Gossip: Real Madrid wait for Konate
Real Madrid are hoping to snap up Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate, 26, on a free transfer next summer, when the Frenchman's contract is due to expire. (Marca - in Spanish), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip columnFollow the gossip column on BBC Sport
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Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
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Liverpool 'set date for Florian Wirtz medical' ahead of £116m British record transfer - with German star poised to return from holiday to seal move
Florian Wirtz will reportedly undergo his Liverpool medical later this week as the German star edges closer to completing a British record £116m move. Mail Sport reported last week that an agreement had been reached by the Premier League champions and Leverkusen for the attacking midfielder. The clubs agreed a base £100m fee for Wirtz, which could rise to £116m depending on bonuses including winning the Premier League and Champions League. Wirtz is currently on holiday after featuring for Germany in their recent Nations League matches. According to The Athletic, Liverpool have pencilled in Wirtz to undergo his medical on Friday. Wirtz is then expected to sign a five-year deal with Liverpool to finalise the transfer. The deal, which looks set to be the most high-profile of the summer, would represent a major coup for Liverpool.
The Sun
22 minutes ago
- The Sun
Is Luke Littler and Luke Humphries' friendship all a facade? Inside England stars' World Cup of Darts disaster
NOT SINCE the pairing of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard at the 2006 World Cup had two Englishmen fail to click and proven so uncoordinated on German soil. Luke Humphries and Luke Littler arrived in Frankfurt as the top two players in the world and red-hot favourites for the PDC World Cup of Darts. 8 8 8 Expectations were so high that they would be victorious that Phil Taylor was saying they should be given the trophy before a dart was even thrown in anger. But World Cups can cause all manner of surprises and discombobulating displays – as England's Golden Generation found to their cost 19 years ago. Gerrard and Lampard were among the best midfielders of their era, goal-scoring machines for Liverpool and Chelsea. Yet despite their god-given talents, it never really worked for them in tandem when they donned a Three Lions shirt. Humphries and Littler are the best darts players of this era but they were crushed in their opening game by the Germans. So, why didn't it work? Why did it go so spectacularly wrong? Well, underdogs Martin 'The Wall' Schindler and Ricardo 'Pikachu' Pietreczko rose to the challenge superbly, winning their second-round tie 8-4 on Saturday evening. There is history between the two Lukes and pesky Pietreczko – Littler clashed with him at last year's Belgian Darts Open, and Humphries gave it back to German fans at Ally Pally after he eliminated the Berlin-born star. 8 The hostility that greeted the English duo when they walked out was unusual for darts – so, do not underestimate the impact that had on the No.1 seeds. The noise was ear-splitting and we all know Littler has little time for Deutschland fans. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries BOOED by German crowd on day they got their MBEs but fans love their 's---house' walk-on Twice before, in Berlin and Munich, Littler had been left unhappy with the reception he got from punters. The previous time it had happened over Easter, he wrote on Instagram he was glad he would not be back in the country until Dortmund in October, seemingly forgetting all about the World Cup in June. He might be the world champion and a global icon but we forget that Littler is still only 18. The Nuke stormed off stage, albeit after shaking hands, and just like when he lost the Premier League Final to Cool Hand Luke, he shows his emotions whenever things go against him. 8 8 But as NFL legendary coach Vince Lombardi once said: Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser. Parallels could be made with another England midfielder, Jude Bellingham, who is a stellar talent but is prone to outbursts and temper tantrums in difficult moments. Littler is not yet in that same league but this is a huge setback in his career – his first senior England appearance ending amid a cacophony of boos and regrets. It was so deflating that, the day after they had been recognised in the King's Honours List, Sky Sports pundit Wayne Marde joked: 'How quickly can MBEs be taken away?' What was telling was the observation made by Gerwyn Price, whose Wales side lost 10-9 to Northern Ireland in the final. In one of the revealing interviews this year, the Iceman claimed 'rubbish' England lacked 'a connection' and had no 'camaraderie off the stage'. He said: 'When all the teams first turned up on the first day, the only two players who didn't turn up together, didn't sit together, didn't play as a team. 'You need to turn up together. You need to be as a team. You practice together, you sit together, it's a team ethic. 'It didn't show with England and it showed on the board. They are great players individually. But you need to be a team.' 8 World No.1 Humphries and reigning world champion Littler are always so polite and respectful on stage, fist-bumping each other's high checkouts. But is it all a facade? Are they really as compatible off the oche as they make out? Can they ever put aside their fierce rivalry for this team format? Humphries is 12 years older than Littler and is like a big brother but if Price is right, they will have to work on their connection in a team situation. They came over to Germany as the bookies' front-runners but were gone after 12 legs. At least Gerrard and Lampard managed four games together at the 2006 World Cup before their quarter-final exit. 8
Reuters
33 minutes ago
- Reuters
Four people handed suspended jail sentences over Vinicius Jr effigy
June 16 (Reuters) - Four people have been handed suspended jail sentences by a Madrid Court after being found guilty of a hate crime related to an effigy of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr, Spain's LaLiga said in a statement on Monday. They were all involved in hanging a banner reading "Madrid hates Real" and an inflatable black effigy in a replica of the Brazilian's No. 20 shirt on a bridge before a Copa del Rey match against Atletico Madrid in January 2023. According to the ruling, one defendant was sentenced to 15 months in prison for a hate crime and an additional seven months for making threats, having distributed images of the act online. The other three were sentenced to seven months in prison for hate crimes and seven months for threats. They will not serve prison time, however, after all four signed a letter of apology to Vinicius, Real Madrid, LaLiga and the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF). "The defendant who posted the video online received a special disqualification from working in education, sports, or recreational youth settings for four years and three months, while the others received three years and seven months," the LaLiga statement said. The first defendant was fined 1,084 euros ($1,250) and the other three 720 euros, with additional punishments including a 1,000-meter restraining order from Vinicius, his home and workplace, and a ban on approaching soccer stadiums during LaLiga or RFEF matches. They will all be required to participate in an educational programme on equal treatment and non-discrimination in order for the prison sentences imposed to be suspended. There was no immediate confirmation from the court and no immediate reaction from Vinicius. ($1 = 0.8638 euros)
