Liverpool are in a RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is being pursued by Chelsea, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich, while Chelsea’s pursuit of Ipswich forward Liam Delap intensifies. Arsenal has already agreed a fee for RB Leipzig’s Florian Wirtz, and Liverpool are in competition for Florian Wirtz.
Despite the fact that the 22-year-old German international has been widely touted as the new manager of Los Blancos, Real Madrid are pressing to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Florian Wirtz despite his former manager Xabi Alonso having been appointed manager. (AS) in Spanish
With offers for Brentford’s 25-year-old Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo and Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi, 24, and Newcastle are prepared to make their first moves in a crucial summer. (Telegraph requires a subscription)
Caoimhin Kelleher, 26, a goalkeeper for the Republic of Ireland, has been approached by Brentford over a £20 million deal. (Liverpool Echo)
The Dutch international goalkeeper Mark Flekken, 31, will join Bayer Leverkusen as Brentford prepares to sign him. (Independent)
Cody Gakpo, 26, is one of three teams that the Netherlands international would be interested in joining at Bayern Munich‘s Bundesliga club. (Florian Plettenberg)
Milos Kerkez, a full-back from Bournemouth, has already agreed to join Liverpool, and the 21-year-old Hungary international has no issues with his personal circumstances. (Romano-Fabrizio)
Marcus Rashford, the agent of Manchester United’s out-of-favour striker, met with Barcelona‘s sporting director Deco, the 27-year-old England international desperate to join the La Liga champions. (Sports) in Spanish
Leroy Sane, a 29-year-old German winger on a contract with Bayern Munich this summer, has been targeted by Arsenal. (Times: A subscription required)
Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, 22, has also received offers from Chelsea, Manchester United, and Everton, and Newcastle is one of the clubs currently negotiating a deal. (Irishpaper subscription required)
RB Leipzig has informed Arsenal that they must pay $ 92.5 million to sign Slovenian international Benjamin Sesko, who also has interests at Manchester United.
When their contracts expire at Manchester City and Lille, respectively, are Italian champions Napoli expected to pull off a free transfer double swoop with Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 33, and 25-year-old Canada striker Jonathan David. (In Italian, Corriere dello Sport)
Former French Open champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud are both out, but defending champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame a blip in form to defeat Fabian Marozsan.
Spanish Open champion Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 over his Hungarian opponent after starting strong but dropping the second set.
Greek 20th seed Tsitsipas, who lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, and 6-4 to world number 167 Matteo Gigante of Italy, had no such success.
Ruud, who had previously finished second in Paris, injured himself in the final set of his four-set set-blank defeat against Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
He “started to play much better and be very aggressive in the second set.” The 22-year-old said that because he didn’t miss any shots in the second set, it was a little challenging to control his game.
“But I’m really happy that I kept up my strength and mental vigor.” I improved as I played, which made for a really good final two sets.
Alcaraz won titles in Monte Carlo and Rome before the French Open, and he showed it right away when he broke three times to win the first set within 28 minutes.
Marozsan broke early in a scrappy second set before overcoming the second seed to level the match.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, did a good job of surviving the final fifteen minutes to survive.
Tsitsipas exits the Grand Slam once more.
Images courtesy of Getty
Tsitsipas lost in the 2021 final to Novak Djokovic in an epic five-setter, making it another early Grand Slam exit.
The 26-year-old’s first defeat at Roland Garros since 2018 is the fact that he has now failed to make it past the second round in four of his previous major appearances.
Tsitsipas will now, for the first time since August 2018, fall outside of the top 20 of the world.
Gigante, who is making his French Open debut after qualifying, is given a third-round meeting with American 13th seed Ben Shelton. He also won the biggest win of his career.
In other instances, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, both Americans, made it to the last 32 despite varying circumstances.
After falling two sets to Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, Paul, the 12th seed, made an impressive comeback.
Karen Khachanov, the 24th seed of Russia, beat Sebastian Ofner, who won 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 in round three.
The 15th seeded opponent was Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, who won 6-4, 6-3, and 6-1.
Holger Rune, the Danish 10th seed, defeated American world number 138 Emilio Nada 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in the evening session on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Meanwhile, eighth-seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy advanced to the third round by defeating Daniel Galan of Colombia 6-4, 6-0, 6-4.
Jacob Fearnley, who won his first French Open singles match on Monday, defeated Colombia’s Nicolas Barrientos and India’s Rithvik Bollipalli 6-0, 6-2, in the men’s doubles match.
Former French Open champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud are both out, but defending champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame a blip in form to defeat Fabian Marozsan.
Spanish Open champion Alcaraz won 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 over his Hungarian opponent after starting strong but dropping the second set.
Greek 20th seed Tsitsipas, who lost 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, and 6-4 to world number 167 Matteo Gigante of Italy, had no such success.
Ruud, who had previously finished second in Paris, injured himself in the final set of his four-set set-blank defeat against Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
He “started to play much better and be very aggressive in the second set.” The 22-year-old said that because he didn’t miss any shots in the second set, it was a little challenging to control his game.
“But I’m really happy that I kept up my strength and mental vigor.” I improved as I played, which made for a really good final two sets.
Alcaraz won titles in Monte Carlo and Rome before the French Open, and he showed it right away when he broke three times to win the first set within 28 minutes.
Marozsan broke early in a scrappy second set before overcoming the second seed to level the match.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, did a good job of surviving the final fifteen minutes to survive.
Tsitsipas exits the Grand Slam once more.
Images courtesy of Getty
Tsitsipas lost in the 2021 final to Novak Djokovic in an epic five-setter, making it another early Grand Slam exit.
The 26-year-old’s first defeat at Roland Garros since 2018 is the fact that he has now failed to make it past the second round in four of his previous major appearances.
Tsitsipas will now, for the first time since August 2018, fall outside of the top 20 of the world.
Gigante, who is making his French Open debut after qualifying, is given a third-round meeting with American 13th seed Ben Shelton. He also won the biggest win of his career.
In other instances, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe, both Americans, made it to the last 32 despite varying circumstances.
After falling two sets to Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics, Paul, the 12th seed, made an impressive comeback.
Karen Khachanov, the 24th seed of Russia, beat Sebastian Ofner, who won 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 in round three.
The 15th seeded opponent was Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, who won 6-4, 6-3, and 6-1.
Holger Rune, the Danish 10th seed, defeated American world number 138 Emilio Nada 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in the evening session on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Meanwhile, eighth-seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy advanced to the third round by defeating Daniel Galan of Colombia 6-4, 6-0, 6-4.
Jacob Fearnley, who won his first French Open singles match on Monday, defeated Colombia’s Nicolas Barrientos and India’s Rithvik Bollipalli 6-0, 6-2, in the men’s doubles match.
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, the director-general of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has stated the organization’s ambitious plan to add 95% of Nigerians to the National Identity Database before December 2025.
Coker-Odusote stated at a briefing in Abuja that the objective is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in terms of digital governance and inclusive development.
She claims that the widespread enrollment drive will be fueled by robust public awareness campaigns, expanded registration centers, and improved infrastructure.
Also read: Spotify CEO, AI Not A Threat, Will Spur More Music Creativity, and  
She stated, “We have already started the Ward Enrollment Exercise to have at least 95% of Nigerians registered by December 31.”
Over 85 million Nigerians were enrolled as of May 2025, according to NIMC, but this figure still falls short of the over 220 million people who are thought to be in the country. Coker-Odusote noted that the Commission is diligently pursuing this goal.
The NIMC boss claimed that when the ongoing Ward Enrollment Exercise is finished, the government will be able to accurately forecast the number of Nigerians, which will aid in effective planning for the citizens.
Coker-Odusote addressed the issue of public trust and data security, noting that it is possible that people may have some issues with trust. However, the commission has taken several steps to make sure Nigerians can have confidence in their data.
She claims that one of the things NIMC has done to increase trust is to return the data to the users, giving them access to their data and allowing them to choose when and how to share it for any service needed. This includes user consent management, which enables individuals to access their data and choose when and how to share it.
She adds that the agency has collaborated with security organizations to combat and detain all those who create fake NIN websites.
Additionally, NIMC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) work together to train all employees in handling data, particularly enrolment officers.
We want to ensure that all of their frontend partners and verification partners are certified by the Data Protection Commission, adding that this will help us foster trust and enable you to know that those who handle your data are also certified experts.
She further disclosed that NIMC has increased its back-end cybersecurity to ensure no one is harmed by data breaches.
Coker-Odusote said the NIMC is working to make sure all the government ministries, divisions, and organizations in Nigeria do not operate in silos any longer.
Based on used cases that we have identified under their jurisdiction, “we have been working very hard on integrating with all ministries, departments, and agencies,” she said.
The commission wants to launch its “Public Key Infrastructure,” which strengthens trust, particularly within the MDAs, according to the NIMC DG.
Elon Musk, a senior government official, has criticized Donald Trump for releasing his comprehensive budget proposal, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Trump was quizzed about Musk’s comments, which suggested the bill would increase the country’s debt, on Wednesday at a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office.
Despite vehemently defending the bill’s tax cuts, the Republican leader reacted with a degree of ambivalence.
Trump stated, “We will be negotiating that bill, and I’m thrilled by some aspects of it, but I’m not happy about some of it.” That is their practice, they say.
The Trump administration’s budget bill has more than a thousand pages, and it includes a number of domestic policy priorities.
That includes legislation that strengthens some of the tax cuts that Trump supported in his first year as president, in 2017. Additionally, it would increase the funds for Trump’s “mass deportation” campaign and increased border security.
For instance, some $46.5 billion would be used to renew the southern border wall and other barriers, another Trump hallmark during his first term in office.
However, the bill proposes policies that are still contentious on both sides of the political spectrum to pay for those policy priorities and tax cuts.
For instance, one rule would increase the federal debt cap by $4 trillion. Other countries would impose stringent work standards for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is a government program for low-income Americans, and Medicaid.
Cost savings are anticipated because of these work requirements, which prevent thousands of people from having access to those safety-net programs. However, critics worry that some families will become even poorer as a result of those restrictions.
On May 21, Elon Musk and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa meet at the White House.
In a preview interview for CBS Sunday Morning, Musk expressed disappointment with the bill’s sheer cost, drawing criticism from fiscal conservatives.
He also claimed that Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is reversing his efforts to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force he established to reduce “wasteful” spending.
Musk, who is sporting an “Occupy Mars” T-shirt, told CBS, “I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, which increases the budget deficit rather than decrease it,” Musk said.
He continued, “I believe a bill can be big or it can be beautiful.” “I’m not sure if it could be both,” he said. My personal opinion.
Elon Musk has previously spoken out against a US budget bill. Under former president Joe Biden, Musk sparked outcry in December against a larger-than-a-kilo of budget legislation, calling on Congress to “kill the bill.”
However, Musk’s most recent comments suggest a potential growing conflict between himself and the Trump White House.
In Trump’s administration, billionaire Musk, who is widely believed to be the richest man in the world, has previously had a prominent role. He even assisted him in winning a second term as president.
Musk joined Trump on the campaign trail in 2024 and gave hundreds of millions of dollars to the Republican leader and his political allies.
Trump, for his part, accepted Musk’s warm embrace. Trump announced that Musk would take over the DOGE as head of his incoming administration shortly after winning a second term in office.
However, Musk’s White House position has remained ambiguous and contentious. Musk hasn’t gone through a Senate confirmation hearing, despite having a regular presence at presidential cabinet meetings.
He has been described by the White House as a “special government employee,” a position that consultants from various business sectors are temporarily given. These employees are prohibited from using their government positions for financial gain because they are typically limited to 130 days a year.
However, some claim that Musk has benefited from his position and that his tenure at the White House has not been fully documented. For instance, Trump held a press conference in March to promote Tesla models produced by Musk.
Given that they are government contractors’ competitors, the rocket company SpaceX and the satellite communications company Starlink have also raised conflict-of-interest issues.
According to reports in the media, Musk and other Trump White House staff members may have engaged in secret altercations that may have cooled relations between the president and his billionaire backer. Trump has so far shied away from making outright accusations against Musk.
For instance, Trump switched on Wednesday to criticize Democratic members of Congress who disapproved of his signature budget bill from Musk’s comments.
Trump remarked, “Remember, we have no Democratic votes because they’re bad people.” There is a problem, they say.
Last week, a House of Representatives version of the budget bill slammed against it. The Senate is currently considering it. Senate Republicans can only afford to lose three votes if they want to pass the bill because the 100-person chamber has a 53-seat majority.
Despite concerns from his fellow Republicans, Trump reiterated his call for party unity on Wednesday.
Trump remarked, “We need to get a lot of votes.” “We need to receive a lot of support, and we do,” he said.
The national debt’s increase has sparked opposition from some Republicans. Others are concerned about the potential effects of Medicaid restrictions on their constituents.
Trump has already stated that he opposes any Medicaid reductions. However, he has attempted to use the tax cuts in the bill to benefit the less wealthy, despite the fact that critics claim they will lead to the greatest savings.
The domestic cryptocurrency industry should continue to play a significant role in American politics, according to Vice President JD Vance, who has emphasized President Donald Trump’s administration’s close ties to a deeply rooted industry.
Vance urged cryptocurrency executives and enthusiasts to keep pushing the US Congress to pass pro-crypto legislation supported by the White House during a speech at a Bitcoin conference on Wednesday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In his address, Vance stated that “we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unleash innovation and use it to improve the lives of countless American citizens.” We run the $ 3 trillion industry offshore in search of a friendly jurisdiction, however, if we don’t clarify regulations right away.
In the middle of the campaign, Vance delivered the speech after Trump pledged to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet” at the same Bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee last year. Former President Joe Biden’s administration had an unfair effect on the crypto industry, which heavily supported Trump and pro-cryptocurrency lawmakers in the election.
Vance praised Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the billionaire founders of the crypto exchange Gemini, for influencing US politics in particular during the election of last year.
Vance addressed the crowd at the Venetian Hotel, “You chose to speak up, and you chose to get involved, and I think that was the result of it.”
Vance praised cryptocurrencies as a means of protecting conservative populists from bad politicians, overly aggressive regulators, and unethical elites. He predicted that digital currencies would continue to be accepted as financial instruments, and he argued that the US should take the lead in the sector, noting that the Chinese government is hostile to crypto.
Trump, the president, granted Ross Ulbricht, the owner of Silk Road, a black market website that was crucial to Bitcoin’s initial growth, a Bitcoin reserve and granted him a pardon.
Trump’s administration has also outspoken crypto supporters, which have stopped or undone numerous enforcement actions taken against large cryptocurrency companies.
At the Bitcoin conference, Don Jr. and Eric, Trump’s sons, are among the speakers.
Inter-relationships are at stake
Democrats and even crypto enthusiasts have criticized the president and his family for using cryptocurrencies as a platform to earn money.
World Liberty Financial, which recently launched its own stablecoin, a rapidly expanding type of cryptocurrency whose value is frequently tied to the US dollar, has about a 60% stake in the Trump family. Vance claimed the Trump administration wants the bill to be passed into law quickly because the US Senate advanced legislation this month that would establish a federal framework for stablecoin regulation.
Trump’s media empire announced on Tuesday that it would raise $ 2.5 billion to purchase Bitcoin, the oldest and most well-known cryptocurrency in the world.
