coming from left, right, and center internationally.“He has done really well to still be in that conversation. He’s still a leader and a real asset, able to help us get back into the Champions League as an experienced player. I can still see him having a massive role.“But in a personal way, looking for another challenge at the end of his career is something I can imagine as well. I do think United is still looking for a centre-back.“We have difficulty having center-backs that aren’t injured. We need that.“Look at Arsenal, William Saliba is extremely important, and when he missed a few games, they missed out on winning the title because he wasn’t there. This year he’s been a rock.“United needs a rock-solid defence. We need someone who can play three-quarters of the games and help youngsters like (Ayden) Heaven and (Leny) Yoro get better at leadership.”

By CONNIE RUSK, ASSOCIATE SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

Published: 08:17 BST, 3 August 2026 | Updated: 08:31 BST, 3 August 2026

David Beckham showed off his ripped physique while on board his luxury £16million superyacht in St Tropez this weekend.  

The footballer, 51, is enjoying a cruise with wife Victoria and their son Romeo and decided to cool off from the Mediterranean sunshine with a swim. 

Beckham’s rippling abs and numerous tattoos were on display as he dried himself off after a brief shower to wash off the sea water. 

While David swam, Victoria, 52, shared a video on Instagram of herself dancing to Madonna with her long-time friend Jo Manoukian.

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She wrote: ‘Happy summer. Still dancing to Madonna after 25 years’. 

Victoria sported a black bikini top and a black beach dress. 

David Beckham showed off his ripped physique while on board his luxury £16million superyacht in St Tropez this weekend

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Romeo also took to Instagram where he shared some shirtless snaps as he sunbathed in a pair of blue board shorts. 

The middle Beckham son sported a striking resemblance to his father as he too sported a heavily tattooed physique. 

Meanwhile, David and Victoria’s estranged son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz holidayed with his godfather Elton John, just 75 miles away in Nice. 

It marks the closest Brooklyn, 27, has been to his estranged family in months as they holiday just along the coast of the French Riviera. 

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The Beckhams and Elton have been pals for more than 30 years, with David affectionately calling the musician ‘Uncle Elton’ after the pair became friends in his football heyday.

Victoria and David recently followed the World Cup around the US with Romeo, Kim, Harper, 15, Cruz, 21, and his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30.

Despite living across the pond, their eldest son Brooklyn has avoided all family outings amid their ongoing estrangement. 

In January, Brooklyn released a scathing six-page statement denouncing his parents and declared he was no longer part of ‘Brand Beckham’.

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The footballer, 51, is enjoying a cruise with wife Victoria and their son Romeo and decided to cool off from the Mediterranean sunshine with a swim

While David swam, Victoria, 52, shared a video on Instagram of herself dancing to Madonna with her long-time friend Jo Manoukian 

Romeo also took to Instagram where he shared some shirtless snaps as he sunbathed in a pair of blue board shorts

The middle Beckham son sported a striking resemblance to his father as he too sported a heavily tattooed physique

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Meanwhile, David and Victoria’s estranged son Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz holidayed with his godfather Elton John, just 75 miles away in Nice

Brooklyn also claimed David and Victoria had controlled him for much of his life, attempted to drive a wedge between him and Nicola and left him embarrassed when his mother danced ‘inappropriately’ with him during the first dance at his wedding.

He has not acknowledged any of his parents’ birthdays or milestones publicly since their rift began, around the time of David’s 50th celebrations, and failed to share a post for Father’s Day this year.

It was previously reported that Brooklyn was ‘furious’ that his parents had included him in a Father’s Day post and wants them to ‘leave him alone’.

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Shortly before Christmas last year, Brooklyn blocked his parents on Instagram, while his lawyers later wrote to the Beckhams’ team requesting all communication be conducted through legal representatives. 

The Daily Mail contacted Brooklyn’s representatives for comment at the time.

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