Atletico hold talks with Spurs captain Romero

Atletico Madrid have held talks over a move for Tottenham captain Cristian Romero.

The Argentina international, who signed a new four-year deal at Spurs last August, is expected to leave the club this summer.

There has also been interest from Inter Milan in signing the 28-year-old, who played all seven matches in Argentina’s run to the World Cup final last month, where they lost to Spain.

But Romero is a long-term target for Atletico manager Diego Simeone, with the Spanish side believed to be pressing ahead with another attempt to sign the centre-back.

Spurs are aware of Atletico’s interest and an agreement on personal terms for the player will not be an issue.

Spurs boss Roberto de Zerbi recently said he would “respect the will” of players if they wanted to leave.

Romero missed the end of last season with a knee injury as Spurs avoided relegation on the last day.

He was sent off twice last season as Spurs finished 17th.

Meanwhile, fellow centre-back Micky van de Ven is close to agreeing a new five-year deal with Tottenham.

Barca cancel friendly in Morocco after Ceuta border crisis

Barcelona have cancelled a pre-season friendly in Morocco because of the ongoing border crisis in Ceuta.

The Spanish champions were set to face local side Ittihad Riadi Tangier in north-western Morocco on 15 August as part of their preparations for the new campaign.

“In light of the current uncertainty and circumstances, FC Barcelona considers playing the match would be inappropriate,” said the club in a statement.

While the club did not specify the reason for the cancellation, BBC Sport understands the decision is linked to the situation in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave that borders Morocco on the North African coast.

About 78,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish territory from Morocco by sea last week, resulting in 100 deaths and sparking tensions among EU nations who share open borders.

While a large majority of the migrants have since returned to Morocco, between 3,000 and 5,000 still remain in Ceuta.

Italy had suspended its Schengen arrangement with Spain, backed by Finland and Denmark, while the Czech Republic called for Spain’s membership to be temporarily suspended.

Barca also had a friendly with Preston North End cancelled after a pre-season training camp in the UK, where they played Birmingham City.

They are scheduled to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday in the Italian city of Udine and will also host Egypt’s Al Ahly on 19 August.

Hansi Flick’s side will begin their La Liga title defence against Elche on 23 August.

Who will exit Chelsea? How Blues could cut 41-man squad

Chelsea are in the familiar position of having a large number of players on their books, with 41 senior players and only 25 days remaining in the transfer window to resolve the situation.

With no European football this campaign, new boss Xabi Alonso is keen to significantly reduce his squad - with a number of players either available for sale or on loan.

While the Blues can effectively register as many players as they want, despite the Premier League’s 25-man squad rule - with under-21 and homegrown regulations covering the vast majority of players on their books - the Spaniard knows having players not involved cannot be good for squad harmony.

But, even to get the squad down to a more manageable 25 senior players, Chelsea will need to offload 16 players by the start of September.

The Blues have had players stranded in a ‘bomb squad’ in the past, like Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi last season. That practice has since been outlawed by Fifa, increasing the importance of drastically reducing the squad.

Had Chelsea qualified for Europe they would have been at risk of being unable to register certain players, as was the case during their 2024-25 Conference League-winning campaign.

They are also bound by a Uefa settlement agreement for three more seasons, but European football’s governing body has acknowledged they have made efforts to improve their finances.

The Blues are accustomed to this level of player trading and are boosted by the fact they have largely built Alonso’s squad through the signings of Morgan Rogers, Marco Palestra, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson and Maxence Lacroix, with full-back Pep Chavarria close to joining from Rayo Vallecano.

The size of the squad is an issue that needs addressing though. On Wednesday, they had 21 substitutes for their 1-0 defeat by Juventus in Hong Kong. Just five were academy players.

Chelsea were keen to carry a large squad into the final few days of their Asian tour. They face AC Milan in Indonesia on Saturday before taking on Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim on Sunday and will likely field two different XIs.

But, it remains a remarkable number given both Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill were absent from the midweek match because of knocks sustained in the previous friendly, and striker Emmanuel Emegha is continuing his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury at the training ground.

There are also five players not even training with the first team: Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Marc Guiu, David Datro Fofana and Caleb Wiley. They are all available either for permanent or loan moves.

Seven players remain on holiday until next week having featured in the latter stages of the World Cup: Enzo Fernandez, Reece James, Rogers, Henderson, Lacroix, Valentin Barco and Malo Gusto.

Defender Trevoh Chalobah is close to joining Como for £31m, including add-ons, while goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is joining sister club Strasbourg on loan.

Chelsea are out of European football next season after finishing 10th in a campaign where Enzo Maresca left the club and Liam Rosenior was dismissed.

Alonso has some difficult decisions ahead.

His goalkeeping options appear set, with Robert Sanchez joined by exciting Belgian prospect Mike Penders, 21, following his impressive loan spell at French club Strasbourg, with Teddy Sharman-Lowe likely to serve as the third-choice understudy.

At full-back, club captain Reece James, also capable of playing in midfield, is joined on the right by Gusto and Palestra.

Chelsea have put a £75m price tag on Gusto after Manchester City emerged as potential suitors.

On the left, Chelsea have Jorrel Hato and are close to completing the £16.3m signing of Chavarria.

At centre-back, Chelsea have nine players and Alonso has said the group needs reducing to “four or five”.

Disasi and Badiashile are available for sale, while Mamadou Sarr is expected to depart on loan. That would leave new signing Lacroix competing with Levi Colwill, Josh Acheampong, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo.

It remains unclear what will happen with Argentina Under-20 international Aaron Anselmino, although another loan move appears likely having spent last term with Borussia Dortmund and Strasbourg.

In midfield Chelsea have put a £120m price tag on Fernandez, who is exploring his options, although the club would also be happy to keep him.

He is joined by fellow key central midfielder Moises Caicedo, fit-again Romeo Lavia, new signing Barco, who can play a number of positions in that area, Henderson and Dario Essugo.

Essugo, 21, was previously told he would be staying but is open to a loan move because of his need for regular football after an injury-hit campaign.

In attack, the shock return of Mykhailo Mudryk is another situation Chelsea must manage.

The club insist all options remain open and are assessing his fitness following his return after 20 months out, because of a suspension relating to a positive test for the banned substance meldonium.

Jamie Gittens is another option on the left wing, while Pedro Neto and new arrival Geovany Quenda are primarily right-sided players. Cole Palmer and Rogers are the two number 10s, with Estevao Willian able to play across the frontline.

Chelsea would also like to have three strikers going into next season. Alongside Joao Pedro and summer signing Welbeck, one further forward is likely to remain in the squad.

That looks likely to be Emegha, although there remains uncertainty given Chelsea also have Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap on their books.

There is some overlap but, from information gathered by BBC Sport to date, this is the best projection of what Chelsea’s squad could look like.

Projected Chelsea squad: Sanchez, Penders, Sharman-Lowe, James, Palestra, Tosin, Fofana, Lacroix, Acheampong, Colwill, Hato, Chavarria, Caicedo, Fernandez, Barco, Lavia, Henderson, Quenda, Neto, Palmer, Estevao, Rogers, Gittens, Emegha, Joao Pedro, Welbeck.

Available for loan: Guiu, Wiley, Kellyman, Mheuka, Walsh, Kavuma-McQueen, Kendry Paez.

Available for sale/uncertain futures, with desired fees for some players in brackets: Badiashile (£30m), Disasi (£25m), Guiu (£25m), Datro Fofana, Delap, Jackson (£65m), Slonina, Gusto (£75m), Fernandez (£120m), Emegha, Neto, Essugo.

Chelsea have been stockpiling players for more than a decade, dating back to former owner Roman Abramovich’s reign.

Under Abramovich, they had as many as 42 players out on loan before Fifa introduced limits designed to curb the practice.

However, since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took charge in 2022 Chelsea have acquired Strasbourg, adding to the growing number of multi-club ownership models across Europe.

They also embarked on a strategy of signing younger players on lower wages, who can be moved in and out as required.

Among those signings was midfielder Andrey Santos, who arrived for £12m after a season in Brazil’s second division before being sold to Manchester United for £50m.

Chelsea have spent £1.8bn on acquiring talent since BlueCo took over the club four years ago, comfortably more than any other club in Europe.

However, they have also raised nearly £1bn through player sales, including a Premier League record £300m, again the highest figure in Europe during that period.

Chelsea are expected to make a similar number of sales this summer, with Chalobah’s move to Como taking their total beyond £150m and Alejandro Garnacho’s loan move to Aston Villa including an obligation to buy set to be worth about £40m next summer.

They have the lowest revenues among the traditional ‘big six’ clubs.

That is largely because of the size of Stamford Bridge, commercial underperformance, a kit deal with Adidas that has not kept pace with rivals, the absence of a front-of-shirt sponsor and missing out on Champions League football in three of the past four seasons.

It is player trading that makes up much of that shortfall, in much the same way as it does for Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth, albeit with loftier ambitions of winning trophies and qualifying for the Champions League.

A wanted man - but would Liverpool's Gakpo be a good fit at Spurs?

Tottenham are keen on a move for Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo as Roberto de Zerbi continues reshaping his squad.

Any deal would be far from straightforward. Liverpool are reluctant to weaken their attacking options, particularly after Mohamed Salah’s departure and with Hugo Ekitike still recovering from an Achilles injury.

The Reds are themselves pursuing Paris St-Germain winger Bradley Barcola but, even if he arrived, Liverpool would be losing one of their most experienced attackers.

So why are Spurs interested? And what do the numbers suggest Gakpo would bring to De Zerbi’s side?

On the surface, Gakpo looks like another left winger. In reality, he offers considerably more tactical flexibility.

Although he has played most of his football for Liverpool from the left, the Netherlands international has regularly been used as a central striker, false nine and second forward. De Zerbi reportedly views him as someone capable of operating through the middle, dropping between the lines to link play before releasing runners beyond him.

That profile fits the Italian’s football. Instead of relying on a traditional penalty-box striker, De Zerbi often asks his centre forward to vacate central spaces, combine with midfielders and create room for wide players to attack. Gakpo possesses the technical quality, close control and positional intelligence to perform that role while also providing cover on the left.

His versatility would also offer Tottenham valuable insurance across multiple positions. Dominic Solanke and Mathys Tel are both natural central forwards, but neither provide the same ability to move seamlessly between the wing and the middle.

Gakpo’s 2025-26 campaign divided opinion among Liverpool supporters, with seven Premier League goals representing his lowest return in a full season at Anfield.

The underlying data, however, paints a far more encouraging picture. Though Liverpool struggled collectively, Gakpo actually remained one of Europe’s most dangerous wide forwards in terms of finding scoring opportunities. Only seven wingers across Europe’s top five leagues averaged more touches in the opposition penalty area than his 2.2 per 90 minutes, while he also ranked inside the top 10 for both open-play shots and chances created.

His player comparison profile reinforces those strengths. Compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Gakpo ranked in the 98th percentile for shot frequency, the 96th percentile for advanced involvement and the 91st percentile for box threat. In other words, very few wide players became involved in dangerous attacking situations more regularly.

Those numbers are driven by his willingness to attack space behind defences. Gakpo was caught offside 30 times in the Premier League last season, more than any other player, illustrating how often he looked to run beyond the last defender in search of goalscoring opportunities, as opposed to simply receiving the ball to feet.

At his best, Gakpo regularly attacks the back post, times his runs into the penalty area intelligently and arrives centrally despite starting from the left flank. And, while he endured a difficult season last term, he scored regularly for Liverpool as the Reds won the title in 2024-25, with 18 goals in all competitions.

The comparison with Tottenham’s existing attackers helps explain the interest.

Gakpo finished last season with a higher expected-goals total (8.59), more shots (87), more assists (five) and more big chances created (10) than any of Spurs’ forward options, despite playing in a Liverpool side whose Premier League title defence ended with a fifth-place finish.

Richarlison scored more league goals, but attempted 26 fewer shots and created only half as many big chances. Solanke, limited by injury, produced just 20 shots and one big chance created, while Tel also fell short across several of the key attacking measures. Randal Kolo Muani, who spent last season on loan at Spurs before joining Juventus this summer, likewise trailed Gakpo’s output.

The contrast extends beyond goals and shooting. Gakpo recorded 187 touches in the opposition penalty area, compared with 125 for Richarlison, 68 for Tel and 55 for Solanke. His 4.17 expected assists from open play was also comfortably the highest figure among the four, underlining his ability to create chances as well as find scoring positions himself.

He offers defensive value too. Gakpo regained possession 87 times, including 45 in the middle third, and made 13 interceptions. All three totals were higher than those recorded by Richarlison, Tel and Solanke. Tel completed more dribbles, with 39 to Gakpo’s 34, although Gakpo posted the slightly better success rate at 45.95%.

His broader profile reflects that breadth. Gakpo ranks in the 78th percentile for link-up play, the 75th for pass progression and the 67th for creative threat, illustrating his comfort combining in tight spaces and contributing to build-up play.

At 6ft 4in, he also provides a physical presence uncommon among wide forwards. Gakpo ranks in the 96th percentile for aerial volume compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, meaning only about 4% of wingers contest aerial balls at a higher rate. That would give De Zerbi another route against deep defensive blocks, through diagonal passes, back-post crosses or more direct balls when opponents restrict Spurs’ build-up play.

Those attributes also explain why Liverpool are not actively looking to move him on.

Despite frustration surrounding his performances at times last season, Gakpo remains one of the squad’s few established forwards. Losing both him and Salah during the same transfer window would significantly reduce Liverpool’s attacking depth, particularly while Ekitike works his way back from injury. Even if the Reds complete a move for Barcola, much would still rest on the shoulders of newcomer Victor Munoz and highly rated 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, making Gakpo’s proven quality and range difficult to replace.

The Reds also know Gakpo has consistently delivered in the Premier League.

Since arriving from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, Gakpo has scored seven, eight, 10 and seven league goals across his four seasons at Anfield while adding regular creative contributions. Since November 2024, only Salah has scored more Premier League goals for Liverpool than Gakpo’s 17, while only Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai have registered more intentional assists than his five. His output has remained remarkably consistent despite playing under different managers and in multiple attacking roles.

For Tottenham, that combination of reliability and multi-positional value is precisely the attraction. While seven league goals last season may not immediately stand out, the underlying metrics tell a different story. Gakpo continues to generate chances at an elite rate, gets into dangerous positions more frequently than almost any winger in Europe and offers tactical flexibility few forwards can match.

Whether Tottenham can persuade Liverpool to part with one of their most seasoned attackers remains to be seen. But if De Zerbi is looking for someone capable of playing across the front line while consistently threatening the opposition goal, the data offers a compelling explanation for Spurs’ interest.

Barcelona? Real Madrid? Man City's Rodri has a decision to make

Rodri was named player of the tournament after captaining Spain to World Cup glory in the summer

Manchester City midfielder Rodri may have a huge decision to make this summer on whether to join La Liga giants Real Madrid or Barcelona - should he decide to leave Etihad Stadium.

The 30-year-old is into the final year of his deal at City and is yet to sign fresh terms.

Real have held a long-term interest in signing the player, but sources at Barcelona said on Thursday that the club now had the player’s approval to open negotiations with Manchester City.

Barcelona sources said there were no guarantees any deal would be made but that it was a key development.

Rodri missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were disrupted by a hamstring issue.

However, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was back to his best at the World Cup in the summer, leading Spain to their second title and being named player of the tournament.

Rodri said earlier this season his future would be sorted out after the tournament, but he is currently out of action after undergoing back surgery.

City are currently on a pre-season tour in the Far East and face Arsenal in the Community Shield next Sunday, but Rodri is yet to link up with his team-mates.

Once he does return, does he sign the deal that is on offer from City, see out the final months of his contract and become a free agent next summer or take up the prospect of a return to his homeland?

City sources have previously told BBC Sport they are “counting on” the player for next season, while a significant fee would need to be offered to even consider a sale.

A move to Barca would allow Rodri to join the title winners for the past two seasons and unite with national team-mates Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Pedri.

However, he could also enjoy a quick reunion with ex-City team-mate Bernardo Silva, who joined Real - now managed by the returning Jose Mourinho - on a free transfer this summer.

Rodri might not receive a universally positive reception if he joins Barca.

He played for Atletico Madrid in the past and having previously said “you can’t turn down the best clubs in the world” with regards to Real, the reception at the Nou Camp could be interesting if he ended up there instead.

Rodri has won four Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups since joining City in 2019 and has established himself as being not only integral to the side, but as one of the best midfielders in the world.

Having already lost Silva this summer, losing Rodri would be a significant blow and would require one of Mateo Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez or Tijjani Reijnders to step up, with all three featuring in pre-season so far.

Club record signing Elliot Anderson is set to be a starter, so there would be a big hole to fill alongside the England international.

City remain in talks to sign 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, but it would be a big ask for the Moroccan teenager to fill such esteemed boots.