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Great Britain women’s and men’s team sprint squads both took silver on Sunday’s opening day of the UEC Track Elite European Championships in Turkey.

The women’s team of Lauren Bell, Rhianna Parris-Smith and Lowri Thomas looked strong in qualifying and easily saw off Czech Republic in round one.

Olympic champion Sophie Capewell came in for Bell for the final against Germany and although the GB trio led after two of the three laps in Konya, they were overhauled late on.

The Germans clocked 45.710 seconds with the British trio 0.003secs back.

Harry Radford, Joe Truman and Matt Richardson guided the GB men to top spot in qualifying and a comprehensive first-round win over Belgium.

Olympic silver medallist Hamish Turnbull replaced Radford for the final against France and despite a huge drive from Richardson to close the gap, the French crossed the line 0.006secs ahead.

When Vinicius Junior scored the opening goal in Real Madrid’s 2–1 win over Rayo Vallecano, the significance of his celebration was impossible to miss.

He ran towards the crowd, repeatedly kissing the Real badge on his shirt, before raising his arms and urging the supporters to lift the noise inside the stadium.

Throughout the match he continued to engage with the stands, directing his calls for support towards the ultras, who set the tone inside the Bernabeu.

It felt like an intentional celebration – a chance for him to reaffirm his loyalty to a fan base that has not always returned it.

Over the past few months Vinicius has unquestionably become the player most frequently singled out by sections of the Bernabeu crowd with boos, and he was again subject to hostile whistles on Sunday.

There is no doubt that Real fans are frustrated.

Real were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by a second division side, they missed out on an automatic place in the last 16 of the Champions League and must go through the play-offs, and they sit below Barcelona in La Liga.

On Sunday they made a win against a team lying 17th in La Liga look difficult, and they are already on their second manager of the season.

Things are not right at Real and fans are looking for a player to blame. Vinicius has become that player.

Firstly, his numbers this season have been low.

The goal against Rayo Vallecano was his first in La Liga since 4 October. He has contributed eight goals for Real in all competitions, making him the club’s second-highest scorer this season.

But when you compare that to Kylian Mbappe’s 37, the gap is stark, and the expectation is that Vinicius should be producing more.

BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balague says Real fans direct their anger at the player they expect to help them win and also at the player they perceive as least close to the essence of what a Real player should be.

“Vinicius feels very foreign to many fans,” Balague says.

“His reactions on the pitch, his behaviour, his public disagreements with former manager Xabi Alonso, his perceived lack of respect on the bench during the cup defeat by Albacete – they all give fuel to fans.

“Changing the photo in his Instagram profile from a Real one to a Brazil one after being whistled at the Bernabeu, and even pointing out those who do not respect the colour of his skin, are seen as creating unnecessary conflict by some fans.

“Vinicius provokes and is arrogant, but he doesn’t get the neutral reading that others get.

It is possible that Vinicius’ heightened scrutiny is also because of a racist undertone that exists within some Spanish football fans.

Vinicius has been the victim of numerous racist attacks while playing for Real. In May five people were handed suspended prison sentences for racially abusing him during a game against Real Valladolid in 2022.

In 2024 Vinicius said “I’m not a victim of racism – I am a tormentor of racists” after three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for abusing him in 2023.

His yellow yellow card on Sunday – his fifth of this La Liga season – means he will be unable to play in Real’s match against Valencia next Sunday.

Some Valencia fans claimed on social media that Vinicius purposely got a yellow card to avoid having to play at the Mestalla.

Ballague says: “Vinicius was feared by rivals and got whistled everywhere. He decided to face the critics and even fight them from a distance.

“Racist abuse showed its ugly face because in Spain many people wrongly feel that in football everything is allowed.

“Vinicius denounced and fought racism with not enough backing from the media, other players or football in general and, at the start, La Liga. Now La Liga has become the vanguard of that fight.

“There are plenty at the Bernabeu and everywhere else who feel players shouldn’t fight injustice, racism, discrimination. They want them to be only players.

“Vinicius, who has lived with discrimination since he was born, will not accept that.

The fact that Vinicius has not renewed his contract may be fuel that has fired up Los Blancos fans.

In the eyes of some supporters, a players’ commitment is measured not only by his performances on the pitch but also by his long-term loyalty to the club.

So when a star like Vinicius delays signing an extension, even though Real had it prepared before last summer’s Club World Cup, it can be interpreted as a lack of faith in the project or a desire to leave when the timing suits him, even if that is not intended.

At Real, where the expectation is that the best players should be fully invested in the badge, uncertainty over a contract can quickly be read as a sign that he is not “all in”.

Perhaps that is why Vinicius has gone out of his way in recent weeks to demonstrate his loyalty through social media captions and badge-kissing celebrations.

He reportedly paused contract talks because he was unhappy working under Alonso.

Since then, new manager Alvaro Arbeloa has repeatedly expressed his desire for Vinicius to remain at the club, while acknowledging that the final decision is not his to make.

Ballague says: “Real Madrid would renew his contract today or certainly before it finishes in 2027. Vinicius is thinking about it, and renewing is still the most likely outcome.

“I wonder if his doubts now have to do with the fans still directing their anger at him.

Wrexham have completed the signing of defender Zak Vyner from Bristol City for an undisclosed fee.

The centre-back was left out of the Robins’ matchday squad for their 5-0 loss to Derby County at Ashton Gate on Friday night.

He becomes the Welsh side’s first signing of the winter window as they chase a Championship play-off spot.

The 28-year-old – whose contract with Gerhard Struber’s side was due to expire in the summer – has signed a deal until the end of the 2028-29 season. The Red Dragons also hold a 12-month extension option.

“I know a few of the lads, I know what the squad is and how good it is, and for me now it is about showing some leadership, helping out with my attributes and what I’ve learned in the last ten years and helping an already good squad be better,” added Vyner.

It comes after Phil Parkinson’s side allowed former England international Conor Coady – a summer signing from Leicester City – to join Charlton Athletic on loan for the remainder of the season.

“Zak’s a really good Championship player, he can play across the back three and in midfield,” Parkinson told BBC Sport Wales.

Vyner joined Bristol City’s academy at the age of 10 and has been a pivotal figure for the club since making his senior debut against MK Dons in February 2016.

The defender previously had loan spells with Accrington Stanley, Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United and Aberdeen and was monitored by Wrexham ahead of their 2025-26 Championship campaign.

“We’ve followed his progress, we tried to get him in the summer. He’s a great addition to the group,” added Parkinson.

Liverpool‘s move to sign Dutch defender Lutsharel Geertruida on loan is unlikely to come off.

Geertruida is currently on loan at Sunderland from RB Leipzig, which complicates any deal.

A move would also give Sunderland little time to find a replacement with the transfer window closing on Monday.

There is no recall clause in Geertruida’s loan with Sunderland and anything that happens would have to be in agreement with Regis le Bris’ side.

As it stands, the complexity of resolving the deal looks like scuppering a move to Anfield for the 25-year-old, who played for Arne Slot at Feyenoord.

The Dutch international is versatile and can play at right-back, centre-back and as a defensive midfielder.

Danny Rohl refused to rule out further Rangers signings before the end of the January transfer window – but do their title hopes hinge on recruiting a new striker?

Following a frustrating goalless draw at Hibernian on Sunday, Motherwell midfielder Andy Halliday questioned whether his former club have the attacking output to win the title.

The stalemate in Leith ended the Ibrox side’s six-game winning run in the Scottish Premiership, meaning they ended the weekend six points adrift of league leaders Hearts.

When asked what the conclusion to the window – which closes at 23:00 GMT on Monday – may bring, Rohl revealed there could be ins and outs but said he would also be content with his current group.

“I trust the club will make the right decisions,” the Rangers boss told BBC Scotland. “We’ll see what happens in the next 24 hours, there could be ins and outs, this is normal.

Former Rangers midfielder Halliday is far from convinced, though.

“From open play, Rangers lack so much creativity and the penalty-box striker to get the goals required to win the league,” the 34-year-old said on Sportsound.

The Govan side registered just two shots on target at Easter Road – one in each half – and accumulated an expected goals (xG) rating of just 0.53 from 11 efforts.

Meanwhile, Rangers’ starting front three – Youssef Chermiti, Andreas Skov Olsen and Djeidi Gassama – managed a combined six touches in the opposition box.

Hibs created the better chances – evidenced by their 1.88 xG – and Rohl recognised his team were not deserving of victory, but insisted he would not “make everything very dark” after failing to win for just a fourth time in 16 league fixtures.

“We had some good phases in the game where we couldn’t score,” the German said. “It wasn’t about the last pass [or] being clinical, first half we had two less players into the box – this is a part we can improve.

Rohl has merited the praise that has come his way since picking up the pieces at Ibrox and dragging the team into a title race following Russell Martin’s dire tenure.

Rangers have not conceded in their past four league matches, adding to a total of 10 clean sheets in 16 games under Rohl.

There has also been an impressive return from set-piece goals, but evidently concerns remain regarding their ability to create from open play.

“In that final third, there are still huge questions for Rangers,” former Premiership midfielder Scott Allan said on Sportsound.

“Mikey Moore was the difference in the second half [on Sunday], playing in the pockets and he can see a pass. But other than him, Rangers were devoid of any real ideas and quality in the final third.”

Across the 2025-26 Premiership season so far, Rangers are fifth for open-play goals and fourth for open-play xG.

But how does that shift since Rohl’s appointment? For open-play goals, they nudge up to fourth and they climb to second for open-play xG.

Rangers’ top scorer in the league is right-back James Tavernier with six – three of those have come from the spot. Centre-back Emmanuel Fernandez is next with four.

Strikers Chermiti, Danilo and Bojan Miovski have three between them.

The Ibrox side have been heavily linked with bringing in another forward, with Hansa Rostock’s Ryan Naderi and Cameron Archer of Southampton linked.

Any new striker will need service for them to succeed, though. The hope for Rohl is Skov Olsen, who was viewed as a statement signing, can provide that.

The Dane scored 49 goals and assisted 30 at Club Brugge but suffered a dip in form at Wolfsburg, where he left on loan to join Rangers.

He failed to impose himself on the game at Easter Road as he continues to work his way to full match fitness, but Rohl said he is “very positive” about the winger.

With transfer deadline day approaching, how does the January window compare to previous years and what could still happen before Monday’s 19:00 GMT deadline?

The current Premier League spending sits at £325m, down from £421m in 2025 – but there’s a good chance we might reach a similar final total with a busy deadline day expected.

January 2026 has seen a somewhat middling window. Of the traditional big six, only Manchester City and Tottenham have been active, spending £84m and £48m respectively.

Indeed, Antoine Semenyo’s £63m switch from Bournemouth to City looks set to be comfortably the biggest deal done in the window.

City will be the biggest spenders for the second-consecutive January, having spent £188m 12 months ago on reinforcements that have had varying degrees of impact on the first-team. The £84m outlay on Semenyo and Marc Guehi edges them close to an eye-watering £450m spend in the last 12-month period.

Tottenham (£47.8m) and West Ham (£47m) follow next, the latter adding two centre-forwards to their ranks as they look to move out of the relegation zone.

Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have so far chosen to sit this one out, and that’s been a prevailing theme for that quartet in January of late; Arsenal and Liverpool have not signed anyone at all in winter for three seasons now, while United’s capture of Patrick Dorgu (£27m in 2025) has been their only business over that same period.

The current January spend is way down from the January record set in 2023, when £815m was spent – largely powered by Chelsea, who accounted for £280m of this alone.

The number of deals is slightly down year-on-year, but the cost of the deals is up, from £4.7m last year to £5.3m this year. That was also reflected in the summer, when the average price per deal in the Premier League sat at £9m – comfortably the highest on record.

If summer and winter spending and combined, we’re just short of £3.45bn – that’s around £725m more than the previous record for a single season set in 2022/23. Make no mistake, the spending power across the breadth of the division has never been stronger.

In Europe, this window has broadly followed the pattern of last January. La Liga simply is not interested in this window; just £21.8m was spent by Spanish top-flight clubs in 2025, and this window is tracking to be even less.

The Bundesliga (£67m) and Ligue 1 (45.2m) have also seen relatively modest amounts spent. As it was in 2025, it is Italy’s Serie A most willing to invest. Their spend is touching £150m, but the cold fact for Europe’s other ‘big five’ is that the Premier League will spend more than the four of them combined, just as they had in the summer. A total of 10 Premier League teams have broken their transfer record in the 25/26 season, while another eight have recorded their record sale.

And for these leagues, player acquisition from them to the Premier League frees up the money to allow them to invest. While the English top flight’s net spend for the summer was minus £1.3bn, the other four banked a £360m profit. The current European football trading model at the very top requires Premier League clubs to accept significant losses in order for their clubs to go into the market at anywhere near the same level.

Will this change any time soon?

The most likely threat to this status quo comes from Saudi Arabia. The Pro League has remained largely quiet in this window and indeed for the past 18 months, as they assess the lessons they learned from their debut market splurge in 2023. Too many big names chose to ride out their days collecting big money despite being long past their best, and the Saudi project has learned from this.

Wolves have accepted an offer for striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, which is expected to accelerate Jean-Philippe Mateta’s move to AC Milan.

Mateta’s potential transfer looks likely to be the main one to keep an eye on.

The Crystal Palace striker has also been linked with Italian giants Juventus and Premier League sides Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. Palace value Mateta at around £40m.

A proposed move to Tottenham for Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson did not come off recently, but a transfer away from Anfield could still happen.

Joshua Zirkzee is yet to feature for Manchester United under interim head coach Michael Carrick, meaning he could be on his way.

Manchester City have been busy with incomings and outgoings, signing Semenyo and Marc Guehi and selling forward Oscar Bobb to Fulham for £27m.

Crystal Palace signed forward Brennan Johnson from Tottenham for £35m, while Spurs spent £34m to sign attacking midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid.

West Ham have spent almost £50m in this window.

The transfer window for the Premier League closes at 19:00 GMT on Monday, 2 February.

If clubs submit a deal sheet before that time then they will get an additional two hours – until 21:00 GMT – to complete all the necessary paperwork.

The transfer window for most major European leagues also closes on 2 February, with below being the main ones to be aware of:

19:00 GMT:

Italy

Germany

France

22:59 GMT:

There will be a live transfer page running throughout the day on the BBC Sport website where all the news of the moves will break.

Between 16:00 and 18:45 GMT, Steph Houghton joins Ben Croucher and Emma Middleton to discuss the latest on deadline day on the BBC Sport website and iPlayer.