Manchester City’s Rodri is yet to decide his future, Everton hold further Jack Grealish talks, Alexander Isak told he will not leave Newcastle this summer.
Manchester City are concerned about the possibility of losing Spain captain Rodri, 29, as he has yet to decide whether to extend his contract beyond in 2027, with Real Madrid looking to sign a central midfielder this summer. (AS – in Spanish)
Everton have held further talks over signing England winger Jack Grealish, 29, on a loan move from Manchester City, which could cost the Toffees £12m. (Times – subscription required)
Newcastle United have told Sweden striker Alexander Isak he will not be sold this summer and will not be allowed to join Liverpool, who have had a £110m offer for the 25-year-old rejected. (Telegraph – subscription required)
Newcastle United have agreed a deal to sign AC Milan’s Germany defender Malick Thiaw, 24, in a deal worth 40m euros (£34.6m). (Mail)
Liverpool are the favourites to sign England defender Marc Guehi if the 25-year-old leaves Crystal Palace this summer. (Telegraph – subscription required)
Chelsea have stepped up talks with Manchester United over a move for 21-year-old Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho. (Athletic)
Chelsea are still in talks over a deal for RB Leipzig’s 22-year-old Netherlands midfielder Xavi Simons. (Sky Sports)
Brentford have held initial talks with Bournemouth about signing Burkina Faso winger Dango Ouattara, 23. (Sky Sports)
Newly-promoted Sunderland are on the brink of agreeing a £10m deal for Getafe’s Paraguaydefender Omar Alderete, 28. (Sun)
Nantes’ 22-year-old French forward Matthis Abline is attracting interest from Paris FC, Eintracht Frankfurt and Wolves.(Fabrizio Romano)
Al Nassr are preparing a bid of about 30m euros (£26m) for Bayern Munich’s 29-year-old France winger Kingsley Coman. (Florian Plettenberg)
England made a major statement in their final warm-up match before the 2025 Rugby World Cup as their forward supremacy told in a comprehensive victory away to France.
The Red Roses dominated in the maul throughout the match at Stade Guy Boniface, scoring their three first-half tries through forwards Morwenna Talling, Amy Cokayne and Maud Muir.
A moment of quick-thinking extended the lead after half-time. As France gave away a penalty from a scrum and the packs came up, scrum-half Natasha Hunt span the ball to the left and Megan Jones collected to score unopposed.
Replacement hooker Lark Atkin-Davies bowled over for two late tries which added gloss to the scoreline. Both were converted by Zoe Harrison, who kicked well all night – converting five tries and hitting the post with the other effort.
While not a note-perfect performance, it extends England’s winning run against France to 16 successive matches.
Mitchell had told his players that the priority in Mont-de-Marsan was performance, rather than extending their winning streak to a 27th match.
That said, England recording their biggest win over France since a 43-8 win in the 2009 Nations Cup, and their largest margin of victory across their last 30 meetings, will not have gone amiss.
And his side look relaxed – smiling their way through the national anthem, doing their trademark rodeo celebration following Jones’ try – and confident, executing their game plan where needed and playing to their strengths.
The clear strength is in the pack.
Harrison, who retained her spot at fly-half from the 97-7 demolition of Spain, kicked for the corner wherever possible. England dominated the line-out, and when it broke into a maul it nearly always led to a try.
There are still questions to be answered, particularly among the backs. The loose passes seen here may be punished by New Zealand or Canada next month. And there were opportunities for more tries, however knock-ons at inopportune times stopped the scoreline being even more lopsided.
But this was a showing to demonstrate exactly why England are world number ones and favourites for the World Cup.
Even with errors, it was far more ruthless than the last meeting with France, when a 24-point lead was squandered to allow Les Bleues to get within a point in a classic that ended 43-42 to Mitchell’s side.
Here, England were undaunted by a partisan crowd of around 7,000, nor the competitiveness of the hosts which belied the term friendly in France’s only World Cup warm-up game – with captain Manae Feleu sin-binned in the first half amid a ferocious breakdown battle.
Kelly Clarkson has decided to focus on her children following the shock death of her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, who passed away earlier this week following a cancer battle
Kelly Clarkson has taken a step back from her career to be with her children after the death of their father (Image: Youtube/kellyclarksonshow)
Kelly Clarkson has made a huge career decision following the death of her ex-husband. The singer, 43, who has enjoyed major success with her eponymous talk show over the last six years but had a host of guest presenters like Brooke Shields and Andy Cohen step in for her towards the end of the most recent season, is understood to be “devastated” following Brandon’ Blackstocks’s death to skin cancer at the age of 48 although they’ve been divorced for two years.
And now insiders have claimed that Kelly, who has River Rose, 11, and nine-year-old Remy with Brandon, is taking time out of her career so she can focus on spending time with her children. A source told UsWeekly : “It has been draining, exhausting, emotional [and] devastating A big part of it was making her schedule available for transporting the children to visit Brandon, and all of the emotions that came with this difficult time. Kelly is a workhorse.
“Hard work is all she knows. She hates disappointing people, truly. The thing that kept her going was knowing how many people depend on her, like her crews and employees. Her kids come first, and she will find a way.” It comes after Sharon Osbourne breaks down in tears at Ozzy’s funeral in heartbreaking scenes.
READ MORE: How did Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband die? Heartbreaking final weeks with singer by his sideREAD MORE: Brandon Blackstock’s daughter revealed pregnancy a month before dad died
Kelly was married to Brandon Blackstock from 2013 until 2022 and he died earlier this week after a battle with cancer(Image: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
The insider noted that Kelly, who shot to fame as the inaugural winner of American Idol more than 20 years ago, ‘loves’ her career but noted that ‘nothing compares to a situation’ like the one she has been presented with now. According to the insider, Kelly will make a comeback to her NBC television show at some point in the fall.
A representative for the family told PEOPLE in a statement that Brandon had been diagnosed with cancer over three years ago. They said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away.”Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”
Just one day after Brandon’s passing was announced, sources close to the star explained that it had been for the benefit of her children that Kelly, known for her songs Since U Been Gone and Behind These Hazel Eyes, had always been protective and watchful of Brandon in his final years. One insider told People: “When she found out that he was sick, she remained protective of him for their sake. Kelly has always tried to keep things classy. It became clear earlier this year that Brandon was not doing well. She’s been devastated for the kids.”
Earlier this week, Kelly postponed her Las Vegas residency after announcing that Brandon had been taken ill. Taking to Instagram, she wrote: “Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas. “While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them. I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding.”
Brandon, whose stepmother was country legend Reba McEntire, also had two children from a previous marriage. In 2022, he became a grandfather after his eldest daughter gave birth to a son.
Brandon’s father Narvel was Kelly’s previous manager, with the former couple first meeting at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2006. After divorcing his first wife, Brandon reconnected with Kelly at the Super Bowl before the pair married in October 2013.
The talent manager, who managed Blake Shelton, took on Kelly as a client after their wedding, with Kelly telling Marie Claire in 2018: “I wouldn’t have hired Brandon to be my manager if I didn’t see first-hand how great he is at that and how much he cares about Blake.
“And the way that [Blake’s] career has blown up, I would have hired Brandon regardless. He’s really talented at what he does and his mind really does work in a completely different way.
Pantomime star Christopher Biggins admitted that some of his past actions would have seen him “thrown in prison” as he defended former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace
Christopher Biggins admits ‘grabbing women by boobs’ as he defends Gregg Wallace
Christopher Biggins defended former MasterChef host Gregg Wallace as he admitted to ‘grabbing women by the t***ies’. The 76-year-old made the admission after Gregg was fired from MasterChef after 45 of the 83 complaints against him were upheld by an investigation into his conduct.
Gregg issued an apology saying he was “deeply sorry for any distress caused” and that he “never set out to harm or humiliate” in the wake of the Lewis Silkin review. He also insisted he is “not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher”.
And now, pantomime star Christopher has thrown his support behind Gregg as he revealed some of his past actions that would have seen him “thrown in prison”.
“Years ago I would approach a woman from behind and grab her t***ies from the front. Well, I’m gay so it didn’t matter,” he said. It comes after reports Gregg Wallace is trying to ‘earn a living’ after MasterChef exit amid ‘battle every day’.
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Christopher Biggins defended MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace(Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
“And I’d like to still be doing it, but I don’t think I can any more,” Christopher added. “If I were to do that now I’d be put into prison. Twenty-five years ago we were all doing it. It was a thing of affection.”
The star added to The Sun that he tried to reach out to Gregg’s wife, as “they must be going through a terrible time”. There is no suggestion that Gregg grabbed anyone’s breasts.
Last month, Gregg again apologised to anyone hurt by his behaviour, before adding he is “not a groper, a sex pest or a flasher”.
In fresh comments to The Sun, Wallace acknowledged that he had said things that “offended people, that weren’t socially acceptable and perhaps they felt too intimidated or nervous to say anything at the time. I understand that now – and to anyone I have hurt, I am so sorry.”
Gregg Wallace was fired from MasterChef(Image: BBC)
He added: “I’m not a groper. People think I’ve been taking my trousers down and exposing myself – I am not a flasher. People think I’m a sex pest. I am not.”
The former greengrocer also said his recent autism diagnosis means he struggles “to read people”. “I know people find me weird,” he said. “Autism is a disability, a registered disability.”
Meanwhile, the current run of MasterChef episodes caused controversy after it was allowed to air with Gregg at the forefront despite a recent report upholding 45 claims against him.
The show has a substantially reduced viewership compared to last year, with a drop from 2.7 million to 1.96 million tuning in for the the series debut.
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Jonny Bairstow’s 86 from 50 balls, including six sixes, is not enough as London Spirit squeeze out an eight-run win over Welsh Fire thanks to David Warner’s unbeaten 70 from 45 balls in The Hundred at in Cardiff.
MATCH REPORT: Hundred 2025: Welsh Fire v London Spirit
Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt has confirmed when it is she plans on tying the knot with her policeman fiance Scott Dobinson after being linked to a return to I’m A Celebrity
Scarlett Moffatt with fiance Scott Dobinson(Image: Instagram/scarlettmoffatt)
Scarlett Moffatt has opened up about her wedding plans with her partner Scott Dobinson. The Gogglebox star got engaged to her policeman beau in 2023, five months after they welcomed their baby son Jude.
At the time she gave fans an insight into the romantic proposal as she shared a picture of Jude sat beside an illuminated sign that said: “Marry me.” The scene included silver and purple helium-filled balloons around the room, with rose petals scattered all over the floor.
Now, talking in a new interview, Scarlett has provided an update on the couple’s wedding plans as she gets to work with a campaign for M&Ms. She said: “Do you know what, we’ve actually been to see a few venues.” It comes after Cat Deeley found moving back to the UK ‘really hard’ before split from Patrick Kielty.
READ MORE: Sam Thompson reveals reality TV vow he made after winning I’m A CelebREAD MORE: Davina McCall’s stunned response to Scarlett Moffatt beating her to presenting job
Scarlett and Scott with their baby son Jude(Image: Instagram/ @scarlettmoffatt)
Speaking to The Sun Scarlett continued: “And I actually did book to go and try a wedding dress on and Scott was like, ‘but we haven’t booked a venue.’ And I was like ‘yeah I know, but I just want to play dress up.’
“It’s the fun part! But yeah, we’ve got lists and lists of things to do, and it changes every day.” Quizzed on when the couple might tie the knot Scarlett confirmed: “I’m hoping to do it next year but maybe that’s too adventurous? It takes a lot to plan a wedding, but I’ve got this in the bag.”
Scarlett has previously admitted that she wanted an extravagant Willy Wonka themed wedding, but she has now decided against that elaborate plan. Speaking in an interview before she got engaged she said: “I’ve always, always wanted a massive wedding, now I keep saying: ‘Let’s go to Vegas.'”
Scarlett has recently been linked to an appearance on an All Stars version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! with filming scheduled to take place in South Africa later this year. The series will be hosted by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly and air next year which will coincide with the 10 year anniversary of Scarlett being crowned Queen of the jungle.
She said: “I mean, it would be amazing to do [All Stars] because it’s iconic and I just love the show so much. I was on it a whole decade ago, so I would’ve been in my early 20s and I’m a different human now. So I would do the trials differently. But I’d just go in and be myself, and that’s the only thing you can do.”
Scarlett hopes to marry Scott next year(Image: Instagram/scarlettmoffatt)
She continued: “I’m not sure about smashing the trials, but I’d give them my best shot. But as I’ve gotten older my fear levels have gone up. I can’t even get on rollercoasters now.”
Earlier this year an insider told The Sun: “Scarlett won I’m A Celeb in 2016 and was hugely popular with viewers so everyone’s really excited she might be returning for the new all stars series. She is so game for a laugh and knows what to expect in terms of the Bushtucker Trials so she’ll throw herself into every task.
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“Scarlett is a mum now too and she wants to do the show to show her little boy just how brave she can be. The series is shaping up to be one of the most exciting TV shows of next year and some of the stars they’re speaking to are proper camp legends.
“This is an amazing opportunity for her and let’s face it, who wouldn’t fancy a trip to South Africa? Even if she does have to chomp down on some kangaroo testicles?”
