… Their nervy 4-3 win on penalties over Arsenal following a 1-1 draw in the final in Budapest backed up their 5-0 win over Inter Milan in Munich 12 months ago. …
… AC Milan won back-to-back European Cups Italy has secured a representative in all available finals several times, most recently in 2023, although their clubs lost all three finals – Inter in the Champions League, Roma in the Europa League and Fiorentina in the Conference League. …
… Hakimi has been ever‑present for Luis Enrique’s PSG and scored the opener as the Parisians defeated Inter Milan 5-0 in last season’s final to become European champions for the first time. …
… protect such an important group of athletes, whom I do not want to be affected in any way by my circumstances. “I await further developments, which I hope will arrive soon to clarify my position.” It is alleged that Rocchi was behind the selection of a referee for an Inter Milan …
Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish has returned to pre-season training but was left out of the squad travelling to Hong Kong and Seoul, as he continues to recover from a foot injury sustained in January while on loan at Everton. New manager Enzo Maresca has left open the possibility of reintegrating Grealish into the first team, with the 30-year-old approaching the final year of his contract.
Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish has returned to pre-season training but was left out of the squad travelling to Hong Kong and Seoul, as he continues to recover from a foot injury sustained in January while on loan at Everton. New manager Enzo Maresca has left open the possibility of reintegrating Grealish into the first team, with the 30-year-old approaching the final year of his contract.
Roberto Mancini will return for a second spell as Italy national team coach, replacing Gennaro Gattuso who left in April following a World Cup qualifying defeat, while Claudio Ranieri will take over as technical director. The appointment came after Pep Guardiola turned down the role and Andrea Pirlo's candidacy was blocked due to ties to a Russian betting firm.
Roberto Mancini has been reappointed Italy manager a day after Andrea Pirlo withdrew from the running due to controversy over his ties to a Russian betting company, and Paolo Maldini resigned as technical director. Claudio Ranieri will replace Maldini in the role.
England defender John Stones is in advanced talks with Inter Milan about joining on a free transfer after leaving Manchester City. The 32-year-old centre-half, who has also attracted interest from Chelsea and Juventus, is understood to be leading Inter's race to sign him on a two-year contract.
Inter Milan have entered negotiations with Tottenham over signing centre-back Cristian Romero, the Spurs captain who helped Argentina reach the World Cup final. Tottenham are willing to sell after Romero's difficult 2025-26 season and the arrivals of Jan Paul van Hecke and Marcos Senesi as defensive reinforcements.
Newcastle United and Liverpool are discussing a tribute to Kevin Keegan, who died at age 75, before their Premier League opener on 23 August 2026. Newcastle will coordinate with Liverpool, supporter groups, and the Premier League to mark his memory, with the club's teams wearing black armbands during pre-season and his photo displayed at St James' Park in the seventh minute of upcoming friendlies.
Chelsea are interested in signing England defender John Stones on a free transfer after he departed Manchester City, joining Inter Milan in considering the 32-year-old. The west London club are also in talks to sign Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix while looking to sell central defenders including Trevoh Chalobah.
Bodø/Glimt and Union Saint-Gilloise, two low-budget European clubs, were drawn to face each other in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, with the first leg in Brussels on August 4 or 5 and the second leg at Bodø/Glimt's Aspmyra Stadium on August 11. The winner advances to the qualifying playoffs round with a place in the 36-team main phase at stake.
Lionel Messi set up two goals in the dying minutes of Argentina's World Cup semifinal against England, securing a 2-1 victory and a spot in the final against Spain. Messi said the fans wanted this victory more than any other because of what it means to face England in a semifinal and reach another World Cup final.
Lionel Messi set up two goals in the final moments of Argentina's 2-1 World Cup semifinal victory over England to reach the final against Spain on Sunday. Messi said the win was especially significant to Argentina's fans because of the historic rivalry between the nations.
Real Madrid have signed Netherlands full-back Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan on a four-year deal, reportedly activating his 20m-euro release clause. The 30-year-old is Real's fourth summer signing and will provide competition to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Chelsea have completed the signing of 21-year-old Italian right-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta for around £47 million including add-ons, with Palestra signing a six-year contract as the club's first signing under new manager Xabi Alonso.
Manchester City have agreed a deal with Nottingham Forest to sign England midfielder Elliot Anderson, 23, for £116m, described by City sources as a club record with no bonuses attached, though other sources claim the deal is worth up to £130m and would represent a British record transfer fee.
Liverpool have turned down a verbal offer of 25 million euros from Inter Milan for midfielder Curtis Jones, valuing him at £35m instead. It is the second time Inter have pursued Jones this year, having also proposed a loan deal in January.
Morocco footballer Achraf Hakimi will stand trial for rape after French prosecutors confirmed the case. A woman accused the Paris St-Germain defender of raping her at his Paris home in 2023 when she was aged 24; Hakimi has denied the allegations and his recent appeal to dismiss the trial was unsuccessful.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva, 31, has joined Real Madrid on a two-year contract after leaving Manchester City following a nine-year spell. Silva becomes Real's second summer signing as a free transfer.
Real Madrid have confirmed Jose Mourinho's reappointment as head coach on a three-year deal, with the 63-year-old Portuguese coach beginning work when the squad return for pre-season on 13 July. Madrid paid Benfica £13m in compensation, clearing the way for Mourinho's return 13 years after his first stint ended.
Christian Eriksen collapsed during a Denmark match against Ukraine in Odense on Sunday but is now at home with his family and says he is "doing well." The 34-year-old midfielder, who was fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator after a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020, says his ICD "did exactly what it was designed to do" and his recovery has begun.
Manchester City is contemplating legal action after a Real Madrid presidential candidate promised to sign Erling Haaland and displayed a shirt with his name, claiming he has a release clause. City and Haaland's representatives denied the claim, stating there is no such clause and no chance of a transfer.
PSG defeated Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Champions League final in Budapest, securing their second consecutive European title and becoming the first club since Real Madrid (2016–2018) to retain the trophy in the Champions League era.
Paris St-Germain beat Arsenal 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the Champions League final in Budapest, becoming only the second club to win back-to-back titles and the first since Real Madrid's three-peat from 2016 to 2018. Since the start of last season, Luis Enrique's team have won eight of the ten trophies available to them.
Antonio Conte has announced he will leave Napoli this summer, 12 months after winning the Serie A title in his first season. Napoli finished second this season, 11 points behind Inter Milan, and failed to reach the Champions League knockout phase.
Jose Mourinho is returning to Real Madrid 13 years after his previous stint, as announced by president Florentino Perez at a contentious press conference. The appointment aligns Mourinho's siege mentality and media-focused approach with Perez's worldview amid internal divisions in Madrid's dressing room.
Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace have all reached the finals of the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League respectively in the same season for the first time. Villa will face Freiburg in the Europa League final on 20 May, and Crystal Palace will play Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final on 27 May.
Inter Milan clinched their 21st Serie A title with a 2-0 win over Parma, with goals from Marcus Thuram and Henrikh Mkhitaryan securing the Scudetto with three games to spare. Inter moved 12 points clear of defending champions Napoli.
Paris St-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has been ruled out for the next few weeks after sustaining a right thigh injury during the team's 5-4 Champions League semi-final first-leg win against Bayern Munich, and will miss the return leg in Munich on 6 May. The injury also raises questions about his availability for the World Cup, set to begin in the United States, Canada and Mexico in six weeks.
England defender John Stones confirmed he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season after his contract expires. The 31-year-old made 293 appearances and won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups, five League Cups, and other trophies during his decade at the club.
Gianluca Rocchi, who assigns referees in Italy's top flight, has suspended himself following an investigation into alleged sporting fraud during the 2024-25 season. Andrea Gervasoni, the video assistant referee supervisor for Italy's two top divisions, has also suspended himself after being placed under investigation.