Bukayo Saka will become the youngest ever person to be granted the Freedom of his hometown of Ealing following his heroic exploits during England’s Euro 2020 campaign. ❤️🔑
Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka…
“He has earned the respect and admiration of everyone at the football club. What he has achieved and how he has united people is very powerful.” Spot on. ❤️
Tony Adams on Bukayo Saka: ‘I think that kid is going to be a superstar. He already is a superstar, and he can be very proud of himself. He’s had a fabulous, fabulous tournament’.
Councillor Mason leader of Ealing Council said: “Just a few short years ago, Bukayo Saka was playing football on the Brentside Playing Fields and on the pitches at Greenford High.
“Everyone in Ealing shares an incredible sense of pride that one of our own represented England at Wembley on Sunday. His is a remarkable story of talent and achievement that everyone can take hope, inspiration and encouragement from.
“Neither he nor any of the England squad should be subjected to the intolerant, racist abuse as they have been in the last 48 hours. We don’t boo our heroes. We honour them.
“I’m delighted therefore to nominate him to be the youngest ever recipient of the Freedom of the Borough. I hope this will send a clear message that Saka is Ealing’s own, that we are proud of him, and that is one of our heroes.
“The entire England team has been an inspiration, both on and off the pitch, and shown our country how to pull together, not apart, even under the most unimaginable pressure. Saka and his teammates have embodied Ealing’s motto: ‘Progress with Unity’.
“We thank all the squad and the team around them, and look forward to seeing them in action in the run-up to the World Cup next year”
Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 27, and Aston Villa forward Jack Grealish, 25, remain Manchester City’s top summer targets and the Premier League champions are determined to sign both England internationals. (Athletic – subscription required)
Villa playmaker Grealish, however, is still expected to sign a new deal with the West Midlands club. (Birmingham Mail)
Harry Kane, Jack Grealish and Sterling
Real Madrid will have to “put up with” Wales forward Gareth Bale for another season as they have not received any offers for the 32-year-old who spent last season on loan at Tottenham. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish)
Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle with Brighton over a deal for England defender Ben White, 23, which is worth about £50m. (Athletic – subscription required)
Crystal Palace hope efforts made to strengthen the squad under new manager Patrick Vieira will be enough to convince Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Zaha, 28, to remain at the club. (Standard)
Inter Milan have stepped up efforts to sign Spanish defender Hector Bellerin from Arsenal, but the Italian champions want the 26-year-old on a one-year loan with option to make it permanent next summer, while the Gunners want about £15m. (Sun)
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, who has been linked with a return to Manchester United and a move to Paris St-Germain, is set to remain at Juventus next season with talk of a potential new one-year deal which could include a pay cut. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian)
Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo could turn to his former club Wolves in search of summer recruits, with Ivory Coast defender Willy Boly, 30, and 25-year-old Portugal forward Daniel Podence linked with a move to north London. (talkSport)
Arsenal remain interested in Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard, 22, after his loan spell last season and Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is ready to pounce if Real Madrid are open to letting him go again. (Athletic – subscription required)
Burnley have beaten European champions Chelsea in the race to sign 34-year-old Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey after his Crystal Palace exit. (Football Insider)
Harry Wilson is among 10 players that Liverpool want to sell and will accept £10m for the 24-year-old Wales forward, who has been linked with Brentford, West Brom and Benfica. (Mirror)
Sassuolo are lining up Liverpool’s 25-year-old Serbia midfielder Marko Grujic as a potential replacement if Italy international Manuel Locatelli, 23, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal and Juventus, leaves this summer. (Sky Sports)
Atletico Madrid’s 26-year-old Spain midfielder Saul Niguez, who has been linked with Barcelona as part of a swap deal for 30-year-old Antoine Griezmann, has Liverpool and Manchester United interested in him as well. (AS – in Spanish)
Atletico remains frontrunners to sign Griezmann, but Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool have been made aware that the France forward has been made available for a “low fee”. At least two unnamed Premier League clubs have spoken to his agent in the past month. (90min)
Liverpool could be tempted to make a move for Lyon’s French midfielder Houssem Aouar, 23, who has been linked with Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United. (ESPN)
England defender Kieran Trippier, 30 is optimistic about joining Manchester United from Atletico Madrid this summer and made plans to relocate before Euro 2020 began. (Manchester Evening News)
Valencia are among a number of Spanish clubs interested in Leeds United’s 27-year-old forward Helder Costa. (Athletic – subscription required)
Aston Villa have had an approach for Northampton Town’s 19-year-old English forward Caleb Chukwuemeka rejected. (Mail)
AZ Alkmaar’s Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners has attracted interest from Jose Mourinho’s Roma, French club Rennes and Arsenal, who see the 23-year-old as a potential replacement for Roma-linked Switzerland international Granit Xhaka, 28. (De Telegraaf – via Team Talk)
North Macedonia defender Ezgjan Alioski, 29, is poised to join Galatasaray as a free agent on a three-year deal after turning down two offers of a new contract from Leeds United. (Football Insider)
Tottenham could make a move to sign Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, 25, but will have to meet his £26m release clause to get the Italy international. (Athletic – subscription required)
Arsenal are interested in signing Chelsea’s 23-year-old England striker Tammy Abraham, who the Blues have also made available to Tottenham and Inter Milan. Chelsea are tracking Spurs’ England striker Harry Kane, 27, and Inter’s Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku, 28. (Telegraph)
Tammy Abraham to Arsenal.
Yes or no?
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti wants club bosses to sign Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, 29, from Liverpool if a deal for Paris St-Germain’s France striker Kylian Mbappe, 22, cannot be struck this summer. (Fichajes – in Spanish)
Tottenham want 28-year-old England striker Danny Ings but face difficulties as Southampton are reluctant to do business with the north London club. (Standard)
Spanish champions Atletico Madrid have been linked with Manchester United’s 28-year-old England midfielder Jesse Lingard, who is also wanted by West Ham where he impressed on loan last season. (90min)
Fiorentina are looking to fend off interest in Dusan Vlahovic from Liverpool and Tottenham by tying the 21-year-old Serbia striker down to a new contract. (Calciomercato – in Italian)
Real Madrid have accepted that 28-year-old France defender Raphael Varane will not sign a new deal and are waiting for an offer from Manchester United. (Goal)
Premier League newcomers Brentford are preparing to table a club-record £13.5m offer for Celtic’s Norway defender Kristoffer Ajer, 23. (Sun)
Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri, 26, is wanted by Italian champions Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho’s Roma, with Napoli making the Euro 2020-winning Italy international their preferred choice as they also consider a move for Uruguayan Mathias Olivera, 23, from Getafe. (Calciomercato)
Signing Arsenal’s Joe Willock, 21, on a permanent basis remains Newcastle United’s top priority this summer after the England Under-21s midfielder spent time on loan at St James’ Park last season. (Chronicle)
AC Milan have rejected a £34m bid from Paris St-Germain for 23-year-old French midfielder Theo Hernandez. (Tuttosport – in Italian)
Inter Milan insist Euro 2020-winning Italy midfielder Nicolo Barella is “untouchable’” amid rumours linking the 24-year-old with Liverpool and Manchester United. (Fabrizio Romano on Twitter)
Everton are set to sign 16-year-old English striker Francis Okoronkwo from Sunderland in a deal worth up to £1m. (Mail)
Arjen Robben has retired from football for the second time after deciding not to spend a second season playing for Dutch club Groningen.
The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich winger, who made 96 appearances for Holland, thanked fans for the ‘heartwarming support’ after confirming his decision on Twitter.
Robben, 37, originally hung up his boots in July 2019 after leaving Bayern but decided to return to the game in June 2020 and return to his first club Groningen.
Robben at Groningen.
But after playing only a handful of games for the Eredivisie side, he has not definitely decided to quit as a player.
Robben wrote: ‘Dear football friends, I have decided to stop my active football career. A very difficult choice. I want to thank everyone for all the heart-warming support.’
It brings the curtain down on an outstanding career that saw Robben win league titles in England, Holland, Spain and Germany as well as help his country to a World Cup final.
He was also part of the Bayern Munich team that won the Champions League in 2013, scoring a last minute winner to defeat Borussia Dortmund at Wembley.
Young Robben at Chelsea
A quick and skilful winger, Robben made a habit of cutting infield onto his right foot and curling shots into the top corner.
Though his time at Stamford Bridge was punctuated by injuries, Robben helped Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho as well as the FA Cup and two League Cups.
But his greatest success came in Munich, where he won eight Bundesliga titles, five German Cups and the UEFA Super Cup.
He was an integral part of the Dutch team that reached the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, losing 1-0 to Spain. They followed that up by finishing third at the 2014 finals in Brazil.
In total, Robben scored 37 times in 96 games for the Oranje, while his club record for Groningen, PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich stands at 209 goals and 193 assists in 614 matches.
Speculation had grown that Robben would again call time on his playing career after injuries hindered his second spell at Groningen, who finished seventh in the regular Eredivisie season.
Arjen Robben has retired after 20 years playing for Groningen, PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid & Bayern Munich 🇳🇱
Nobody will ever cut in from the right without his name being mentioned 🙄
PSV 🏆🏆 Chelsea 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Real Madrid 🏆🏆 Bayern Munich 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
What was your favourite Robben moment? 🌟
🏆 Arjen Robben’s major honours:
🏴 Premier League (x2) 🏴 League Cup (x2) 🏴 FA Cup (x1) 🇪🇸 La Liga (x1) 🇩🇪 Bundesliga (x8) 🇩🇪 DFB-Pokal (x5) 🇪🇺 Champions League (x1)
England and Atletico Madrid full-back Kieran Trippier is desperate for a return to the Premier League as the 30-year-old waits on a Manchester United move. (Telegraph – subscription needed)
Everton have made an opening bid for Napoli and Senegal centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, 30, who is said to be one of new manager Rafa Benitez’s top targets. (Calciomercato)
England and Atletico Madrid superstar
Liverpool are reportedly preparing a £60m bid for Inter Milan and Italy’s Euro 2020 winning-midfielder Nicolo Barella, 24. (La Repubblica)
Chelsea want to offer English forward Tammy Abraham, 23, to Borussia Dortmund as part of the deal to sign 20-year-old Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland. (Mirror)
West Ham are close to agreeing a loan deal, with an option to buy, for French Paris St-Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, 28. (Evening Standard)
Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin has yet to agree personal terms with Inter Milan but the Italian side are considered favourites to sign the 26-year-old Spaniard. (Football.london)
Meanwhile Gunners midfielder Joe Willock, 21, has reportedly told the club he would prefer to rejoin Newcastle on loan for the new Premier League season. (Daily Express)
Arsenal are set to miss out on signing PSV Eindhoven and the Netherlands forward Donyell Malen, 22, after he reached an agreement to join Borussia Dortmund as a replacement for Jadon Sancho. (Just Arsenal via Sports Bild)
Tottenham are closing in on the signing of Bologna and Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, 22, with the fee expected to be in the region of £15m plus add-ons. (The Athletic – subscription needed)
Newcastle target Boubacar Kamara, 21, has turned down a new contract with French side Marseille. The Magpies would look to bring the France U21s midfielder to St James’ Park for around £15m. (HITC via Alfredo Pedulla)
Leeds United face competition from an unnamed Premier League team, plus a side from La Liga in Spain, to sign goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson, 20, from Norwegian side Valerenga. (Mirror
Argentina’s Lionel Messi agrees to stay at Barcelona on a 5-years deal until 2026 which comes with reducing his wages to half of his previous salary.
Re-signing Messi was the principal summer target of new chairman Joan Laporta since he rain out of contract on June 30th at midnight.
Messi, 34, become a free agent after his contract – that reportedly paid him £123m a season – expired on 30 June.
He is on holiday after winning the Copa America and the finer details of the contract are yet to be finalized.
Messi had been linked with moves to Paris St-Germain and Manchester City, where he would be reunited with his former boss at Barcelona Pep Guardiola, as well as America’s Major League Soccer, which he has previously considered experiencing.
Messi is Barcelona’s record scorer with 672 goals and has won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, seven Copa del Reys as well as claiming the Ballon d’Or on a record six occasions.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi agrees to stay at Barcelona on a 5-years deal until 2026 which comes with reducing his wages to half of his previous salary.
Re-signing Messi was the principal summer target of new chairman Joan Laporta since he rain out of contract on June 30th at midnight.
Messi, 34, become a free agent after his contract – that reportedly paid him £123m a season – expired on 30 June.
He is on holiday after winning the Copa America and the finer details of the contract are yet to be finalized.
Messi had been linked with moves to Paris St-Germain and Manchester City, where he would be reunited with his former boss at Barcelona Pep Guardiola, as well as America’s Major League Soccer, which he has previously considered experiencing.
Messi is Barcelona’s record scorer with 672 goals and has won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, seven Copa del Reys as well as claiming the Ballon d’Or on a record six occasions.
Chelsea are making plans to sign France World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann, 30, on loan from Barcelona. (Daily Express)
However, Chelsea have been warned they are facing “mission impossible” as they step up their efforts to sign Borussia Dortmund and Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland, 20, this summer. (Sky Sports)
Dortmond forward Erling HaalandFrance forward Antoine Griezmann
Tottenham have made Southampton and England forward Danny Ings, 28, their priority signing with a firm belief he can play in attack alongside Harry Kane, who they want to keep. (Telegraph)
Arsenal are keen on signing Wolves and Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves for £35m. (Sun)
Gunners target Manuel Locatelli, the 23-year-old Sassuolo and Italy Euro 2020-winning midfielder, has welcomed interest from Juventus. (AS)
Spurs and Manchester United want to sign Argentina defender Cristian Romero, 23, who is halfway through a two-year loan spell at Atalanta from Juventus. (Calciomercato)
Paris St-Germain are set to announce the signing of AC Milan and Italy Euro 2020-winning keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 22. (Daily Express)
Aston Villa and England midfielder Jack Grealish, 25, has been warned against making a move to Premier League champions Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)
England winger Andros Townsend, 29, is looking for a new club after conceding he is unlikely to be offered a new deal at Crystal Palace. (Evening Standard)
Brentford have joined West Brom in the race to sign Chelsea’s Sierra Leone-born midfielder Trevoh Chalobah. French club Lorient also want the 22-year-old. (Express & Star)
West Ham’s Brazilian midfielder Felipe Anderson, 28, is in Italy to re-sign for Lazio – three years after leaving the Serie A club to join the Hammers. (Evening Standard)
Manchester United are close to agreeing personal terms with Real Madrid’s France defender Raphael Varane, 27, who has been a long-term target to partner Harry Maguire. (Mail)
Hector Bellerin has told Arsenal he wants to leave in the summer transfer window. The 26-year-old Spain defender, who is the longest-serving member of Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad, is hoping for a move to Inter Milan. (Metro)
Rafael Varane to United almost done
Manchester City have ruled out a move for Barcelona’s France striker Antoine Griezmann, 30, but will step up their interest in Borussia Dortmund and Norway forward Erling Braut Haaland, 20, and Tottenham’s England captain Harry Kane, 27. (Sun)
Chelsea are set to make a ‘big offer’ for Haaland. (Star)
Griezmann could be heading back to former club Atletico Madrid, via a prospective swap with Spain midfielder Saul Niguez, 26. (Express)
Bayern Munich are looking to sign a replacement for 32-year-old Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, who could be keen on a move to Real Madrid next summer when he has a year left on his deal with the German club. (AS – in Spanish)
A tweet by Real Madrid midfielder Isco – since deleted – hints that the Spain player will be leaving when the last 12 months of his contract are up, with interest registered from Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli. (Mirror)
Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers are both in the frame for 23-year-old Fulham defender Antonee Robinson. (Mirror)
Juventus are targeting Manchester City’s Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus, 24. The Italian club also have Everton’s Italy striker Moise Kean, 21, on their shortlist. (Tuttosport, via Mail)
Former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney is giving much-travelled Jamaica forward Ravel Morrison, 28, a career lifeline by letting him train at Derby County. (Sun)
Arsenal are edging closer to deals for Lyon’s 23-year-old France playmaker Houssem Aouar and Belgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, 21, from Anderlecht. Leicester City and England midfielder James Maddison, 24, is also in their sights. (Sun)
New Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira is lining up English goalkeeper Remi Matthews, 27, who has just been released by League One Sunderland. (Mirror)
Wolves are set to sign 28-year-old Portuguese keeper Jose Sa from Olympiakos to replace compatriot Rui Patricio, who is set to join Italian club Roma. (Express & Star)
Championship side Bournemouth are keen on signing 22-year-old English midfielder Flynn Downes from League One side Ipswich Town. (East Anglian Times)
West Brom are trying to sign English midfielder Trevoh Chalobah, 22, from Chelsea but face competition from a Premier League club, believed to be Brentford, and French side Lorient, among others. (Express & Star)
A small number of ticketless fans broke into Wembley Stadium for the Euro 2020 final, after videos showed crowds pushing through barriers, police said.
Fans fought with stewards and police as they attempted to break through gates.
The FA said it was “entirely unacceptable” and those involved were “an embarrassment to the England team”.
The Metropolitan Police said it had worked with security staff to prevent further breaches and also supported officials in ejecting ticketless fans.
The FA said it would “work with the relevant authorities to take action against anyone who is identified to have illegally forced their way into the stadium”.
The statement from police came after Wembley Stadium initially denied that anyone without a ticket had gained entry, saying: “There were no security breaches of people without tickets getting inside the stadium.”
In a later statement, a stadium spokesperson said: “There was a breach of security and a small group of people got into the stadium.
“We are now working closely with stadium stewards and security to remove these people. Anyone inside the stadium without a ticket will be instantly ejected.”
Footage from inside Wembley showed fans fighting, apparently after some had forced through a door.
And the BBC’s Howard Nurse said it took until half-time for stewards to clear the gantry section meant for disabled spectators at Wembley.
“The area was rammed with people who should not have been there and it was quite an edgy situation,” he said.
A large crowd was also trying to enter the fan zone in Trafalgar Square without tickets shortly before kick-off, the Met Police said.
Police said they were “engaging with the crowd and telling them to disperse”.
Video blogger, Paul Brown, said fans could be seen jumping over barriers and grappling with stewards and police, as some of them were ejected.
Mr Brown said there were not enough police to deal with the size of the crowd.
BBC News producer Warren Moran said he saw people without tickets forcing their way through the turnstiles, but could not say whether they were later ejected from the stadium.
He said dozens of people were pushing through the gates for disabled people, which were open.
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