Argentina's Alvarez wants to leave Atletico Madrid

Argentina striker Julian Alvarez says he wants to leave Atletico Madrid to “fulfil his dream”.

The 26-year-old has reportedly drawn interest from Barcelona and Paris St-Germain, while Atletico rejected a 150m euro (£130m) offer for Alvarez from rivals Real Madrid earlier in June.

Alvarez is currently at the World Cup with Argentina and has come off the bench in their first two games after recovering from an ankle injury.

“I spoke with the people at [Atletico] I needed to speak with, and the best thing for everyone is a transfer. I want to fulfil my dream,” Alvarez said after Argentina’s World Cup win over Austria.

“It’s not the time to talk about this, but I also can’t hide it. I try to be an honest person.”

Alvarez joined Atletico from Manchester City for £81.5m in the summer of 2024 and has scored 49 goals in 106 games, as well as providing 17 assists, for Diego Simeone’s side.

Having scored 17 goals in his first season in La Liga, the former River Plate forward managed only eight in 2025-26.

However, he excelled in the Champions League, scoring 10 goals to help Atletico reach the semi-finals, where they were beaten by Arsenal.

Liverpool reject £21.7m Inter Milan offer for Curtis Jones

Liverpool have rejected a verbal offer of 25m euros (£21.7m) from Inter Milan for Curtis Jones.

The offer is well short of the £35m which Liverpool value Jones at and they are unwilling to sanction a cut-price exit for the midfielder.

Jones, 25, only has one year left on his current deal at Anfield and this is the second time Inter have come in for him this year.

The Italian club were interested in his availability in January and proposed a loan with a view to a transfer but that was also turned down by Liverpool.

This month, Piero Ausilio, Inter’s sporting director, said: “Curtis Jones - we are paying attention to him. We didn’t hide. We understand what the developments will be.”

Federico Chiesa went as far as telling Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport that Jones asked him what it is like to live in Italy.

Homegrown talent Jones joined Liverpool’s academy aged nine before signing his first professional contract with the Reds in 2018.

Spurs' Bergvall exploring options away from club

Sweden’s Lucas Bergvall is facing an uncertain future at Tottenham with the midfielder keen for a new challenge.

The 20-year-old is exploring his options after playing limited minutes at the end of last season under Roberto de Zerbi, often not in his preferred position as a ‘number six’.

Spurs are also understood to be targeting an additional midfielder and have made an offer of about £80m for Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, which was rejected.

Bergvall’s representatives are believed to have held talks with Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.

However, Chelsea are no longer interested after briefly exploring a move in January.

Bergvall is at the World Cup and featured in Sweden’s 5-1 defeat by the Netherlands in Houston on Saturday.

He played 33 games for Spurs last season but missed two months after having ankle surgery.

Carlisle sign keeper Mair on permanent deal

Carlisle United have signed goalkeeper Archie Mair on a permanent deal.

Mair, 25, joined the Cumbrians on loan from Morecambe in January but made just one National League appearance, against Brackley in April.

He recently left Morecambe at the end of his contract and has signed for Carlisle on a one-year deal with the option of an additional year.

The Scot began his career at Aberdeen and later had a spell at Norwich City, although he did not make a first-team appearance for either club.

He previously played under Carlisle boss Rob Elliot during a spell on loan at Gateshead.

Mair has also spent time on loan at Lincoln, Notts County and Motherwell.

“I’m looking forward to kicking on,” he told Carlisle’s website.

“Hopefully the fans will see more of me going forward. I’m confident in myself, I’m calm, I like being on the ball, and I enjoy being in possession.”

Elliot said: “I’ve worked with Archie before at Gateshead and know what he can bring.

“He is a goalkeeper with good presence, confidence, and the ability to play with the ball at his feet.”

Newcastle reject Spurs bid of about £80m for Tonali

Newcastle United have rejected a bid from Tottenham Hotspur for midfielder Sandro Tonali.

It is understood an offer worth about £80m was turned down earlier this week.

BBC Sport previously reported Spurs manager Roberto de Zerbi was a long-time admirer of Tonali and that the club were exploring the finances of a deal for the 26-year-old Italian.

However, their opening proposal was declined by Newcastle, who are in a strong position to command a greater fee closer to £100m as Manchester City and Arsenal monitor developments.

Newcastle have already sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, but the club’s chief executive, David Hopkinson, has previously made it clear they will only trade players on “our terms”.

Tonali is effectively contracted until 2030 after he signed a new deal during his 10-month betting ban to repay the faith the club showed in him.

The current market might also work in Newcastle’s favour, if a bidding war ensues, given the valuations of midfielders elsewhere.

Manchester City had a second bid worth about £120m rejected by Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson, while relegated West Ham want up to £80m for Mateus Fernandes.

There may have been scenes of celebration at full-time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after De Zerbi’s side avoided relegation on the final day of the season.

But there was a recognition internally that the club must never find themselves in such a dire position again.

Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham vowed “change is happening” in an interview with BBC Sport in May, and there has certainly been a shift in approach.

Spurs have already spent £52m on defender Jan Paul van Hecke, which would have been unimaginable once upon a time, given he had just one year left on his contract at Brighton.

They have also looked to capitalise on their revenue by adapting their wage structure, and signed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers before the window even officially opened.

Although Spurs’ opening gambit was unsuccessful, this approach for Tonali also marks a shift for a club who have never spent more than the £65m deal for Dominic Solanke.

However, it was rather telling that the bid was swiftly rejected by Newcastle.

In a week when Newcastle lost out to Liverpool in the race to sign Spain winger Victor Munoz, it would have been damning if Spurs succeeded with their opening bid for Tonali.

It is clearly going to take a great deal more to tempt Newcastle to cash in.