Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane considering move to Barcelona, Manchester United and Tottenham monitoring Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Liverpool watch Fulham winger Kevin.
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has a 65m euros (£57m) release clause that kicks in next summer and the 32-year-old England international is weighing up his options, which include staying in Germany and considering a move to Barcelona.(Sport – in Spanish), external
Manchester United and Tottenham are closely monitoring 23-year-old England centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, who Everton do not want to sell and value him at around £70m. (Caught Offside), external
Tottenham and Chelsea are set to go head-to-head in a battle to sign Porto’s 21-year-old Spanish striker Samu Aghehowa, who could be made available for 80m euros (£70.5m). (Correio da Manha via Goal), external
Arsenal and Barcelona are tracking France Under-16s captain Lacine Megnan-Pave after the 15-year-old registered 15 goals and 12 assists in 24 games for Montpellier under-17s. (Sport – in Spanish), external
Liverpool’s chief scout Barry Hunter was at Craven Cottage on Saturday to watch Fulham’s £35m summer signing, Brazilian winger Kevin, 22, in their 3-0 win over Wolves. (Football Insider), external
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is Athletic Club’s preferred option to become their manager if Ernesto Valverde does not renew his contract with them beyond next summer. (La Razon – in Spanish), external
Bayern Munich director of sport Max Eberl says the club will do everything they can to get France defender Dayot Upamecano, 27, to sign a contract extension. (Sky Sports Germany), external
Switzerland centre-back Manuel Akanji, 30, says it will be up to Inter Milan whether they want to turn his loan move from Manchester City into a permanent switch, but the Serie A club “seem happy” with him so far. (Football Italia), external
“There’s so much T20 talent there and the next period will be important to get cricket into these guys and get them ready for the World Cup.
“Mitch [Santner] is a brilliant captain and leader – he has really come into his own with this team.
“It’s now their time to push the Black Caps forward in this format and I’ll be supporting from afar.”
The T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka starts in February.
Williamson made his T20 debut for New Zealand in 2011 but had not featured since June 2024.
Regarded by many as the best batter in New Zealand history, he is their leading Test run-scorer of all time and fourth on the ODI list.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Scott Weenink said Williamson had earned the right to decide how he finished his ODI and Test careers.
“We’ve made it clear to Kane he has our full support as he reaches the back end of his illustrious career,” he said.
“We would, of course, love to see him play for as long as possible, but there’s no doubt whenever he does decide to finally call time, he will go down as a legend of New Zealand cricket.”
New Zealand completed a 3-0 clean sweep in the one-day series against England on Saturday, having lost a rain-affected T20 series 1-0 beforehand.
Manchester City and Chelsea to vie for Elliot Anderson, Tottenham prepare shock bid for Harry Kane, Manchester United want Mateo Retegui, Roma lead the race for Joshua Zirkzee.
Manchester City are plotting a £75m bid for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson next summer but are likely to face stiff competition from Chelsea for the 22-year-old England international. (Express, external)
Tottenham are preparing a blockbuster move to bring Harry Kane back to north London from Bayern Munich next summer and are ready to meet the 32-year-old England captain’s release clause and wage demands. (Teamtalk, external)
Crystal Palace are relaxed about the future of Adam Wharton amid increasing speculation of interest from Premier League rivals Manchester United for the 21-year-old England midfielder. (Sky Sports, external)
Manchester United are interested in signing a striker in the summer and are targeting Mateo Retegui, with Ruben Amorim prepared to spend up to £52m to sign the 26-year-old Italy forward from Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah. (Fichajes – in Spanish, external)
Turkey forward Kenan Yildiz continues to push for an improved contract at Juventus but with talks yet to bear fruit, clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona are keeping a close eye on the 20-year-old. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian, external)
Paris St-Germain are holding contract negotiations with Bradley Barcola, 23, after the France forward attracted interest from several clubs including Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the summer. (L’Equipe – in French, external)
Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to battle each other to sign Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano, 26, on a free transfer next summer but Manchester United are also interested in the France international. (Footmercato – in French, external)
AS Roma are in pole position to sign Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee but Como also have the finances to bring the 24-year-old Netherlands striker back to Serie A. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian, external)
Juventus have rebuffed multiple enquiries for France defensive midfielder Khephren Thuram, 24, from Premier League clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool during the past six months. (TBR Football, external)
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has doubts about his long-term future at Stamford Bridge amid Juventus considering the 45-year-old Italian as a serious candidate to take charge of the Serie A club. (Teamtalk, external)
The Bayern Munich star is likely to start England’s match in Riga against Latvia on Tuesday night where he will be hoping to add to his superb run of 18 goals from his past 10 matches.
A minor injury meant Kane was not involved in England’s 3-0 win over Wales on Thursday night with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins – the only other out-and-out striker in the squad – deputising.
But during the match Watkins collided with the post and has subsequently been ruled out of the Latvia fixture through injury.
England fans are once again going through who the striker options behind captain Kane and the answer does not appear obvious.
Remarkably, only seven English players you would class as an out-and-out striker have appeared in the Premier League this season – with Chelsea’s Liam Delap the only one of the seven under the age of 26.
The other six are Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eddie Nketiah, Dominic Solanke, Watkins, Danny Welbeck and Callum Wilson.
England’s lack of options in the centre-forward position was even noted by Under-21s manager Lee Carsley, who said on Monday: “We need more centre forwards, we need more orthodox number nines which are capable of scoring goals. We really value that position.”
“I think it is in fashion to play your centre forwards out wide or to play them withdrawn. I think it is something that we need to be aware of, the poacher and the goalscorer and the player that plays on the shoulder and the focal point is something that I value.”
While England’s senior team’s boss Thomas Tuchel has a selection headache all over the field – due to an abundance of options – who he picks as Kane’s deputy for the World Cup is a different problem for a very different reason.
With England just a win away from qualifying for the summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the race to be Kane’s back-up is very much on.
BBC Sport has selected five options who between them have 25 England goals compared to Kane’s record 74.
Harry Kane says his interest in returning to the Premier League has cooled and he is willing to open talks with Bayern Munich about a new contract.
Kane is halfway through the four-year deal he signed when joining from Tottenham Hotspur for £86.4m in the summer of 2023.
The 32-year-old has scored 103 goals in 106 appearances for the German club, helping them win the 2024-25 Bundesliga title – the first honour of his career.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has said he would like to see Kane return to England, where he needs just 48 goals to eclipse Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League scoring record of 260.
But the England captain says he is no longer as keen on returning home as he once was, and would consider extending his stay in Bavaria.
“In terms of staying longer, I could definitely see that,” he said.
“I spoke openly a couple of weeks ago that I have not had those conversations with Bayern yet, but if they were to arise I would be willing to talk and have an honest conversation.
“Obviously it depends on how the next year or so goes and what we achieve together. Right now, I would say we are in a fantastic moment and I am not thinking about anything else.
“In terms of the Premier League, I don’t know. If you had asked me when I first left to go to Bayern, I would have said for sure I would come back.
“Now I have been there a couple of years I would probably say that has gone down a little bit, but I wouldn’t say I would never go back.
“What I have learned in my career is that different opportunities and different timings happen and things fall in place. Going back to my first point with Bayern right now I am fully all in with Bayern.”
Manchester United keen on Harry Kane, Kobbie Mainoo eyes move away from Old Trafford, and Aston Villa targeting permanent move for Jadon Sancho.
Manchester United are interested in England striker Harry Kane, 32, who could leave Bayern Munich next summer. (Star), external
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank says Kane, the club’s record scorer, is “more than welcome” to return, but doesn’t expect the forward to leave his German side any time soon. (Sky Sports), external
England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, is prepared to leave Manchester United in January in search of regular football. He had a loan request turned down by the club in the summer. (Mirror), external
Bayern Munich are considering offering 23-year-old France winger Michael Olise a new contract after he was linked with a move to Liverpool. (Liverpool Echo), external
Arsenal have made contact with Turkey forward Kenan Yildiz, 20, but Juventus, who rejected an offer from Chelsea over the summer, value him at 80-100m euros (£70-87m).(Tutto Juve via Goal, external)
Chelsea are planning a move for French defender Ismael Doukoure, 22, who is currently at fellow BlueCo-owned club Strasbourg, amid interest from a number of other Premier League teams. (TBR Football), external
Aston Villa are eyeing a permanent move for England forward Jadon Sancho, 25, who is currently on loan at the club from Manchester United. (National World), external
Liverpool and Barcelona want Julian Alvarez, Real Madrid remain keen on Arsenal’s William Saliba and Spurs still want to sign Savinho from Manchester City.
Former Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez, 25, is considering leaving Atletico Madrid next summer, with Liverpool and Barcelona interested in signing the Argentina international. (Fichajes – in Spanish, external)
West Ham’s concerns over Nuno Espirito Santo’s financial demands could open the door for Slaven Bilic to replace Graham Potter, who is clinging on to his job after the Hammers’ poor start to the season. (Guardian, external)
Barcelona want to do a deal with Manchester United to sign on-loan England forward Marcus Rashford, 27, for £26m – a fee short of United’s valuation, which is closer to £35m. (Star, external)
Real Madrid watched Arsenal centre-back William Saliba, 24, in action against Manchester City on Sunday and maintain their interest in signing the France international. (TBR Football, external)
Crystal Palace captain and England centre-back Marc Guehi, 25, is still eager to join Liverpool as a free agent next summer, having nearly signed for the Premier League champions on deadline day. (GiveMeSport, external)
England captain Harry Kane, 32, has a clause in his contract which means the striker could leave Bayern Munich for £56.7m next summer – but only if he announces his intention to depart the German champions before the end of the winter transfer window. (Bild – in German, subscription required, external)
Tottenham retain an interest in Manchester City winger Savinho, 21, and could revisit a potential deal for the Brazil attacker in January. (Teamtalk, external)
Meanwhile, Spurs are prepared to offer up to £35m to sign Real Sociedad’s Spain midfielder Brais Mendez, 28, in January. (Fichajes – in Spanish, external)
Chelsea are monitoring Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly, with Leeds United, Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon also interested in the versatile 20-year-old. (Football Insider, external)
Manchester United have prioritised a “major goalkeeper signing” next summer. (Sun, external)
Serbia have called on “supporters to send out an image to the world that will make us all proud” as they prepare to host England in a World Cup qualifier.
At least 15% of Belgrade’s Rajko Mitic Stadium will be closed to home fans as a Fifa punishment for racist chanting in a game against Andorra.
The punishments were for “various prohibited items, insults, and discrimination in the stands”, it said.
Branko Radujko, the general secretary of the FSS, warned Serbia fans in the match programme before the England game that any transgressions could get them in more trouble.
“We are still under special monitoring of Uefa,” he wrote. “Every inappropriate reaction, insult or incident could cost us dearly on our path to the USA, Mexico and Canada, including the possibility of having to play a decisive match with Albania behind closed doors.
“That is the reason I sincerely and seriously call on you: let us cheer from the heart but let it be fair. We can be loud but dignified. Let our support be a source of strength, not a risk for the national team.”
England captain Harry Kane said: “We had a meeting and discussed the Uefa protocols that are in place. We don’t like to discuss it too much. Our focus is on the game. Anything can happen but we are not thinking about that.
“We are prepared to do what Uefa protocols allow us to do. I thought we handled it well in Bulgaria [in 2019]. We are prepared, had a discussion and if it [racist abuse] does happen we will be prepared to do what is necessary.”
Uefa’s three-point protocol asks referees to…
First of all, stop the game briefly and make an announcement on the public address system for fans to stop the racism
Then if it continues, stop the game for five to 10 minutes and take the players off the pitch while making another announcement
And if it continues after the second restart, the referee can abandon the game
BBC Sport looks at the reasons for Serbia’s punishments – and the history of racism England have faced against Serbian national teams before.
Northern Superchargers and Oval Invincibles are guaranteed a top-three finish after the Superchargers won the encounter between the two teams in the earlier match at Headingley.
Both teams have 20 points and only Trent Rockets, currently on 16 with two games to play, can match or overtake them.
After Harry Brook’s first half-century of this year’s Hundred and Zak Crawley’s rapid 49 helped Superchargers set a target of 199, Will Jacks’ 11-ball 25 gave the Invincibles a brisk start in their chase.
But Jacob Duffy halted his charge inside the powerplay before Tom Lawes struck twice, dismissing Tawanda Muyeye and the in-form Jordan Cox – who came into the match on the back of three consecutive half-centuries.
When Sam Curran edged Matthew Potts to wicketkeeper Michael Pepper, the Invincibles were reeling at 115-4.
But Donovan Ferreira gave them some hope by hitting three fours and three sixes from seven deliveries before falling for a 15-ball 41 – Duffy ending the chance of a dramatic comeback to set the Superchargers on their way to a crucial win.
Earlier, openers Crawley and Dawid Malan gave the hosts a flying start after being sent in to bat by Invincibles skipper Sam Billings.
Crawley set the tone, helping them race to 49 without loss by the end of the powerplay, before falling just one run short of a fifty.
Captain Brook consolidated the Superchargers’ innings with a 27-ball 56 that included five sixes and three fours, before David Miller added the finishing touches, launching Tom Curran for three consecutive sixes in the final set to take them to 198-4.
Two-time defending champions Invincibles will host London Spirit in their final game on Monday, while Superchargers take on Manchester Originals the following day, live on the BBC.
Música Mexicana rising star Kane Rodriguez spoke with The Times about finding his way in the music scene and his success on TikTok.
Born and raised in Houston, singer-songwriter Kane Rodriguez grew up surrounded by music. His grandfather, father and brother are musicians, and the sounds of cumbia, banda and norteño were ever present in his house.
The 22-year-old Texican launched his music career by playing with his brothers in a cumbia group in his teens but says he always felt more of a calling toward corridos. He leaned into his musical tastes at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, uploading videos on TikTok of himself singing and playing his guitar.
His first big hit was his 2022 melancholic cover of Aldo Trujillo and Legion RG’s “El Chaman,” which tells the story of an enigmatic character whose emotional availability contradicts his tough-guy appearance. The clip was just him and his guitar in front of a plain background while being filmed at an upward angle — nothing fancy, but his voice and musicality shined.
“I started seeing myself grow and grow, and then a couple videos would go viral, and people asked for more,” Rodriguez said in a recent interview. “I guess people really like how I sound just with the guitar, so I just try to keep recording. … I think TikTok, for me, is a big part [of my success].”
The singer and multi-instrumentalist released his debut studio album, “La Batuta,” in April under Warner Music México.
The LP’s intricate instrumentation works deftly to complement Rodriguez’s gravelly vocals and his swashbuckling lyrics, telling tales of romantic conquests, occasional sadboi reflections and living it up with his compas over the course of 13 tracks.
The “Se Volvieron Locos” artist has been touring the U.S. since his album’s release and was scheduled to perform at Downtown L.A.’s Peacock Theater — in a billing with Chino Pacas, Estevan Plazola, Los Caimanes De Sinaloa, T3R Elemento, El de La Guitarra and Omar Ruiz — but the show was canceled because of the temporary L.A. curfew and the ongoing ICE raids in the city.
Rodriguez fans can rejoice, however, as the singer has a show scheduled for June 20 at El Farallon Event Center in Lynwood. Ahead of his performance, Rodriguez spoke about his rise to fame, collaborating with other artists and his hopes for the future.
This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity.
This is your first studio album. What was the process of recording it like?
It took a while, a cool seven months to get it done. But we picked the right songs and we got the right songwriters. We added different genres, so it took us a while, but I think it was worth it. It’s a big jump from [playing] live to the studio.
How do you think being from Houston informs your work as an artist, and what kind of obligation do you feel to represent the city?
Right now in Houston there’s really not that many corrido artists, so I think being one of the few ones from Houston really helped because I get a lot of support from my hometown.
I grew up in the southeast part of Houston [in an area] called Pasadena, on a little trailer park. It wasn’t nothing too crazy or nothing too bad. I think growing up in a neighborhood like that made me hungrier to make it out of the hood. That just helped me build up.
I think right now Houston needs somebody that could rep them and take them to the next level on the corrido side, and I think I have that responsibility. I want to take that responsibility, and hopefully we can make it bigger.
You’re now on tour and collaborating with big artists. How does it feel to continue to grow in popularity, and how are you managing that emotionally and professionally?
It’s a dream come true. I’m coming from playing in backyards like almost every day, playing 10 hours a day. To play in front of people with big artists — it’s just crazy. It’s really hard to to believe, but I try not to get too excited or get too comfortable. We try to keep our feet on the ground. It’s sort of incredible how everything is building up real fast.
Who are some of the acts you’ve had the chance to work within a professional space that you kind of can’t believe actually happened?
For sure Legado 7 — they’re OGs. I think everybody would listen to them back in 2018, 2019 when I was in high school. So getting the chance to be in the studio and make a hit song with them is even crazier.
And Adrian L Santos also. That fool’s from my family’s hometown over there in Mexico. He’s real poppin’ and a real humble guy. Working with him was one of the best experiences.
Being a musician can feel sometimes, from the outside looking in, like it’s not a “real job,” but getting that cosign from a label changes things. What was your family’s reaction to that moment?
At first they were real iffy, because a lot of people don’t make it out in music. It’s real hard. So they were there, mentally. But the good thing about my parents is they let me do it. They stood back. They’d seen the hunger that I had for it and knew I wouldn’t listen — I’d just keep doing it. Right now they’re real proud, and I’m happy to see them like that.
You’ve got your album out, you’re going on tour — where do you see it going from here? Where are you trying to go?
My vision in the next two years is: I’m trying to sell out stadiums. That’s one of my goals. My biggest dream is to have thousands of people sing my songs.
IN the wee small hours of Sunday at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Paris Saint-Germain’s players were celebrating the greatest achievement of their lives.
Paris Saint-Germain won their first Champions League crown on SaturdayCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Luis Enrique will take his side to the Club World Cup in the USCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
But if Luis Enrique and his side had wanted to put their feet up and bask in this ultimate glory, then they were sadly mistaken.
Almost immediately after their 5-0 win, Enrique and his stars would be peppered with questions about their prospects at the Club World Cup — a 32-team, month-long tournament designed to carpet-bomb TV schedules with even more football, starting on Sunday week.
Does the Club World Cup now represent ultimate glory, rather than the Champions League?
Is that, in the words of Finchy in The Office, ‘the real quiz’?
Because football — even in the odd-numbered summers which used to give us a brief respite from the thing — must never, ever rest.
And so next week, PSG will go to America, where they will play the Urawa Red Diamonds, The Last Shadow Puppets and the Seattle Sounders — only one of which is really the name of an English band.
And on Sunday week, Bayern Munich will play Auckland City in Cincinnati.
And there is nothing we can do to stop them playing. Even though we already know Bayern Munich are significantly better than Auckland City.
And Harry Kane will play. Even though his body is creaking.
Chelsea finally discover Club World Cup opponents as former star, 38, assists dramatic winner to set up reunion
Even though he hasn’t had a proper rest in years. Even though he surely can’t think of anything worse than having to play Auckland City.
Because Fifa are offering $1BILLION in prize money.
And two days later, you can watch in HD as Ulsan HD of South Korea play Mamelodi Sundowns, who are possibly an indie band who have an afternoon slot on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, or might be a football team from Pretoria in South Africa
Because in football there must be no sundown. Only the Mamelodi Sundowns.
And Manchester City and Chelsea will be there too, due to some convoluted Uefa qualification system which it’s best not to ask about.
And Inter Miami will be there — not because of any system but because they employ Lionel Messi, who turns 38 this month and must be tired but must never, ever rest.
And the whole thing will go on for every bit as long as an actual World Cup, with countries, used to go on for.
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The Club World Cup is set to commence on Sunday weekCredit: AFP
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Lionel Messi will play in the revamped tournamentCredit: Getty
Although not as long as next year’s actual World Cup, which will have 48 nations and 104 matches in it and will go on for even longer.
Oh and there will still be a third-place play-off.
Because what else would we do with ourselves on Saturday July 18, 2026, if we couldn’t watch another game of football between two utterly deflated, exhausted teams?
But that doesn’t matter because, after the worst season in their modern history, United’s players travelled 14,000 miles to play post-season friendlies in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong so that the club could fulfil £10million worth of sponsorship commitments.
And yes ‘net zero’ is supposed to be an environmental policy rather than United’s goalscoring output against the ASEAN All-Stars. During the half-time interval of that 1-0 defeat in Malaysia, Andre Onana, Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot were substituted so they could board a private jet to Mumbai to promote Apollo tyres.
Because people in Mumbai will choose Apollo tyres if an error-prone Cameroonian goalkeeper tells them to.
And Michelin and Bridgestone and Pirelli won’t get a look in, just so long as Dalot presses home Apollo’s core messages, which are ‘Going The Distance’ and ‘Conquer Every Road’.
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Man Utd played two post-season friendlies in AsiaCredit: AP
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Harry Kane seemingly never gets a summer offCredit: AP
While Maguire was flying to India, to tell people that ‘the journey is as important as the destination’, Amad Diallo was still in Malaysia, where he was giving the middle finger to a fan who had apparently abused his mother.
And then issuing a social-media apology, in which he said he didn’t actually regret giving the finger.
Because it isn’t enough that Amad’s mother is abused during the football season.
She needs to be abused during the close season as well. And her son needs to retaliate.
Because there needs to be online content and, if the internet never sleeps, then why should football sleep, along with its content-creating by-product, the abuse of really tired footballers?
Last year, Tottenham and Newcastle made a 21,000-mile round trip to Melbourne to play each other, six weeks after they had previously done so. And the Toon won on penalties.
But is that really enough, when these footballers travelled in first-class luxury and stayed in excellent hotels?
The BBC’s Race Across The World is an extraordinarily successful TV show because contestants must travel on overnight buses and then muck out animals to raise extra cash.
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Man Utd lifted the Defining Education Challenge Cup after beating Hong KongCredit: Getty
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Tottenham played Newcastle in Melbourne in May 2024Credit: Getty
Why shouldn’t footballers do the same on post-season and pre-season tours? Wouldn’t that provide better content?
This Saturday, England will play a competitive match against Andorra, which won’t be competitive.
And next Tuesday, England will play Senegal, when they won’t really be England because so many of their players will be heading to the Club World Cup.
But it’s not as if we’d have to wait long for football without this new thing.
Because why wouldn’t we want to watch Bournemouth play Everton in July — even if, when the fixtures come out in a fortnight, we might find out that they are playing each other in August?
The thing is, Bournemouth versus Everton has been far too parochial until now.
When Bournemouth are at home, only 11,000 people get in to watch it.
What about the blue-collar workers of New Jersey, the people Bruce Springsteen writes ballads about?
Don’t they deserve their fix of Bournemouth versus Everton, instead of just shotgun, teenage weddings and dreaming about escaping from small towns on motorbikes, kind of stuff?
And the answer is, yes, they do deserve Bournemouth versus Everton. Just like you deserve Red Bull Salzburg, the second best team in Austria, versus CF Pachuca, the eighth best team in Mexico.
That one’s on Wednesday June 18 at 11pm. Followed by Al-Ain versus Juventus at 2am.
Eyes down, look in. We’ll sleep when we’re dead.
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Fans in the US will be able to get a glimpse of James TarkowskiCredit: Getty
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Bournemouth are set to be a hit across the pondCredit: Getty
