RB Leipzig Prepared to Sell Rumoured Liverpool Target Upamecano

The German club have reiterated that despite success on the
pitch their strategy remains recruitment and player sales.

Liverpool seemed as though they needed to sign a centre half in
the summer when Dejan Lovren departed, but didn’t. Now they seem as
though they desperately need to sign one with Virgil van Dijk and
Joe Gomez out for the season.

Club connected journalists, though, insist it’s likely they
won’t—that the Reds have long-term plans and won’t change course in
January. Now, RB Leipzig have reiterated that one potential
long-term target might be available come summer.

“We will give up top performers again if it makes financial
sense and we can maintain sporting quality,” Leipzig director
Oliver Mintzlaff told Bild

Upamecano has been linked with the Reds since last summer, with
the 22-year-old French centre half seen by many as one of the top
young players at his position in the game, but Leipzig have made it
clear they’re not ready to sell just yet.

It’s clear, though, that Leipzig see the 18-year-old Gvardiol as
a key player for the future after signing him for €16M plus add-ons
from Dinamo Zagreb last September and immediately loaning him back
to the Croatian club he grew up at.

He will arrive at Leipzig next summer and a more established
player will be expected depart on a high fee to make room for him.
While it may not be certain that someone will be Upamecano, the
rising French star is the clear and obvious option.

“When I think of Werner, Cunha, Keïta, or Demme, we have already
sold a lot and still developed further in terms of sport,”
Mintzlaff added of Leipzig’s approach. “Overall we have invested a
lot in our team, but we create value our way.”

The Senate has sustained a query against the Ministry of Health
over alleged mismanagement of N4.6 billion meant to fight the Ebola
virus disease in Nigeria in 2014.

The query is contained in the 2015 Auditor General’s report
being considered by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts.

The committee chaired by Senator Matthew Urhoghide said it had
no choice but to sustain the query against the Ministry after it
failed to respond to series of invitation meant to give it and
opportunity to state its own side about how the money was
spent.

According to Urhoghide: “We have written letters to them, but
till now they have refused to appear before the committee thus
giving credence to the observation of the Auditor General of the
Federation.”

The query reads: “Following the sudden outbreak of the Ebola
scourge/disease in Nigeria and the determination of the Federal
Government to contain and control the spread of the disease, a
total sum of N4,887,079,750.00 was released to control the Ebola
disease.

“The sum of N1,992,548,500.00 was released on 11th August 2014
while the balance of N2,894,531,250.00 was released on 4th November
2014. The funds were said to be kept in a commercial bank Account
Number 0122391169.

“Information extracted from the Cash Book and copies of Bank
Mandates made available to my officers showed that amounts totaling
N954,680,339.86 were spent between 20th August and 21st December
2014, on various activities including contract awards for supplies
of assorted items, thereby indicating a balance of
N3,605,242,575.70 in the account as at 31st December, 2014.

“Regrettably, these figures could not be authenticated/verified
owing to the refusal of the Federal Ministry of Health to release
the Wema Bank statement of account, the Bank Reconciliation
Statements, relevant payment vouchers and other related documents
for my examination, despite several written and verbal requests
made for them at various times.

“The items purportedly procured could not be verified. As such,
I cannot confirm that the items were actually supplied, that they
conformed with the contract quality specifications and that the
elements of economy, efficiency and effectiveness were observed in
awarding the contracts.

“Aside the contracts, there were other expenditures such as Duty
Tour Allowances and Trainings, the details of which were equally
not made available.

“Consequently, the Permanent Secretary was requested to kindly
release all the documents and records relating to the Ebola Virus
Disease Fund (Wema Bank) for my scrutiny, to enable me satisfy
myself that the funds were properly spent in accordance with extant
regulations and that government actually derived commensurate value
for the monies expended.

“Similarly, the preliminary examination of the Cash Book and the
Bank Statement relating to the First Bank Account No. 20238265786
maintained for the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) by
the Federal Ministry of Health revealed that amounts totaling
N1,193,235,150.77 were paid out to various individuals and
corporate entities between January 2014 and June 2015.

“However, relevant transaction documents such as payment
vouchers relating to these expenditures were not made available to
my officers for audit.

“The Cashbook produced was not properly maintained as specified
in the Financial Regulations. The ‘Bank Reconciliation Statement’
presented for audit was also not prepared in accordance with the
format in the Financial Regulations.

“The purported Bank Reconciliation Statement was merely a list
of receipts and payments extracted from the Bank Statement.

“Relevant transaction documents such as payment vouchers,
invoices, award letters, Stores Receipt Vouchers, etc, relating to
the expenditures were not produced for audit.

“Therefore, I am unable to certify that these transactions were
properly conducted in the interest of the Federal Government.

“The Permanent Secretary has been requested to produce all the
Payment Vouchers and other documents relating to this account for
the period January 2014 – December 2015 for my examination, in line
with Section 85(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and Financial Regulation 110.

“All the issues were brought to the attention of the Permanent
Secretary through my Audit Inspection Report referenced
OAuGF/HAAD/FMOA/16/011 and dated 7th September 2016. His response
is still being awaited.”