Category: 6. Sports

Kobbie Mainoo tells Manchester United he wants to leave on loan, Wolves are fighting to keep Jorgen Strand Larsen, Tottenham and Chelsea battle for Xavi Simons and Aston Villa are set to re-sign Marco Asensio.

Kobbie Mainoo has told Manchester United he wants to leave on loan in search of regular minutes but the club want the 20-year-old England midfielder to stay and fight for his place and will not sanction a move. (Athletic – subscription required, external)

Wolves are ready to reject Newcastle’s third bid of £60m for Jorgen Strand Larsen and remain adamant that the 25-year-old Norway striker will not be sold during this transfer window. (Telegraph – subscription required, external)

Tottenham are close to agreeing a deal in the region of £60m with RB Leipzig for the Netherlands attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, 22, after racing to try to minimise the threat of Chelsea hijacking their move. (Telegraph – subscription required, external)

After agreeing a fee for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, 21, Chelsea are also prepared to make a £60m bid for Leipzig’s Simons. (Metro), external

Tottenham have made contact with Manchester City about a move for the Netherlands defender Nathan Ake, 30. (Givemesport), external

Aston Villa are close to signing forward Marco Asensio on a permanent deal from Paris St-Germain after the 29-year-old Spain international impressed while on loan at Villa Park last season. (L’Equipe – in French), external

After losing Romelu Lukaku to injury, Italian champions Napoli are ready to sign Manchester United’s 22-year-old forward Rasmus Hojlund on loan, with a verbal aggrement already reached for the Denmark international. (Gianluca DiMarzio), external

Manchester United’s 26-year-old Dutch left-back Tyrell Malacia is set to join Elche on a season-long loan after choosing the La Liga side over Lille. (Voetbal International – in Dutch, external)

Newly promoted Serie A side Cremonese are interested in 38-year-old Jamie Vardy, the former England striker who has been without a club since leaving Leicester City at the end of last season. (Times – subscription required, external)

Vardy’s former Leicester team-mate and France international N’Golo Kante is set for a return to Europe after the 34-year-old former Chelsea midfielder was offered to AS Monaco and Paris FC by Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad. (L’Equipe – in French), external

Crystal Palace are bracing themselves to lose captain Marc Guehi, 25, to Liverpool before Monday’s deadline and want £45m for the England defender. (Express), external

Burnley are interested in signing Benfica’s Florentino Luis, 26, but Marseille and Roma have also shown interest in the Portuguese defensive midfielder this summer. (Sky Sports, external)

Rangers have made contact with Everton over a loan deal for 21-year-old Portuguese striker Youssef Chermiti. (Sky Sports, external)

Paris FC’s 19-year-old French defender Dimitri Colau will undergo a medical at West Ham on Saturday before signing a four-year contract with the Hammers. (Footmercato – in French, external)

Besiktas have sacked former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after they were knocked out of the UEFA Conference League playoffs by Lausanne.

Besiktas were beaten 1-0 at home by the INEOS-owned Lausanne on Thursday night, with former Arsenal striker Nathan Butler-Oyedeji scoring the only goal in first-half stoppage-time before Besiktas had Felix Uduokhai sent off early in the second half, giving Lausanne a 2-1 aggregate win.

“After getting knocked out of UEFA Conference League tonight, Beşiktaş Board of Directors held an emergency meeting and decided to part ways with Head Coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer,” Besiktas said in a statement.

“The Board also thanked Mr. Solskjaer for his services to Beşiktaş and wished him luck in his future career.”

Solskjaer took charge of the Super Lig club in January — his first coaching role since leaving Man United in November 2021 — and guided them to fourth at the end of last season.

Information from PA was used in this report.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motorsport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, has announced the regional champions of the FIA Innovation Challenge 2025 for Region III (North America) and Region IV (Central and South America).

Launched in 2024, the Challenge recognises innovative projects from FIA Mobility Members that drive growth, showcase new approaches, and enhance Club services.

Six Member Clubs have been honoured for high-impact and scalable initiatives that showcase the power of creativity and collaboration across the FIA community.

FIA REGION III CHAMPIONS (NORTH AMERICA)

• CAA Atlantic (Canada): Watt’s Up with EVs – The Infomercial Series

Acceleration of zero emission adoption and EV awareness through a multi-part video series. Broadcast across TV and social media, it reached over 7.3 million viewers.

• CAA – BCAA (Canada): Defending Against Wildfires (DAW)

With increasingly severe wildfires in British Colombia, DAW supports communities through strategic partnerships and advanced technology, raising awareness and acting as community protection.

• JMMC (Jamaica): RoadReach – Your Personal Roadside Guardian

A real-time roadside safety and emergency response platform, it is designed to ensure drivers are never alone in critical moments, providing on-demand visibility and communication.

FIA REGION IV CHAMPIONS (CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA)

• AAB (Brazil): Innovative Mobility for Indigenous Health – Supporting Communities in the Brazilian Amazon

Improved healthcare and cancer care access for over 43,700 Indigenous people in the Brazilian Amazon by providing solar-powered and electric vehicles for telemedicine, diagnostics, and vaccination.

• ACA (Argentina): We Are One Team – The Strength of Unity in Action

Transformed employees into a nationwide sales force, gaining 25,000 new members in nine months via this low-cost programme which fostered internal culture.

• ANETA (Ecuador): Comprehensive Drivers Assessment Project – Certifying Safe and Responsible Drivers

Enhanced road safety standards by evaluating drivers’ knowledge, technical skills, and physical and psychological aptitudes and created a scalable model for safer roads.

FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said: “The Innovation Challenge is a powerful showcase of how our Mobility Clubs are driving progress, not only for their members but for society as a whole. These Regional Champions demonstrate that innovation, when paired with collaboration, can deliver real impact. I congratulate each of them for their leadership and vision, and I look forward to seeing their projects inspire others across our global network.”

FIA Region III President, Frank Fotia, said: “In Region III, our Champions are showing how purposeful initiatives can make a real difference in people’s daily lives. Whether its improving roadside safety, helping drivers understand electric vehicles, or building resilience against wildfires, these projects reflect the value of innovation focused on community needs.”

FIA Region IV President, Ricardo Morales Rubio, said: “The projects of our Region IV Champions strengthen communities, bring more value to Club members, and improve safety. They demonstrate how targeted innovation can rapidly deliver meaningful and lasting change. By showing what can be achieved when people work together toward shared goals, these projects set a compelling example for the entire region.”

Secretary General for Automobile Mobility and Sustainability, Willem Groenewald, said: “The entries we’ve had in this challenge highlight the creativity and determination of our Mobility Members to tackle today’s most pressing challenges across multiple sectors including road safety, automotive technology, and even healthcare. FIA Regions III and IV Champions show how scalable solutions can transform mobility and deliver tangible value to people’s lives. Their achievements set a benchmark for our entire community.”

The Regional Champions will advance to the global final of the FIA Innovation Challenge 2025 in December, where they will compete for the title of Global Winners.

 

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:

About the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile 

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is the governing body for world motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations globally. It is a non-profit organisation committed to driving innovation and championing safety, sustainability and equality across motor sport and mobility. 

Founded in 1904, with offices in Paris, London and Geneva, the FIA brings together 245 Member Organisations across five continents, representing millions of road users, motor sport professionals and volunteers. It develops and enforces regulations for motor sport, including seven FIA World Championships, to ensure worldwide competitions are safe and fair for all.

KATOWICE (Poland) – FIBA EuroBasket 2025 co-hosts Poland came up with a dream performance in front of a 9,337-strong crowd in Katowice’s Spodek Arena on Thursday, to erase a Luka Doncic monster showing of 34 points and celebrate a 105-95 victory over Slovenia.

Jordan Loyd had a EuroBasket debut for the history books and Mateusz Ponitka came up with an inspirationally heroic performance to gift the home fans the start to the tournament they had dreamt of.

Turning Point

After a balanced first half which Saw Slovenia claim their first lead of the night right before the break, the game momentum switched in favor of the hosts with the start of the third quarter. Poland went on a 15-3 run in the first four minutes to grab a 62-49 lead.

That inspired not only the packed Spodek Arena, but the Polish team as well. Propelled by Jordan Loyd’s scoring and Mateusz Ponitka’s leadership, they all contributed in the crucial win over Slovenia.

TCL Player of the Game

Three years earlier, Mateusz Ponitka had the best game of his life against Slovenia. This time he did not deliver a triple-double performance, but he still led Poland with an all-round showing of 23 points (on 8-of-13 FG) and 7 rebounds.

Jordan Loyd will never forget his FIBA EuroBasket debut. He’s now only the fourth Poland player to have made 5 or more three-pointers in a EuroBasket game since 1995, finishing with a team-high 32 points, on 7-of-8 from deep.

Despite the loss, Luka Doncic had 34 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds in what was his first ever EuroBasket game of more than 25 points and 5 assists.

Stats Don’t Lie

There is no place like home, and that also relates to Spodek Arena’s rims for Poland. The hosts shot excellently from beyond the arc (14-of-26), which made a world of difference against Slovenia’s 13-of-37 thre-point shooting on the night.

Poland’s winning debut at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 was their 11th game of 10 or more made three-pointers in the competition over the last 30 years.

Bottom Line

16 years later, Poland enjoyed another domestic win at FIBA EuroBasket. And what a win it was in Katowice. Igor Milicic’s team can build on it heading to their second matchup in Group D, against Israel.

Slovenia tried different solutions to contain their opponents’ flowing offense, even trying to go smallball halfway through the third quarter. Up next France, against whom they will need a wide range of adjustments too.

They Said

For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!

FIBA

Hamish Kerr sails to victory

Cordell Tinch, the dominant force in the 110m hurdles this season, equalled the meeting record of 12.92 that has stood since 1989.

The world leader had a relatively slow start to the race, but once he found his groove, Tinch pulled away for a comfortable win. Enrique Llopis (13.12) and Jamal Britt (13.21) finished in second and third place, respectively.

Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir produced a stunning upset in the women’s 1500m, beating Olympic silver medallist Jess Hull on the line.

Hull left Chepchirchir in her shadow at the bell and looked set for a dominant win. But the Australian ace dramatically ran out of steam with Chepchirchir taking the win in 3:56.99 to Hull’s 3:57.02.

In the men’s high jump, New Zealand’s Olympic champion Hamish Kerr topped the podium as the only man to clear 2.32m on his first attempt. Oleh Doroshchuk claimed second place with 2.30m and JuVaughn Harrison third with 2.25m.

Audrey Werro delighted the Swiss crowd as she clocked a superb national record in the women’s 800m to take the series title with a time of 1:55.91. Great Britain’s Georgia Hunter Bell finished in a close second place with a personal best of 1:55.96.

In the men’s two-lap race, reigning Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi pipped a fast-approaching Max Burgin at the line.

Wanyonyi opened a comfortable lead with 200m to go before Burgin launched his challenge, going toe-to-toe with the Kenyan star. A grimacing Wanyonyi held on for the win in a time of 1:42.37 with Burgin finishing on his heels in 1:42.42.

LIMASSOL (Cyprus) – No sniper came to the rescue for Italy as Giannis Antetokounmpo was masterful in carrying Greece to a hard-fought 75-66 victory to tip off their FIBA EuroBasket 2025.

Italian head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco joked in the pre-tournament press conference about knowing of a friend when asked how he planned on stopping Antetokounmpo. A packed Spyros Kyprianou Arena with 7,000 mostly Greece fans saw the NBA superstar dominate with 31 points.

Turning Point

Italy had been fighting to stay within touching distance and were down just 45-41 halfway through the third quarter. Greece continued their strong defense and and executed better on offense with an 11-3 spurt to lead 56-44.

Italy temporarily trimmed the gap to six points on Simone Fontecchio’s first points with 4 minutes to play. And it was 71-66 with 49 seconds to go but Antetokounmpo threw down a dunk with 31 seconds to seal the deal.

TCL Player of the Game

There was no doubt who the leader for Greece would be and Giannis Antetokounmpo did not disappoint. The former NBA MVP and champion had his way with the Italian defense in scoring 31 points. But Antetokounmpo also grabbed 7 rebounds while dishing out 2 assists and swiping 1 steal.

Stats Don’t Lie

Greece shot 59 percent on two-pointers and 39 percent from long range while holding Italy to just 36 percent from the field including 26 percent from long range. Greece’s defense also frustated Italy’s NBA star Simone Fontecchio, who was held to just 4 points in 34 minutes, making just 1 of his 11 shots.

Bottom Line

Greece and Italy have squared off 17 times in all-time FIBA history with Greece winning for the eighth time. But the two basketball powers met for just the third time since 2003.

Greece can expect another packed house in their second game as they face off against hosts and neighbors Cyprus, who lost their first game. Italy meanwhile face another tough test with a showdown against Georgia, who started their campaign with an upset over reigning champions Spain.

They Said

“I think we had a good game defensively. Offensively we had some good moments and some not-so-good moments. We need to have a little more patience in our offense and more easy points on fast breaks. Our team can run, our team can shoot, we need to find more ways to be succcessful in offensive transition.” – Vassilis Spanoulis, Greece

“Italy is a great team with depth at both bigs and guards. We’re very happy with the winning margin and we’re very happy that we responded when they came back. We have to be happy today and keep building.” – Dinos Mitoglou

“I think overall we did a very good job. We had some moments in the second quarter – some stretches where we were not executing our plan. But we said before we came here that we want to keep evolving and getting better during the tournament.” – Kostas Papanikolaou, Greece

“It’s just good to get a win under our belt. The defensive end won us that game tonight. We focused on the smallest details of all the players and it led us to the victory.” – Tyler Dorsey, Greece

“We played solid. I am happy with the behavior of my players. They were really focused on the game. We prepared something – yesterday of course I was joking with the sniper – and they really did on the court what we wanted to do. We needed to play a little bit better offensively. We didn’t shoot well. But we were competitive tonight.” – Gianmarco Pozzecco, Italy

“It was a very good game, a physical game. I thought we played a better first half than second half. We created some open shots that we missed in the first half, and we didn’t create the same shots in the second half. We have to keep our intensity and energy up for 40 minutes to play against these kinds of teams.” – Danilo Gallinari, Italy

This game report will be updated in the coming moments. Stay tuned.

For more quotes, tune in to the official post-game press conference!

FIBA

Just one change – injury-enforced – indicates Scotland’s delight with their opening victory over Wales. Six tries and plenty of free-flowing rugby has put the Scots in the driving seat to secure qualification to the knockouts. Vowing to show the “same respect” to Fiji as they did to neighbours Wales, the women in blue will be out to impress once more. 

Despite the scoreline, there were some positives in Fiji’s 65-7 defeat to Canada, not least the stunning team-try finished off by Kolora Lomani. Prop Vika Matarugu is one of those to jump to the starting XV after impressing off the bench, while watch out for heavy duty outside-centre Verenaisi Ditavutu. 

Kick-off: 14:45 BST, Saturday, 30 August

Venue: Salford Community Stadium, Manchester

If you have a ticket already, check out former England star Harriet Millar-Mills’ Guide to Manchester for all the top tips to making the most out of your trip. 

How to watch: Pick up a last-minute ticket here.

Or check out our Global Guide to the TV options in your area. 

Scotland team 

Scotland’s key player: While fellow wing Francesca McGhie hogged most of the headlines v Wales courtesy of her hat-trick, Rhona Lloyd was quietly hugely impressive once more. Part of a devastating back three, alongside water-tight full-back Chloe Rollie, Lloyd possess a fleet of foot that pundits and teammates alike purr over. 

Fiji team 

Fiji’s key player: Look out for Michella’e Stolz. She may still be a teenager and making her RWC debut on Saturday but the winger has already showed her immense character. Inspirational with her words after that one-sided defeat to Canada, the young flier now has a chance to make her mark on the pitch. A former sevens player, she is undoubtedly one-to-watch. 

Recent head-to-head:

14.09.2024 SCO 59-15 FIJ

What they said: 

Scotland head coach Bryan Easson: 

“When you look at six tries, 95 per cent tackle success rate as well, I think both sides of the ball everybody was just on top of their game, but I think there’s more in us.

“When we reviewed the game we left two or three chances out there as well so we’re certainly not the finished article. This is a team who want to improve week on week; our mindset is that every session we want to leave a better player, every week we want to leave as a better group.

“Respect for Fiji. They’re a good side, we’ve watched them very closely, and we’ve got to respect Fiji like we respected Wales and that’s the way we’ve treated this week. I felt the performance from the group, the whole 32 last week was excellent, but the 23 in particular, I thought, played particularly well, and you’ve got to get some momentum in a tournament like this as well.”

Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm: 

“I’ve never had a welcome to a game that we had in Manchester on the weekend. It quite honestly took my breath away walking off the bus and and seeing and hearing the Scotland fans around us and we literally walked into the changing room and every single person was like ‘right, I’m ready to go now’, because it was just so inspiring.

“Then to see the mascot and all the people in the stands, the number of people that travelled, that was just inspirational and to see the messages that have come in since the game and all the bits of support is exactly why we do it.

“Hopefully we can just keep performing and and getting the results that that support deserves and keep driving that support and rugby in Scotland forward.”

Fii head coach Ioan Cunningham:

“Everyone’s hurting. It was a tough loss. We don’t like to feel like we did after that game, but when you break the game up and you look at some of the aspects of our attack and some of our defence work, there’s loads of positives to take out of it.

“If we can string more minutes together, like we showed, especially when we scored the try, where we found our shape and got into what we’ve been doing with the last five, six weeks, then we’ll troubles sides with that. 

“I think from my point of view, it’s trying to create a good balance between the super strength of the team, of being able to play with a natural ability of an offload game, playing that free spirit. But getting the balance right that we don’t overplay, and feed opposition turnover ball, to allow them to capitalise on that. 

“That’s been a challenge and something I think we’ve improved on. And also understanding potentially a bit more about how territory can win you matches.

I’m still 4-1 up against Brian (Easson, Scotland head coach)…. Don’t tell him that! Scotland are in a good place, I thought they were excellent against Wales.”

Newcastle United are closing in on the signing of Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade in a move that could have a huge impact on Liverpool’s pursuit of Alexander Isak.

The Germany international, 23, is understood to be en route to Tyneside after a deal was struck with the Bundesliga side.

Woltemade, who has also attracted interest from Bayern Munich this summer, will undergo a medical ahead of completing a move to St James’ Park.

There is no confirmation of the fee, but a source suggested it would constitute a club record after Newcastle previously spent £63m to make Isak the most expensive player in their history three years ago when he arrived from Real Sociedad.

Isak, of course, remains determined to join Liverpool and Woltemade’s move could yet give the champions encouragement to return to the table in the final days of the window after having a £110m bid rejected last month.

In a statement last week, Newcastle did not foresee the conditions of sale being met for the Swede – namely securing two quality strikers – as well as receiving an offer from Liverpool that actually gave the club a decision to make.

However, the Magpies have since struck a deal for Woltemade, who would be viewed as a centre-forward capable of leading the line right now, as well as a player with immense potential to develop further, which feels like a significant first step.

The move caps a remarkable 12 months for the Bremen-born frontman, who has two caps for his country.

Woltemade was not even a regular starter at first for Stuttgart after joining the club on a free transfer from Werder Bremen last summer. But the 6ft 6in striker went on to score 17 goals in 33 games, including the opener in the German Cup final as he won the first major trophy of his career.

He then lit up the Under-21 Euros last month and finished the tournament as top scorer with six goals as Germany reached the final, where they lost 3-2 to England.

With qualities likened to Jamal Musiala and Lionel Messi, the towering Woltemade was called a “two-metre Messi-Musiala” by Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor in an interview back in February, external

“He can control the ball, but at the same time he can also dribble like a 1.6 metre dribbler,” he said of his club team-mate. “He’s a player who is two metres tall but he has technique like Messi.”