Category Sports News

Pep Guardiola wants to bring AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders to Manchester CIty, Liverpool winger Luis Diaz pledges his future to the Reds, while Manchester United are set to keep faith with boss Ruben Amorim.

Manchester City will target a summer move for 26-year-old Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, who will only consider a bid in excess of club record £57m. (Telegraph – subscription required)

Manchester United’s hierarchy have no immediate plans to replace Ruben Amorim as manager. (Talksport)

Colombian winger Luis Diaz, 28, has pledged his future to Liverpool despite having previously been linked with Barcelona. (Express, via Telemundo)

Real Madrid have not yet made Liverpool a formal offer to sign England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold early, a week after asking the Premier League club if the 26-year-old could play for them in next month’s Club World Cup. (Sky Sports)

Liverpool could look to replace Alexander-Arnold with Bayer Leverkusen and Netherlands right-back Jeremie Frimpong, 24, who has a £29.4m-33.6m (35-40m euros) release clause. (Sky Germany – in German)

Newcastle defender Sven Botman wants to stay at at the club despite interest in the Netherlands international, 25, from Paris St-Germain. (The I)

Napoli have held talks with Kevin de Bruyne’s camp about signing on a free transfer when his contract expires with Manchester City in the summer. (Sky Switzerland – in French)

Atletico Madrid are set to hold talks with Manchester United over a deal for Brazil winger Antony, who is on loan at Real Betis, with Juventus and Villarreal also keen on the 25-year-old. (Football Espana)

Real Madrid are interested in re-signing France left-back Theo Hernandez, 27, from AC Milan, six years after he left them. (Calciomercato – in Italian)

As Evangelos Marinakis marched on to the City Ground pitch it was clear he is still very much the boss at Nottingham Forest.

After Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Leicester, and with Forest’s Champions League hopes slipping away, the Greek shipping magnate held a brief, animated and extremely public discussion with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

Marinakis’ standing at the City Ground has not changed. However, he ceased to be a “person with significant control” of Forest by putting his stake in the club into a blind trust.

Maybe nobody thought it wise to remind him of that on Sunday.

Forest can still qualify for the Champions League and that has led to the dilution of Marinakis’ control. Greek giants Olympiakos – another of Marinakis’ clubs – have secured a spot in the competition’s 2025-26 league phase, and Uefa rules state that clubs under the same ownership cannot compete in the same European competition.

There will be no official ramifications or consequences for Sunday’s on-field incident from the Premier League, as it is not viewed as a serious matter.

Internally at Forest the matter is considered closed. Sources have told BBC that everyone is moving on and recognising the achievement of returning the club to Europe for the first time since 1996, as they are assured of at least a Conference League spot.

Both Nuno and Marinakis played it down after the game as the confrontation briefly took the spotlight away from what has been a hugely successful season, following last year’s brush with relegation.

Sky Sports’ Gary Neville branded the incident “scandalous”, but Danny Murphy told Match of the Day 2 there was little point in dwelling on it.

Sami Mokbel, BBC Sport senior football correspondent

When I interviewed Marinakis 12 months ago in his London offices, I met an imposing figure, yet at times softly spoken and candid.

He loves the colour red, from his jewellery to the artwork on his walls.

Marinakis and his family may be worth an estimated £3bn, according to Forbes. But he cares. And he always wants to win.

At the time, he told me about the “more than 100” Forest matches – home and away – he had been to “without incident”, the £250m-plus he had invested in the club, and he spoke passionately about a range of football topics – including refereeing standards and pundit criticism.

He also confirmed his “dream” to move Forest to a new 50,000-seat stadium, with accompanying state-of-the-art training centre and academy – saying it would “change the history in years to come of the region and the team for our supporters”.

Some might say history is already changing, given Forest’s first European qualification for 30 years.

I’ve met him since that interview and I’ve seen the people he keeps around him almost physically stand to attention when he speaks. He’s usually got his phone in one hand and his headphones in another hand – like he’s always about to jump on a phone call to make orders.

He’s deeply passionate about the club, and he sets high standards. When those around him don’t adhere to those standards, I think he’s quick to let them know.

But the more I’ve dealt with him, you see the more personable side. If you get under that ‘death stare’ persona I think he can also be a nice guy.

Marinakis is the founder and chairman of Capital Maritime & Trading Corp, an international shipping company, and was voted Greek Shipping Personality of the Year by British publication Lloyd’s List in 2017.

He has also invested in the media and his company, Alter Ego Media, bought two of Greece’s best known daily newspapers – Ta Nea and To Vima.

In 2019, he launched a new television channel, One Channel, in Greece. Earlier this year, his Alter Ego Media company, the largest media organisation in Greece, floated on the Athens stock market.

As well as owning Forest, Marinakis bought Olympiakos in 2010.

Under his ownership, the Greek side have won 11 domestic league titles and the Europa Conference League in 2024. Portuguese side Rio Ave also come under his portfolio.

Marinakis also confirmed in December he had been in talks to purchase Brazilian side Vasco da Gama.

“We have a multi-club ownership and a lot see it as business. I don’t necessarily see it this way,” he said. “It’s very difficult to combine business with football, especially with big teams when you need to win trophies, you need to participate in Europe.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that you can make money – the opposite in a lot of cases. We don’t have an unlimited budget, we are not a state company or a company that can afford each year to lose money.

“We need to find the balance between what we spend and what we can achieve.”

As he looks to extend his football empire, Marinakis has tempted Edu away from Arsenal.

Edu is yet to be officially announced by Forest, but he is widely expected to become their new global director of football to oversee all Marinakis’ clubs. The former Brazil international left the Gunners after five years in November, having been sporting director since 2022 and technical director previously.

He was at Wembley in April to watch Forest lose their FA Cup semi-final to Manchester City.

Edu’s anticipated appointment is a signal of Marinakis’ intentions and desire to elevate Forest to another level, after buying them in May 2017 from Fawaz Al Hasawi.

Forest had just avoided relegation to League One on goal difference, and Marinakis stated his ambition was a return to the top flight by saying the club “belongs to the elite of the Premier League”.

When Marinakis bought Forest eight years ago he faced accusations of match-fixing in Greece, despite passing the EFL’s owners’ and directors’ test.

It was a charge he denied and he was cleared in 2018.

The prosecution had accused him of fraud and blackmail and joining and running a criminal organisation, but these allegations were dropped.

At the time, Forest chairman Nick Randall said in a letter to supporters that Marinakis had made sure structures were in place, regardless of his “individual fortunes”.

He also faced no action over allegedly being involved in the bombing of a referee’s bakery.

The bombing happened a few days after a game between Xanthi and Olympiakos in 2012. Xanthi beat Olympiakos 1-0 and referee Petros Konstantineas claimed before the game he had received indirect threats to “ensure” Olympiakos won the game against Xanthi. Marinakis denied any involvement.

Marinakis was also named during the investigation of Greece’s most controversial drug trafficking scandals.

The ‘Noor 1’ case is widely regarded as one of the largest in Greek history, involving the smuggling of 2.1 tonnes of heroin into Greece in 2014.

Marinakis was never charged or convicted of a crime. His alleged connections to individuals involved in the smuggling network placed him under formal judicial investigation for a time. He denied the allegations.

Marinakis is being investigated in relation to civil misdemeanours. The investigation was prompted by the death of a riot police officer who was injured by a flare following an Olympiakos v Panathinaikos volleyball game in December 2023.

Sunday was also not the first time Marinakis has been under the spotlight for being on the pitch. In 2021, the Greek Super League banned him from entering the field of play for five months after he was found guilty of verbally abusing a referee.

While at Forest, disciplinary issues have also followed him.

In September he was found guilty of improper conduct for spitting on the floor as the match officials walked past following Forest’s 1-0 Premier League defeat by Fulham at the City Ground on 28 September. He was given a five-game stadium ban.

Marinakis denied the charge, but referee Josh Smith, assistant referee James Mainwaring and fourth official Tim Robinson submitted written statements saying they saw Marinakis spitting on the floor in their direction as they walked to the dressing room.

Three months later, he was a central character in Forest’s “attack on the integrity of a match official on an unparalleled scale” after a social media post made about VAR Stuart Attwell.

Marinakis said he had “no regrets” calling out “big mistakes” made by the official, but Forest were fined £750,000 for the post on X last season.

Manchester United’s players will be restricted to two free tickets each, with on-the-day travel to Bilbao, for next week’s Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

While United’s squad have been told they can purchase up to 10 more tickets for the game against Spurs on 21 May at San Mames Stadium, they will also be responsible for organising how friends and relatives get in and out of the northern Spanish city.

United say they are committed to ensuring as many tickets as possible from the club’s official 15,000 allocation go to supporters.

The decisions come after a series of cost-cutting measures at the club which have included redundancies and the removal of free lunches for staff.

In addition, it has been established if United win, their intention is to celebrate by holding a barbeque at the club’s Carrington training ground.

Tottenham are yet to announce their plans in the event of victory but it is expected they will have a parade to show off the trophy.

Newcastle held a parade in the city in March to mark their Carabao Cup triumph, while Liverpool are due to host one on 26 May following their Premier League title success.

United have not held a trophy parade since 2013, which coincided with Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Players were famously irritated in 2008 to discover there was no such celebration to mark their Champions League triumph over Chelsea.

Hosting one this season would have been logistically tricky.

Unlike their last Europa League success, against Ajax in Stockholm in 2017 during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge, United will still have a Premier League game to play after the match in Bilbao – when Aston Villa visit Old Trafford on 25 May.

Immediately after that game, United fly to Asia for two post-season matches against local opposition in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

They return to Manchester on 31 May, after which players have to immediately report for international duty.

Portugal have a Nations League semi-final with Germany on 4 June, which would involve Bruno Fernandes and, if fit, Diogo Dalot.

The Indian Premier League will resume on Saturday after being suspended because of the hostilities between India and neighbouring Pakistan.

The world’s biggest franchise league was halted for one week on Friday but will recommence following the brokering of a ceasefire last Saturday.

The final was initially due to take place on 25 May and has been pushed back to 3 June, meaning the end of the IPL will clash with England’s white-ball series against West Indies.

At the time of the suspension, 16 fixtures were outstanding. All 16 have been rescheduled, along with the game between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals which was abandoned on Thursday because of floodlight failure in Dharamsala.

Six venues will be used for the new programme – Bengaluru, Jaipur, Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL), which was initially moved to the United Arab Emirates and then postponed indefinitely, is also making plans to reschedule its final eight matches.

While players from England and Australia left India when the IPL was suspended, other overseas players and coaches remained. League leaders Gujarat Titans trained over the weekend.

Of the 10 English players taking part in the IPL, eight are centrally contracted to England. It is thought they will be left to take personal decisions on their return to India.

The England and Wales Cricket Board initially agreed to let any players taking part to remain for the entire competition, meaning all-rounder Jacob Bethell is not in the squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe.

Now the tournament has been rescheduled, there is yet to be a decision on whether players will be asked to return for the three T20s and one-day internationals against West Indies, which begin on 29 May.

There were seven English players at the PSL, along with a number of coaches. All overseas players and coaches at the PSL have returned home.

Last month, a deadly militant attack killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

As a result, India launched air strikes inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir – triggering days of aerial clashes, artillery duels and, by Saturday morning, accusations from both sides of missile strikes on each other’s airbases.

“I don’t feel male or female right now. I don’t even feel human.”

A memorable line from Rachael Blackmore after she became the first female jockey to win the Grand National when triumphing on Minella Times in 2021.

As she retires from the saddle aged 35, Blackmore can rightly be called a game changer who was among the best of her generation.

In a sport in which male and female riders compete on a level playing field, punters did not focus on whether she was a man or woman. She was just a top jockey.

The self-effacing pioneer went about setting landmarks with a quiet humility as the first woman to:

The daughter of a dairy farmer and a school teacher, she rode ponies as a child near her home in Killenaule, County Tipperary, in the Republic of Ireland.

Blackmore gained a degree in equine science with hopes of becoming a vet but combined her studies with riding out and competing as an amateur.

Her first winner came aboard Stowaway Pearl for John ‘Shark’ Hanlon at Thurles in 2011, and she turned professional four years later.

Much of her success came through an association with trainer Henry de Bromhead, while some of her early opportunities can be attributed to Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary and his Gigginstown House Stud team.

“We identified Rachael early on as a very good jockey – not a female jockey – and we put her on all the Gigginstown Horses with Henry and Joseph [O’Brien],” he said after her National victory.

Instinct, timing, tactical awareness and strength all played a part in her story. But also the ability to bounce back from falls and injury, plus sheer hard graft.

When she rode six winners to be leading jockey at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, she may not have returned to grand fanfare at a meeting held behind closed doors because of Covid-19 restrictions, but the impact was still felt. Her tally was more than the entire British training contingent.

Before Blackmore, and fellow jockeys Lizzie Kelly and Bryony Frost, successes for female jockeys at Cheltenham were a rarity and largely came through amateur riders Katie Walsh and Nina Carberry.

With Walsh, Carberry and Kelly now retired and Frost moving to France after finding opportunities limited since winning a bullying case against fellow jockey Robbie Dunne, it will be interesting to see if other women can rise to the fore in jump racing.

While Blackmore has not outlined the reasons for her retirement, Walsh and Carberry stopped at similar ages.

They ended their careers with winners at Ireland’s showpiece Punchestown Festival and maybe Blackmore intended to do the same, but she unusually ended the recent meeting without a victory.

She suffered a bad neck injury in a fall earlier this season and only returned to action in December after three months out.

Blackmore took success for women to another level, competing for a historic Irish champion jockey title before twice finishing runner-up to Paul Townend.

Her achievements transcended racing. Victory in the National, watched by an estimated 500 million people worldwide, made headlines around the globe, and she was voted World Sport Star at the 2021 BBC Sports Personality awards.

“The support has been incredible. I got such a kick out of being on that list of nominees,” she said.

Those nominees included tennis star Novak Djokovic, boxing great Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and American football quarterback Tom Brady.

Blackmore, whose partner Brian Hayes is also a jockey, did not revel in the limelight – she preferred to get on with the business of riding winners – but spoke thoughtfully when interviewed.

De Bromhead said she was a great support after his 13-year-old son Jack died in a riding accident in September 2022.

The pair’s victory with Honeysuckle in the horse’s swansong in the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March 2023 sparked jubilant and emotional scenes.

Spectators grabbed every vantage point to cheer the winner into the paddock. The roars were for the trainer and horse, but the rider too. Just mention the name ‘Rachael’ at the races, and everyone knew who you meant.

With Honeysuckle in the winner’s enclosure, a rainbow appeared on the horizon.

“We all wish a very special kid could be here today but he’s watching down on us,” said Blackmore.

Her partnership with Honeysuckle was a great match. Seventeen wins from 19 races, including four at the Cheltenham Festival. All with the same jockey on board.

Blackmore will be remembered for a series of firsts, and potentially paving the way for others.

“Ah, look, it’s brilliant, but I won’t be the last. I’m delighted for myself anyway,” she said after winning the National.

“I just hope it shows it doesn’t matter, male or female. Plenty of people have gone before me and done that – Katie Walsh was third here on Seabass. All those things help girls coming along, but I don’t think it’s a major talking point any more.”

When Blackmore won the Gold Cup on A Plus Tard, she earned praise from the Cheltenham Festival’s all-time leading rider Ruby Walsh.

“She’s inspiring kids everywhere. It’s incredible the interest she’s driving in the sport. You need role models like that for the sport and the industry, she’s box office,” he said.