Arsenal are favourites to sign Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, Manchester United will have to pay £65m for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Jadon Sancho tries to facilitate a move to Juventus.
Arsenal are prepared to offer a player swap for Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze, 27, and look set to beat Tottenham Hotspur to the Englishman’s signature. (Sun)
Brentford are likely to demand £65m for their striker Bryan Mbeumo, 25, having already rejected bids of £55m and £62.5m from Manchester United for the Cameroon international. (Mirror)
Sporting and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 27, is prepared to wait until the end of the summer window to get a loan deal to another European club if his move to Arsenal does not materialise. (Sun)
England winger Jadon Sancho, 25, is prepared to take a significant pay cut in order to move from Manchester United to Juventus, but the Serie A club are still unwilling to meet the terms. (Il Corriere dello Sport – via The Mail)
Nottingham Forest are targeting a move for PSV Eindhoven and Belgium winger Johan Bakayoko, 22, as they line up a replacement for 23-year-old Sweden international Anthony Elanga, who looks set to move to Newcastle United. (Telegraph – subscription required)
Manchester United are set to get £8m as part of a sell-on clause they negotiated when they sold Elanga to Forest in 2023. (Talksport)
Forest are also considering Bakayoko’s Belgium team-mate Malick Fofana, 20, with the Lyon winger also linked with Chelsea and Bayern Munich this summer. (Sky Sports)
Unai Emery is keen to bring Barcelona striker Ferran Torres, 25, to Aston Villa and is prepared to offer £43m for the Spaniard. (Fichajes – in Spanish)
Arsenal‘s attempts to sign Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, 21, have stalled as the La Liga club are asking for more than £20m for the Spanish international. (Mirror)
Bayern Munich have held talks with Christopher Nkunku’s agent as they consider a move for Chelsea’s 27-year-old France striker. (Bild – in German)
Napoli have made a £42m bid for Liverpool’s 26-year-old Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez. (Gianluca di Marzo)
Sunderland are close to completing a deal to sign 20-year-old Morocco forward Chemsdine Talbi from Belgian side Club Brugge. (Fabrizio Romano)
Atalanta have rejected a £45.7m offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah for Italy striker Mateo Retegui, with the Serie A side wanting £51.8m for the 26-year-old. (Football Italia)
A member of the opposition coalition, Kenneth Okonkwo, says President Bola Tinubu will win if the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presents a southern presidential candidate like Peter Obi as its flag bearer in the 2027 election.
The actor-turned-lawyer said that to unseat Tinubu, the ADC coalition should present a northern political heavyweight in the toga of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, ex-Sokoto governor Aminu Tambuwal, among others.
“My strategy this time around is that I am going to support a northerner in 2027,” Okonkwo said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday.
“It must be a northerner that the whole north is willing to support.
“If the whole north is willing to support an Atiku, why not?
“If the whole north is willing to support a Tambuwal, why not? The person must be qualified, and if he has experience in the presidency, it is an added advantage, and when he puts up something from the south, that will push him through,” he said.
READ ALSO: Labour Party Fractured, I Don’t See It Winning Election – Kingibe
Interestingly, Okonkwo was one of the spokespersons for Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, but he parted ways with the former Anambra governor and dumped the Labour Party in July 2024 over the party’s internal squabbles and Obi’s failure to address them.
Tinubu, who trounced his closest rivals, Atiku and Obi, in the 2023 poll and assumed office in May 2023, is seeking re-election in 2027 to complete the country’s eight-year unwritten rule on rotation of power between the two major regions of the country – the southern and northern regions. Before Tinubu, Muhammadu Buhari, a retired military general from the North-West zone of the country, was in power between May 2015 and May 2023.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari receives Atiku Abubakar and others in Kaduna State on April 11, 2025. Credit: X/@atiku
On Tuesday, Okonkwo said Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has “become incurably bad and we want to terminate his incumbency”.
“Anybody telling you it’s injustice if the north comes in, if the south comes in, and whoever wins in a primary election will take it for four years. Where is the injustice? It has happened before.
“Anybody telling you to bring a fresh southerner to compete against Tinubu, a southerner, is trying to tell you to zone the ticket to Tinubu and Tinubu will win outright,” Okonkwo said.
Peter Obi on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme on July 6, 2025
‘Why Obi Can’t Win’
He said since the APC is presenting Tinubu to be its flag bearer, the opposition coalition must present a northerner to challenge him.
“If you bring somebody from the Southeast, even if he wins, they will steal it from him.
“Let me tell you the strategy that will make the Southeast man to be president. Do you know the South-West has never contested an election against an incumbent? Strategy? Because they know that in Nigeria, if you don’t have the establishment supporting you, even if you win, they will steal it from you.
“Peter Obi won the election in 2023, and they stole it from us. If you do it again, they will steal it from him because there is no incumbent to back you, but if you bring somebody from the north, nobody will prevail on him to leave his victory because he is not from the same side as you,” he said.
Peter Obi, Rauf Aregbesola, Atiku Abubakar, Aminu Tambuwal at the coalition meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.
Ahead of the 2027 polls, talks about an inter-party alliance reached a climax on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, when opposition arrowhead Atiku Abubakar, alongside Obi, ex-Senate president David Mark, ex-minister Rauf Aregbesola, ex-minister Rotimi Amaechi, ex-Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, amongst others, adopted the ADC as the platform by the opposition coalition to oust incumbent Tinubu whose administration has been accused of mismanaging the economy, with all-time high inflation and unprecedented cost of living.
With Lyon’s appeal against their relegation from Ligue 1 set to begin on Wednesday, Crystal Palace will step one step closer to determining whether they can play in the Europa League next season.
Multiple sources have informed BBC Sport that the French club’s hearing has been moved ahead of what was originally scheduled to take place at the end of this week in order to determine whether Palace can compete in the Europa League.
Lyon’s poor financial condition has caused the French football authorities to deduct them from Ligue 2.
The club has filed an appeal against the ruling, with the watchdog for French football now deciding whether to accept Lyon’s relegation or grant them a pardon.
The French side’s position in the Europa League would likely remain if Lyon were to maintain their Ligue 1 status, possibly at Palace’s expense.
If their relegation is upheld, Lyon and Uefa have agreed to be exempt, allowing Palace to participate in the competition.
Due to a alleged violation of Uefa’s multi-club ownership regulations, Palace’s position in Europe is uncertain next season.
The case centers on American businessman John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings.
According to Uefa regulations, clubs owned by the same person or entity can’t compete in the same European competition as those that own stakes in Palace and Lyon.
Although Palace claim Textor lacks any significant influence, Uefa are yet to decide whether to support the Premier League side’s defense.
However, Uefa claims it is unlikely to arrive at its own decision until the week’s end if a verdict is reached on Wednesday.
Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, announced that he would meet with Trump to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday. Following a meeting with Capitol Hill lawmakers, he also praised Washington’s “unprecedented” military ties to Israel.
The Princess of Wales dazzled in a glittering tiara tonight as she attended her first state banquet in almost two years with a whole host of famous faces. Kate wore the Lover’s Knot tiara and red gown with caped back detailing by Sarah Burton for Givenchy as she joined the King, Queen, her husband Prince William and some 160 guests at Windsor Castle for the white tie dinner, which is the glitzy highlight of the French state visit.
French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte are being honoured with the opulent display of royal hospitality in the historic St George’s Hall. Kate, who was diagnoised with cancer in early 2024 and revealed earlier this year she is now in remission, last attended a state banquet in November 2023, when the Royal Family honoured the South Korean president at Buckingham Palace.
The Prince and Princess of Wales ahead of tonight’s state banquet at Windsor Castle
Just last week, she talked about her ‘rollercoaster’ cancer recovery, its life-changing impact, and putting on a “brave face” during a visit to Colchester Hospital. Kensington Palace only confirmed she would be attending tonight’s glamorous dinner after she carried out royal duties to mark the start of the state visit earlier in the day.
Before the event, William and Kate gave a sneak peek of their outfits by posting a photo of themselves on social media with the caption: “Ready for what promises to be a wonderful State Banquet this evening in Windsor.” Kate also wore her Royal Family order from King Charles for the first time and brought a lily of the valley embroided evening clutch.
She was seated next to President Macron and the pair chatted ahead of the start of the King’s toast, while on her other side was art historian Christophe Leribault, chairman of the Musee D’Orsay. Kate studied history of art at university.
Other royals joining the dinner tonight were the Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh as well as Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Queen Camilla wore an ivory silk and crepe evening gown by Fiona Clare and a diamond and sapphire tiara that belonged to the late Queen. She also wore the Legion d’Honeur French sash, Garter Star and the King’s family order.
The star-studded dinner not only saw royals invited and famous faces from the celebrity world were also there, including Sir Mick Jagger, who owns a chataeu in France. Other attendees included actress Kirsten Scott Thomas who lives in France, First Dates star Fred Siriex, who is French, and former Lioness goalkeeper Mary Earps, who recently played for Paris St Germain. She was seen shaking hands and laughing with Prime Minister Keir Starmer before the start of the dinner as they stood and chatted.
Kate wore the Lover’s Knot tiara and a gown by Sarah Burton for Givenchy ( Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the King turned to his friend and King’s Foundation ambassador, French chef Raymond Blanc, to put together the menu in culinary collaboration with the Royal Household, designing the first course and the dessert. Blanc was in the kitchens at Windsor on Tuesday evening making sure the dishes were served to perfection
The menu, which was written in French as is the custom for state banquets, began with a selection of tender summer vegetables from the Gardens of Le Manoir with Sage, Raw Tomato and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dressing.
The next course was Supreme of Rhug Estate Chicken with Norfolk Asparagus and Tarragon Cream, followed by Iced Blackcurrant Parfait on a Blackcurrant-soaked Sponge with Elderflower Jelly for dessert. Buckingham Palace described the collaboration as being “in the spirit of the Entente Cordial”.
In a tradition started by the King, a cocktail was also created specially for the occasion, this time called L’entente. It combines British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, garnished with dried French cornflowers and English roses.
King Charles and Queen Camilla with President Macron and his wife Brigitte ( Getty Images)
There was a selection of French wines as well as Taylor’s 1977 Vintage Port at a 1948 Grand Champagne Cognac, chosen to reflect the years both Mr Macron and the King were born.
Flowers adorning the tables were picked from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park. After the banquet they will be delivered to hospices and care homes for the elderly. Meanwhile following the banquet, guests will move to the Windsor Castle Music Room for a special performance by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
The dinner marks the end of a busy day for the Prince and Princess of Wales who were on hand to greet Mr and Mrs Macron at RAF Northolt this morning as they touched down in the UK.
King Charles during his speech ( PA)
The princess has already channelled diplomatic royal dressing in honour of the King’s guests, choosing to wear French fashion house Christian Dior for her daytime engagements. Her earrings belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales and the pearl necklace was from the late Queen’s collection.
The blush pink Christian Dior jacket is the 30 Montaigne Rose Des Vents Bar Jacket and a piece from the 2024 collection, and was paired with a tulle skirt. It was reimagined by Maria Grazia Chiuri, who was inspired by the original first created in 1947 by Dior himself. Kate’s sleek hat was by Jess Collett.
The princess was charmed with a kiss to the hand by Mr Macron as she and William met the French leader as he disembarked from his plane at RAF Northolt. Mr Macron took the princess’s hand and leaned forward to deliver an air kiss towards it. Meanwhile, the President warmly shook the prince’s hand and held onto his arm as they chatted.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh along with Princess Anne at the state banquet tonight ( PA)
State banquets have moved from the Buckingham Palace ballroom to Windsor for the next few years while reservicing work at the London royal residence continues and starts to affect the state rooms.
Kate has attended a handful of engagements in recent months including Trooping the Colour, the annual Order of the Garter service and a visit to a V&A storage facility in London. But she missed Royal Ascot in June after seeking to find the right balance to public appearances following her cancer treatment.
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More than 700 hectares of fires have burned as well as forcing the airport to close in Marseille, France, injuring nine firefighters and forcing the closure of the airport. Residents of southern France were urged to stay indoors because of the risk of fires caused by heatwaves and strong winds.