Barcelona agree deal to sign England international Marcus Rashford on an initial loan deal from Manchester United.
Barcelona’s already impressive front line is about to be boosted by the signing of Marcus Rashford.
Rashford is in Barcelona to complete a move from Manchester United, a person with knowledge of the transfer told The Associated Press news agency on Monday.
The person was not authorised to speak about the transfer publicly and did not want to be named.
The loan deal would give the 27-year-old England forward, once considered among Europe’s top talents, a chance to revive a career that has stalled in recent years after he fell out of favour at United and ended last season on loan at Aston Villa.
Spanish media said the one-year loan would give Barcelona an option to buy Rashford for about $35m.
Barcelona had the best attack in Spanish football and one of the most prolific across Europe last season but had been trying to add another piece to the front line to go along with young star Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and veteran Robert Lewandowski.
Rashford has spent his entire career at United, scoring 138 goals in 429 appearances and winning five major trophies, including two FA Cups and the Europa League.
But he struggled to consistently live up to the hype that surrounded him when he burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2016 – managing 20 goals or more only in three seasons. In his past two seasons at United, he scored a combined 15 goals and added another four in 17 games on loan at Villa.
Barcelona won the Spanish league title with 102 goals, 24 more than runners-up Real Madrid. The Catalan club also led the Champions League in goals with 43, five more than champion Paris Saint-Germain, before being eliminated by Inter Milan in the semifinals.
Joining Barcelona has been Rashford’s preferred option since he declared in December that he was ready for a new challenge after being dropped by United head coach Ruben Amorim.
The move will be Rashford’s second consecutive loan spell after a six-month stint with Aston Villa in the second half of last season.
The forward is expected to complete a medical with the La Liga club early this week, with the aim of being able to join Barcelona’s pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea on Thursday.
Should Rashford join the tour, he could come up against former United team-mate Jesse Lingard.
Lingard, 32, is in his second season with K League side FC Seoul, who face Barcelona on 31 July.
Rashford spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa where he made 17 appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing six assists.
He is one of five United players – and the highest paid – told to train separately from Amorim’s squad amid a stand-off over their futures.
The 27-year-old does not believe he will play for United again while Amorim is at the club.
If the deal to Barcelona does go through, it would be a massive positive for United as they look to strengthen Amorim’s squad.
With over £130m committed to signing Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, further deals have to be funded through departures.
Even if Rashford’s exit was initially on loan, the saving off the wage bill would be significant given only Casemiro earns more than his £325,000-a-week salary.
He has done well at Brentford, but playing for Manchester United is very different. With respect to Brentford, there is no great expectation there. At United, he will be expected to perform straightaway.
He has experience, he is a good finisher, and his versatility is a big positive – he can play as a central striker as well as on the wing, cutting inside off the right on to his left foot.
But he has had one very good season where his numbers were very good, so the question is whether he can repeat that.
Consistency in those forward positions is what United are striving for, because they have not had it with, say, Alejandro Garnacho or Antony.
They are maybe thinking an older, more experienced player, who is more reliable, is what they need. That’s Mbeumo – he fits into Ruben Amorim’s system, and he fits the bill as proven Premier League quality too.
United’s attack is clearly an area they need to improve. People talk about how the way they play at the back, with the back three Amorim wants, and it is a difficult system to play at times when you are trying to press high because all your players have to work hard and be really switched on.
That’s why he has gone for Mbeumo, because I think he is someone he feels he can trust in all areas, in possession and out of it, with the work-rate and energy he needs – and goals too.
Although they have been strongly linked with Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in recent days, it has always been the priority at Old Trafford to get the Mbeumo deal done in time for Amorim to work with him in the Chicago, where United will largely be based for their 13-day trip.
The 25-year-old scored 20 Premier League goals last season and a number of clubs were interested in him, including Tottenham, now managed by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
However, Mbeumo’s preference was to join United.
Brentford’s other main goal threat, striker Yoane Wissa, is the subject of interest from Newcastle.
Last season Amorim repeatedly spoke about United’s failure to convert their chances.
Their 44 Premier League goals was their worst return in a domestic campaign since they were relegated in 1973-74.
United have signed forward Matheus Cunha and defender Diego Leon in the summer transfer window.
Jota played for Wolves before joining Liverpool in 2020 and tributes for him and his brother have also been placed outside the Molineux stadium of the Midlands club.
“With heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast in the coming days, staff have begun carefully removing and preserving items from the tribute area to protect them from damage,” said a Wolves statement., external
“All non-perishable items will be carefully stored and will be retained for potential inclusion in a more permanent memorial, which the club is now exploring as a lasting way to honour Diogo and Andre.”
Wolves also plan to mark the passing of the brothers at their final pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo on Saturday, 9 August before the “main commemorations” at the side’s opening game of the Premier League season against Manchester City on Saturday, 16 August.
PC Lydia Ward suffered a broken nose after being punched at Terminal 2
A police officer has told a jury she was “absolutely terrified” after she was floored with a punch to the face as she tried to arrest an assault suspect at Manchester Airport.
Greater Manchester PC Lydia Ward suffered a broken nose in the incident at the Terminal 2 car park pay station area on 23 July last year.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, are accused of assault. Both men, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny the allegations.
PC Ward told the trial she remembered “falling on the floor and everything went black” after a “really forceful” blow to her face.
The court heard PC Ward and two colleagues had approached Mr Amaaz at a ticket machine after a report that a male fitting his description had headbutted a customer at Starbucks cafe in T2 arrivals.
The jury has heard Mr Amaaz allegedly resisted, and his brother, Mr Amaad is then said to have intervened as the prosecution claimed they inflicted a “high level of violence” on the officers.
PC Ward said: “I was trying to keep hold of Mr Amaaz’s arm and get it behind his back so I could get some cuffs on him.”
She said she recalled that PC Zachary Marsden fell or was pushed towards some seats and that Mr Amaaz then kicked out at her colleague.
‘Nobody helped’
PC Ward added: “I tried to grab him off so he could stop kicking PC Marsden. All I remember then is that he turned and he punched me straight in the face.”
“I can’t really remember where it landed but I know where my injuries were. I remember falling on the floor and everything went black.”
She told prosecutor Adam Birkby that the blow delivered was “really forceful”.
“As I came round, all I could feel was blood pouring out of my nose. I was just thinking he has done something to my nose, face area, I didn’t know what has happened.”
“I was terrified to be honest. I was absolutely terrified. I had never experienced that level of violence towards me in my life.
“I didn’t know who was going to come up at me next. I was scared of going after this male again and being punched in the face again.”
She said at one point she pressed her police radio emergency button to call for further assistance but the impact of the punch had knocked the battery out.
PC Ward told the court that other people in the pay station area were “shouting stuff” and “filming on their mobile phones”.
She said: “Nobody came to assist. I felt everyone in that room was against us. To be honest, I was terrified.”
‘Taken by surprise’
Rosemary Fernandes, representing Mr Amaaz, put it to PC Ward that her client was “taken by surprise” at the ticket machine and was “shocked”.
She said: “It is important you identify yourselves as police officers, isn’t it?”
PC Ward said: “I don’t think we had any time to do that. We didn’t have any time for rational discussion with this male as it turned violently quickly.”
Ms Fernandes said: “I put it to you that the defendant believed he was being attacked from behind and it all happened extremely fast.
“It is the defence’s case that he punched you in lawful self-defence on the basis that you were an assailant. Do you have any comment on that?”
PC Ward said: “I don’t know how he felt I was an assailant. He turned towards me and punched me in the face.
“He could see I was a police officer and he could see I was a female as well.”
Footage from a body-worn video camera was played to the jury which showed a bloodied and crying PC Ward being comforted by a colleague in the aftermath of the incident.
Mr Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted PC Marsden and PC Ward, causing them actual bodily harm.
He is also accused of the assault of PC Cook and the assault of Abdulkareem Ismaeil at Starbucks.
Mr Amaad is alleged to have assaulted PC Marsden, causing actual bodily harm.
The mind games began before the opening bell, when Catterall sent Conor Benn – who was defeated by Harlem’s cousin, Chris Eubank Jr, in their April grudge match – to inspect Eubank’s hand-wrapping.
“Didn’t want to miss this,” Benn quipped during the awkward encounter, before returning to Catterall’s dressing room to report, “[Eubank’s] head has gone”, as the pair embraced.
Inside the ring, Eubank smiled nervously through a tentative opening as Catterall, as expected, edged the early rounds with his superior skill and ring IQ, though without fully imposing himself.
Eubank, who has gained popularity through his appearances on free-to-air television, began to land single shots, but it was apparent he was second best against the more accomplished fighter.
With career wins over Josh Taylor, Jorge Linares, and Regis Prograis, Catterall’s class was clear.
But the pair tumbled to the canvas in the third, and again in a messy sixth. Then came the accidental clash, followed by Eubank striking the back of Catterall’s head.
The home favourite returned to his corner to have the blood wiped away – an action not allowed mid-round.
Given the severity of Catterall’s cut, the bout was waved off at one second into the seventh, prompting boos from a 5,000 strong crowd.
Afterwards, promoter Eddie Hearn dismissed talk of a rematch and said Catterall would be manoeuvred back into world title contention.
Burnley have signed defender Kyle Walker from Manchester City on a two-year contract.
The right-back completed his medical on Friday and will work again with head coach Scott Parker, who he played alongside at Tottenham Hotspur for two seasons.
The 35-year-old made 15 appearances in the first half of last season for City before joining AC Milan on loan in January, but the Italian club decided not to make his move permanent.
Walker won 17 trophies during his time at Etihad Stadium and was part of the squad that won the Treble in 2023.
He signed for City in the summer of 2017 and made 319 appearances for the club.
Burnley were promoted back to the Premier League last season following their relegation in 2024.
Walker is their fifth signing of the summer, following the arrival of defender Axel Tuanzebe, left-back Quilindschy Hartman, goalkeeper Max Weiss and French winger Loum Tchaouna.
Human Rights lawyer Aamer Anwar (centre) is representing Mohammed Fahir Amaaz (left) and Muhammed Amaad (right)
A man accused of assaulting police at Manchester Airport last summer had been “aggressive” and got “in the face” of a Starbucks customer before head-butting him, a jury has heard.
Brothers Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, are alleged to have used a “high level of violence” when assaulting three police officers at Terminal 2 on 23 July 2024.
Liverpool Crown Court heard police were at the airport responding to an incident at Starbucks in which Mr Amaaz is alleged to have headbutted a man and punched him.
Mr Amaaz and Mr Amaad, both from Rochdale in Greater Manchester, deny the allegations and claim self-defence.
PA Media
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz stands charged over an altercation at Manchester Airport
Opening the prosecution’s case on Friday, Paul Greaney KC said police officers traced the brothers to the terminal’s car park payment area.
Mr Greaney told the court that two armed officers – PC Zachary Marsden and PC Ellie Cook – and their unarmed colleague PC Lydia Ward approached the defendants.
He said: “The officers attempted to move Mohammed Fahir Amaaz away from a payment machine in order to arrest him, but he resisted, and his brother Muhammad Amaad intervened.”
Mr Greaney said both suspects assaulted PC Marsden.
“In the moments that followed, the first defendant [Mr Amaaz] also assaulted PC Cook and then PC Ward too, breaking her nose,” Mr Greaney told members of the jury.
“The defendants used a high level of violence.”
Mr Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted PC Marsden and PC Ward, causing them actual bodily harm.
He is also accused of assaulting PC Cook and the earlier assault of Abdulkareem Ismaeil at Starbucks.
His older brother Mr Amaad is charged with assaulting PC Marsden, causing actual bodily harm.
PA Media
Muhammed Amaad arrives at Liverpool Crown Court
Mr Greaney said the defendants had travelled to the airport with their young nephew to collect their mother, who was due to arrive on a flight from Qatar.
He said it was clear “something happened” involving Abdulkareem Ismaeil – who was on the same flight as the brothers’ mother – that had “made [her] unhappy”.
She pointed out Mr Ismaeil, who was in Starbucks with his family, to her sons as they were walking through the terminal.
“At just after 8.20pm, the defendants entered Starbucks and confronted Abdulkareem Ismaeil,” said Mr Greaney.
“During that confrontation, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz delivered a headbutt to the face of Abdulkareem Ismaeil and punched him, then attempted to deliver other blows, all in front of a number of children.
“The prosecution case is that this was obviously unlawful conduct.”
‘Quite aggressive’
Starbucks manager Cameron Cartledge told the court he was in his office doing some paperwork when he heard “raised voices” and went to the door to see what was going on.
As his colleague prepared the Mr Ismaeil’s order at the counter, Mr Cartledge said he saw another man, wearing a blue tracksuit and subsequently identified as Mr Amaaz, “quite close to him, shouting at him”.
Mr Cartledge said the shouting was in a foreign language he did not understand.
The witness said: “At the time of the arguing he was very close to him, like in his face.
“Blue tracksuit man seemed quite aggressive, obviously annoyed about something, I don’t know what. Blue tracksuit man was aggressively shouting.
“His body language, his tone of voice, was quite aggressive.”
Mr Greaney asked: “What about Mr Ismaeil, the man with his back against the counter?”
The witness replied: “He had a raised voice, but I would say he was more defensive than aggressive.
“There was arguing, I don’t know what was being said, then blue tracksuit man headbutted the man we see in the black.
“He got him in the face. It did not look like it hurt Mr Ismaeil much but it was forceful enough to make him stagger back into the counter.”
Mr Cartledge said Mr Amaaz then threw two punches which he thought had landed on Mr Ismaeil’s shoulder.
Working at the airport, Mr Cartledge said he saw people “arguing all the time” but, after witnessing the headbutt, called police.
Imran Khan KC, defending Amaaz, suggested to Mr Cartledge that the conversation had been in English.
Mr Cartledge replied: “It didn’t sound like it was in English.”
Asked if he sensed any aggression from Mr Ismaeil, Mr Cartledge said: “No, he was more defensive. He just stood there probably more worried about his children behind him.”
‘Not a complicated case’
Starbucks barista Justine Pakalne also told the court she did not believe the conversation between the two men had been in English.
Mr Khan put it to her that Mr Ismaeil had been the “aggressor” and that he had stepped forwards towards Mr Amaaz.
Ms Pakalne said: “Even if he stepped forward he didn’t lay a hand on him. It was the other way round – he (Amaaz) headbutted him.”
Mr Greaney told jurors the Crown’s case was this was “not a complicated case” since events had been captured on CCTV.
“So you will not have to depend only on the recollections of witnesses. You will also be able to see with your own eyes what happened,” he said.
He suggested the defendants would say “that at all stages they were acting in lawful self-defence or in defence of the other”.
“Our prediction is that you will readily conclude that the defendants were not acting in lawful self-defence and that their conduct was unlawful,” he added.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal have sent English giants Manchester City crashing out of the Club World Cup, snatching a shock 4-3 victory in extra time in the biggest upset of the tournament so far.
The match finished 2-2 at full-time on Monday, but at the end of an eventful extra-time, Marcos Leonardo grabbed the winner and pulled off one of the greatest wins in Middle Eastern football history.
The Saudi club now advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face Brazilian club Fluminense, ensuring a non-European team will reach the last four.
Man City had taken the lead in the ninth minute in controversial fashion, with Bernardo Silva finishing after Rayan Ait-Nouri’s cross.
Al Hilal players protested that Ait-Nouri had controlled with his arm in the build-up, but the goal stood.
Man City had plenty of opportunities to extend their lead before the break, but a combination of poor finishing and inspired goalkeeping from Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou kept the lead at a single goal.
Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was one of the heroes for Al Hilal as he blocked several chances from Manchester City, including one from Erling Haaland [Patricia Del Mero Moreira/AFP]
Al Hilal offered several reminders of their threat on the break but Man City had even more chances, with Jeremy Doku volleying straight at Bounou, who moments later reacted superbly again to keep out a Bernardo effort.
The question as to whether Man City would live to regret not converting those chances was answered within a minute of the resumption.
Former City full-back Joao Cancelo’s low cross was parried out by Ederson. Malcolm pounced but saw his shot blocked by Ruben Dias, only for the ball to loop to Marcos Leonardo to head home the equaliser.
Six minutes later, and City’s high defensive line was exposed by a long ball from Cancelo, which Brazilian Malcolm raced onto, showing power and pace as he broke away before coolly slotting past Ederson.
The Saudi fans in the crowd went wild while City manager Pep Guardiola responded immediately with a triple substitution, with midfielder Rodri and defenders Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji introduced.
That brought some much-needed stability to a shaky back line but City needed improvement at the other end too, and it came, albeit in scruffy circumstances.
The Al Hilal defence were unable to deal with a Bernardo corner and Haaland pounced to steer home the loose ball and make it 2-2.
City piled on the pressure as they looked for the winner but yet again Bounou proved their nemesis as he denied Akanji and Ruben Dias, and even when he was beaten by Haaland, substitute Ali Lajami produced a magnificent goal-line clearance.
Guardiola took off Haaland and introduced Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush as the game went into extra time.
But for all City’s depth, Al Hilal had a deep well of spirit to draw upon. Just four minutes into the opening period, Al Hilal regained the lead when Kalidou Koulibaly rose superbly to meet a Ruben Neves corner with a brilliantly angled header.
City responded with a goal of real quality when Rayan Cherki’s brilliantly floated ball towards the back post was poked home masterfully by Phil Foden, at full stretch and from the tightest of angles.
But incredibly, Al Hilal responded again to restore their lead: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s header was saved by Ederson but Marcos Leonardo followed in to bundle the ball over the line.
As the celebrating Al Hilal fans poured out of the stadium, the Brazilian striker let his emotions pour out, too.
“I’ve had a difficult time in the last two months. My mother spent 70 days in the ICU,” he said.
“Today, she’s fine, thank God. When I scored those two goals, I thought of her. She was able to watch the match.”
City skipper Bernardo Silva said his team had paid the price for being unable to deal with Al Hilal’s counter-attacking.
“We scored three and could’ve scored five, six. It was all about controlling when we lost the ball, controlling the transitions, don’t let them run, and they ran way too many times,” he said.
“With one, two passes, there was always a feeling of danger coming from them. When we allow teams to run like this, we always suffer a lot, and today was the case,” he said.
Al Hilal players celebrate their win over Manchester City at the end of the match [John Raoux/AP]
Sources have suggested Brentford would want at least the same fee as Wolves have received for Cunha up front before they agree to the sale of a player who still has a year left on his contract.
Mbeumo scored a career-best 20 goals for Brentford last season and contributed nine assists.
United may face competition from elsewhere, with new Tottenham manager Thomas Frank keen to be reunited with Mbeumo, while there has also been interest from other Champions League clubs.
An international colleague of United goalkeeper Andre Onana, Mbeumo is likely to miss four weeks of the 2025-26 campaign because of Cameroon’s participation in the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Cameroon play Gabon in their opening group game on 24 December.
Mbeumo joined Brentford from French club Troyes in 2019, when the Bees were still in the Championship.
He has scored 70 goals in 242 appearances in all competitions, helping the west London club earn promotion to the top flight in 2021.
BRITS can look forward to basking in glorious 29C sunshine this weekend following days of rain.
Thousands of sun lovers are sure to flock to the seaside and stow out beaches as the mercury rises across the UK.
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People enjoying the sunshine in Parliament Square on a hot day in London on MondayCredit: Alamy
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People enjoy the warm weather on Bournemouth Beach in Dorset on SundayCredit: PA
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The mercury is set to rise to 29C in the capital this weekendCredit: MET Office
The Met Office forecasts a warm start on Saturday morning, with figures as high as 23C by 10am in the capital.
Much of Britain will hover in the mid to late teens, before temperatures climb in the afternoon.
By 4pm, most of the UK will be basking in sunshine between 21C to 28C, with the exception of lows of 16C in the Scottish Highlands.
And, a warm and sticky night can be expected as figures are set to remain high even after the sun goes down.
Sunday kicks off in a similar fashion, with temperatures in the mid 20s expected by 10am.
The forecast then echoes that of Saturday throughout the day.
A heatwave in the UK is met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days, with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature thresholds.
Across the north and west of the UK this is 25C, and across Greater London and the Home Counties, 28C.
However, Brits may have to brace themselves for “thundery showers” on Wednesday.
Before the glorious weather returns, downpours are expected across much of the UK.
Scattered showers are predicted in the north, while those in Wales and the Midlands are forecast a drizzly morning.
Thursday will also bring a mixture of sunny spells and showers across Britain.
Meanwhile, it is predicted to feel breezy this evening, with the best sunsets in the south east of England.
It will remain cloudy through the night, with some rain forecast in the north and west.
The Met Office has also revealed the forecast for Glastonbury – with revellers bracing for a variety of weather conditions.
When the festival opens on June 25, reasonably warm temperatures of around 24C between 1pm and 4pm, can be expected.
This is then predicted to drop off into a cooler evening with temperatures in the high teens.
There is also a 40 per cent chance of rain on Wednesday evening, climbing to 50 per cent between 4am and 7am Thursday morning.
Glastonbury attendees can expect milder weather averaging in the high teens and low twenties.
The milder weather might be offset by wind chill, as gusts are expected to reach around 30mph between 10am and 4pm on Thursday.
It might pay to be prepared with warmer jackets, suncream and hayfever meds -with a high pollen count and UV rating at 1pm Thursday.
As the music begins on Friday, crowds can expect it to be “cloudy changing to sunny intervals by late morning” according to the Met Office.
With Supergrass kicking off the Pyramid stage at 12pm, they’ll be met with temperatures of around 22C, as well as relatively high humidity and wind speeds.
As the music begins on Friday, crowds can expect it to be “cloudy changing to sunny intervals by late morning” according to the Met Office.
With Supergrass kicking off the Pyramid stage at 12pm, they’ll be met with temperatures of around 22C, as well as relatively high humidity and wind speeds.
This follows a stunning weekend to mark the summer solstice on June 22.
Hundreds headed out early last Saturday to watch the sunrise over Stonehenge in celebration.
Those who marked the year’s longest day elsewhere experienced 18C temperatures in Salisbury and Greater London by 5am, according to the Met Office.
The weather agency also confirmed that Yeovilton in Somerset and Crosby in Merseyside had the highest recorded overnight figures in England, both reaching 19.7C by 6am.
The mercury in Cumbria and Lancashire also reached highs above 19C.
The pebbles at Brighton Beach, in East Sussex, could hardly as people soaked up the rays.
Hand held fans were also in demand at Royal Ascot as the hot weather continued on day five of the prestigious event.
One Royal Ascot spectator was even taken to hospital, with 42 others given medical attention on site for heat-related illness.
Weary passengers have slammed Thamelink after their service from Bedford to Brighton came to a screeching halt on the hottest day of the year so far.
The train broke down between Elephant and Castle, and Loughborough – but ticketholders were left waiting in their carriages during the sweltering heat on Sunday.
There was no air conditioning, and a major evacuation was eventually carried out after several hours.
People were led onto the tracks to fend for themselves, and claimed they were given no instruction on where to go next.
In lighter scenes, one delivery courier could be seen hurling what appeared to be drinks up to passengers stranded on a Thameslink train on a viaduct in south London.
Travellers cheered as the delivery driver chucked the items up with impressive accuracy to parched and agitated customers on board the train.
Incredible footage shows the driver hurling the items up as passengers, sweating in the intense heat, sat on the edge of the train and on the viaduct itself, as the train doors had been opened.
Temperatures hit up to 33.2C in Charlwood, Surrey, making it the hottest day of the year so far, according to the Met Office.
Five day weather forecast
This Evening and Tonight
A breezy evening, with the best of the late sunshine holding on across southeast England. Largely cloudy overnight with outbreaks of drizzle, mainly in the north and west. Warm in the south tonight, fresher in the north.
Wednesday
A cloudy start with drizzle across Wales and the Midlands. Scattered showers in the north. Very warm sunny spells in the south. Thundery showers possible in the southeast later.
Outlook for Thursday to Saturday
Changeable with spells of rain interspersed with sunny spells and scattered showers. Temperatures around normal at first, but turning very warm in the south and east over the weekend. Breezy.
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The Glastonbury forecast has been revealedCredit: Getty
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Hoards of Brits flocked to Brighton Beach, in East Sussex, on SundayCredit: LNP
Goals from Haaland, Gundogan and new signing Cherki help Man City enter the tournament’s knockout stage.
Manager Pep Guardiola has been left a little disappointed that Manchester City were unable to get a seventh goal in their rout of Al Ain, despite the English club securing passage to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup.
German Ilkay Gundogan scored two goals as City comfortably dispatched the Emiratis 6-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, and drew level with Juventus on points and goal difference at the top of Group G.
City play Juventus in their final opening-round match on Thursday to decide who tops the group and who finishes second.
Juventus go into the clash with a slight edge as goals scored in the second tiebreaker after goal difference for teams level on points. Juve have scored nine goals to City’s eight.
In the round of 16, the top team in Group G will play the second-placed team in Group H, currently Red Bull Salzburg. The runners-up will face the top team, currently 15-time European champions Real Madrid.
Juventus beat Wydad 4-1 in the other Group G match.
Erling Haaland scored on a penalty, while new signing Rayan Cherki bagged one close to full-time, and Claudio Echeverri and Oscar Bobb also got on the scoring sheet for City as they aim to look past a disappointing season.
With an entirely new lineup after a 2-0 win over Morocco’s Wydad in the group opener, Man City produced a dominating performance in Atlanta against an overmatched club from the United Arab Emirates.
Guardiola said that his side “pushed and pushed to score another goal” but ended up missing one.
City’s star forward Rodri came off the bench as he continues his gradual return from an ACL injury.
“He cannot play more than 30 minutes,” the Spanish manager said of Rodri’s return. “He still struggles a bit in the duels, still needs to be a little bit stronger, but it’s normal.
“It’s important he played much, much better than the previous game. We miss him a lot. Any team would miss the best player in the world.”
In Sunday’s other results, Salzburg and Al Hilal played out a goalless draw in Group H after 10-man Real Madrid won 3-1 against Pachuca.
Stones has been with City for nine seasons after joining from Everton for £47.5m.
He has enjoyed a trophy-filled spell at the club, winning six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cup and four League Cups, while also being capped 83 times for England.
Though he has played 277 games for his club, he only managed 13 starts last term, including six in the Premier League.
“I think we all self-doubt as players and feel things, and we want to get back as quick as possible. Maybe that’s a downfall sometimes that you try and push too soon,” he said.
“Definitely family [help], I think that’s my biggest thing, being around them and having their support.
“You can feel very lonely at times when you’re training by yourself and that’s the difficult part of it, being in a team sport, not training with the team when you run out on the pitch in your rehab.”
Stones has suffered a succession of foot, hamstring and thigh injuries over the past two campaigns, missing a total of 164 days and 33 games, according to Transfermarkt., external
Stones said: “There’s been points where you think you’ve been giving all this effort, you dedicate all your life – especially how I approach or go about my life and football, I give everything – on and off the pitch to be here or be ready to play games, and those are the dark days.
“I think everyone’s been through them and think, ‘why is this happening?’. You wish it would have gone a different path, but like I said, it’s self-doubt, there’s a lot of things.
“All of us have been through different upbringings and challenges through life and what did we do within those situations, was it fight or was it give up?
“I was a fighter from a young age, in difficult moments, you have to look at the bigger picture and realise what are your morals, what you believe in, and fight to make it worthwhile.”
Champions Liverpool will host Bournemouth on the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Premier League season, with Manchester United playing Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Liverpool, who won the league in Arne Slot’s first season in charge, will begin their title defence at Anfield in the curtain-raiser on Friday, 15 August.
Newly promoted Sunderland, back in the top flight for the first time since 2016-17, start their campaign at home against West Ham the following day.
Championship winners Leeds welcome Everton to Elland Road for the Monday night game, while Burnley – promoted back to the top flight at the first time of asking – travel to Europa League holders Tottenham, who will be led by Thomas Frank in a league match for the first time.
Manchester City right-back Kyle Walker agrees to join Everton, Brentford striker Bryan Mbeumo favours Manchester United over Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United open talks with Brighton over Joao Pedro.
Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker, 35, has agreed to join Everton on a one-year deal. (Sun), external
Brentford and Cameroon forward Bryan Mbeumo, 25, is leaning towards a move to Manchester United over Tottenham Hotspur, despite his former manager Thomas Frank joining the latter. (Sky Sports News), external
Newcastle have opened talks with Brighton over the signing of Brazil forward Joao Pedro, 22, and are also interested in Sporting Lisbon and Ivory Coast centre-back Ousmane Diomande, 21. (Telegraph – subscription required), external
Juventus have offered Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres an £11m-a-year contract as they try to beat Arsenal and Manchester United to a deal for the 27-year-old Sweden international. (Mirror), external
Manchester United have held initial talks with Eintracht Frankfurt over the signing of France striker Hugo Ekitike, 22, but no formal bid has been made yet. (Sky Sports, external)
Napoli are aiming to sign either Manchester United and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, 20, or Manchester City and England midfielder Jack Grealish, 29, but the Italian champions are only willing to spend £45m. (Sun), external
Atletico Madrid will target Aston Villa and France full-back Lucas Digne, 31, if they do not sign Scotland and Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, 31. (Times – subscription required, external)
Chelsea have opened talks with Lyon over Belgian winger Malik Fofana, 20. Nottingham Forest have also shown interest. (L’Equipe – in French) , external
Barcelona and Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 33, has turned down an offer from Turkish champions Galatasaray. (Sport – in Spanish), external
Athletic Bilbao, Marseille, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Inter Milan, and Napoli have all shown interest in Al Nassr and Spain defender Aymeric Laporte, 31, formerly of Manchester City. (AS – in Spanish), external
Liverpool have joined Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle in the race for Southampton and England U21s winger Tyler Dibling, 19. (CaughtOffside), external
Real Betis want to enter into a joint-ownership agreement with Manchester United for Brazil winger Antony, 25, that would see the Spanish club buy increasing percentages of his playing rights from next summer. (ABC – in Spanish), external
FORMER Love Island star Anna Vakili has pulled out all the stops – and tan lines – and flashed a saucy bit of skin in a slashed dress.
The reality TV contestant dared to bare in a figure-hugging cut-out number at Manchester‘s Parklife Festival.
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The striking star showed off her hip tattoo in the barely-there dressCredit: Getty
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The Love Islander displayed a white tan line in the show-stopperCredit: Getty
The brunette bombshell showed off her intimate tattoo in the revealing black cut-away dress as she enjoyed her day out.
Held at Heaton Park, the Love Island star, 34, looked high-fashion at the two-day event where acts including 50 Cent, Charli XCX and Rudimental performed.
The podcaster wore her long dark highlighted hair slicked back into a chic ponytail with gold hoops earrings.
Wearing natural glossy make-up, the star looked more red carpet primed than down-and-dirty festival ready.
Reality star Anna was joined at the music spectacular by reality stars Matilda Draper and Demi Sims at SHEIN‘s VIP party.
She was joined by her sister Mandi who looked equally glam in a strapless blue mini dress and trainers.
They mingled amongst fellow Love Islanders including Nicole Samuel, Jessy Potts, Kaz Crossley and Matilda Draper.
Also on hand were Towie’s Frankie and Demi Sims looking dressed to impress.
Vakili shot to fame after appearing on Love Islandin 2019 – but she failed to find love in the villa.
Love Island star SPLITS from boyfriend just months after getting back together
However, they’ve recently split shortly after getting back together.
Earlier this year, she revealed that she’d dropped out of the last series of All Stars Love Island at the last minute.
She explained that even though she went through the whole process to appear on the ITV2 show – including multiple meetings and STD and drug testing – it wasn’t for her again.
Looking for serious love, she told fans that she decided against it saying ‘the kind of man I want to settle down with wouldn’t really want a woman that’s going on Love Island’.
Anna recently posted a photo in a hospital gown, and revealed she’d completed her first round of egg freezing.
The pharmacist admitted that although appearing on the 2019 series changed her life for the better financially, returning to the show would be “greedy”.
“The guy that I would want to marry now, would look down on that ‘why you on there snogging different guys in a bikini’.
“I’m a 34-year-old woman.”
It comes after Anna spoken candidly about a series of botched procedures she had in the hope of getting her ‘perfect’ body.
She also revealed how much money she has wasted and what she has had done including three BBLs [Brazilian Bum Lift] and a boob job.
Along with her sister Mandi, the pair host the popular podcast Sisters In The City.
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Anna and her podcasting sister Mandi looked glam at the festivalCredit: Getty
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The newly-single star posed up a storm at Heaton Park VIP areaCredit: Getty
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Anna joined a host of reality star at the Manchester festivalCredit: Getty
THE MET Office has issued a fresh warning for thunderstorms this weekend, with up to 50mm of rain expected to fall in just a few hours.
The alert signals the arrival of severe weather, bringing the risk of flooding, hail, and lightning strikes across the UK.
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There is also a follow-up amber warning that continues until 5am on MondayCredit: Met Office
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Lightning strikes in the sky along Church Street in Witham, Essex
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During the thunderstorms, some parts of the UK could receive up to 50mm of rain
Brits are urged to be prepared as intense storms are set to hit several regions, sparking concerns of widespread disruption.
The weather warnings will affect several areas, including London, the South East, and the East of England, until 5am Sunday morning.
There is also a follow-up amber warning that continues until 5am on Monday.
The Met Office has highlighted the risk of “fast flowing or deep floodwater” that could endanger lives, with some communities potentially becoming cut off due to flooding.
During the thunderstorms, some parts of the UK could receive up to 50mm of rain in just a few hours.
This will bring major disruption, including road closures, train cancellations, and power outages.
The Met Office also warned of the potential for strong winds, reaching up to 50mph, which could exacerbate the impact of the storms.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin commented that the day would start off “hot and humid,” with some areas of the country potentially seeing temperatures climb as high as 30°C.
However, conditions will soon change, with thunderstorms beginning around 2pm in Wales and the South West, spreading to other areas later in the day.
Parts of southern England, including London, could see temperatures remain as high as 28°C on Friday evening, though the heat will quickly give way to more unsettled weather.
With 30–50mm of rain expected in some areas before the storms ease early on Saturday, residents across Greater London, Plymouth, Bath, Brighton, Norwich, and parts of the South East are advised to remain alert.
Cardiff and other southern regions could experience the heaviest downpours, with some areas possibly receiving up to 80mm of rain.
This level of rainfall is likely to cause significant surface water flooding, making driving conditions dangerous and leading to the risk of accidents.
The situation has already caused significant flooding in parts of the South West, particularly in Plymouth, where local residents battled knee-deep water.
The storms have already resulted in closures, with some roads, such as Gdynia Way and Kings Street, shut down due to flooding.
The Theatre Royal in Plymouth has also closed its doors as a result of flood damage.
James Mackenzie-Blackman, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of TRP, stated: “The torrential rain has required us to close the Theatre Royal today as we continue to deal with a significant flood into our basement.
Our priority is the safety of our staff, our artists, visitors and participants.”
In addition to the potential flooding, strong winds of up to 50mph are expected to cause problems along coasts and hills, further complicating the situation for drivers and emergency services.
Local authorities have advised caution when travelling, particularly in affected areas, as there may be delays and possible cancellations to train and bus services.
The disruption could continue into the weekend, particularly in areas where floodwater lingers.
The Met Office has issued a warning about the increased risk of power cuts, especially in areas where storms bring lightning strikes.
Residents are urged to be prepared for the possibility of service interruptions, with some homes and businesses potentially losing power due to the extreme weather.
This follows Friday’s amber weather warning for thunderstorms, hail, and lightning strikes.
The public is encouraged to monitor the weather closely and take precautions to protect themselves and their property.
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Brits are urged to be prepared as intense storms are set to hit several regions, sparking concerns of widespread disruptionCredit: PA
