Football/Soccer 3 Days

Last updated: August 12, 2026, 6:12 PM ET

Pre-Season Friendlies

Real Madrid beat Deportivo La Coruña 1-0 in their latest pre-season friendly, with Brahim Diaz scoring the winner just before halftime. Myles Lewis-Skelly underlined his commitment to Arsenal by scoring in a 1-1 draw with Como, setting aside recent transfer speculation. Bruno Guimaraes made his Arsenal debut in that same match, putting in an assured performance at the Emirates. Manchester United edged Leeds United 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 friendly draw in Dublin, with Joshua Zirkzee and Brenden Aaronson scoring, though Marcus Rashford did not feature. Everton breezed past a lacklustre Newcastle 3-1 in a friendly at Murrayfield, giving new Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle a hint of the task ahead. Lisandro Martínez has joined Manchester United's pre-season training camp in Ireland after an extended break following the World Cup. Mason Mount is expected to miss the Leeds game.

UEFA Super Cup

Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year, beating Aston Villa 2-1 thanks to a second-half goal from Désiré Doué. Doué silenced the "Madjo-mania" as the European champions secured the trophy. Aston Villa were competing in the Super Cup for the first time since 1982. Unai Emery was chasing his first Super Cup with Villa, though three Villa stars were ruled out of the match against PSG. The PSG squad was reportedly unhappy with the dressing room space provided at Red Bull Arena, so they secured an extra room.

Transfer News – Chelsea and Enzo Fernandez

Chelsea have set a Friday deadline of £120m for clubs interested in midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The Blues have told Manchester City they must make an offer by 5 pm this Friday. Enzo Maresca reportedly wants Manchester City to sign a Chelsea duo including Fernandez. Chelsea have several other players available for sale, with their attention now turning to offloading stars after being the Premier League's top spenders this summer. Meanwhile, Chelsea have completed the signing of Pep Chavarría from Rayo Vallecano, making him the ninth new addition to the first-team squad. Chavarría joins for £16m on a five-year deal, having played in the Spanish lower leagues until he was. The club has also given Mykhailo Mudryk the go-ahead for a loan move as he rebuilds his fitness after 20 months out.

Transfer News – Other Major Moves

Atletico Madrid have agreed a £34.2m deal with Tottenham for captain Cristian Romero. The La Liga side have also agreed a deal in principle with Spurs to sign the defender. Diego Simeone held talks with Julián Álvarez at Atlético Madrid to discuss the star forward's situation after his transfer request. Fenerbahce have confirmed the signing of Romelu Lukaku from Napoli for a reported €6 million. Wrexham have signed Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson in a deal that could break the club's transfer record. Celtic have signed winger Haissem Hassan from Real Oviedo on a four-year contract. Everton have signed winger Brennan Johnson from Crystal Palace in a swap deal that sent Dwight McNeil to Selhurst Park.

Transfer News – Premier League Clubs

Arsenal have reignited their interest in Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa as their preferred option at center-back. Crystal Palace have had a verbal bid for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara rejected. The Eagles are also finalizing the transfer of Zavier Gozo from Real Salt Lake. Nottingham Forest have signed Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting for £34.3m. West Ham have signed winger Manor Solomon from Tottenham on a three-year contract. Ipswich Town have reached an agreement to sign Paraguay forward Julio Enciso from Strasbourg. Hull City have confirmed the signing of defender Nobel Mendy from Rayo Vallecano for a club record fee.

Transfer Rumors and Speculation

Manchester City are in ongoing talks with Lille for Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. Barcelona remain optimistic of completing the signing of Manchester City midfielder Rodri, while they also plan to offer Marc Bernal an improved contract. Arsenal are reportedly looking at a move for Barcelona defender Jules Koundé. Tottenham are eyeing a move for Liverpool's Cody Gakpo. Aston Villa are in talks over a move for Bayern Munich midfielder João Palhinha. Rangers have agreed a £6.5m deal for PSV's Driouech. Inter Milan are in talks with Tottenham over the sale of Djed Spence. Coventry City are interested in signing Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk on loan.

Player News

Lionel Messi paid an emotional tribute to his late father on Instagram. Inter Miami honored their absent captain following the death of his father, missing a Leagues Cup loss to Monterrey. As Messi ponders retirement, BBC Sport looks back at his most iconic moments. Bruno Fernandes is the center of attention at Manchester United amid contract and transfer interest. Youri Tielemans credits FIFA's shock decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's red card for inspiring Belgium's World Cup win over the US. In his first extended interview since his move, Tielemans said he owes Aston Villa the world but that Manchester United are above them. He also admitted he did not expect to leave Villa this summer after his £35m release clause was triggered.

Managerial and Coaching News

The Netherlands have appointed Barcelona great Xavi Hernández as their new national team coach through the 2030 World Cup. Jose Mourinho is back at Real Madrid 13 years after leaving, facing the biggest challenge of his career to restore the club to glory. Mourinho revealed he agreed to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United before David Moyes got the job. The new Real Madrid coach has already criticized Bernardo Silva's fitness, saying the summer signing needs to improve. The Chicago Stars fired head coach Martin Sjögren with the club at the bottom of the NWSL standings. New Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca discussed replacing Pep Guardiola, his interest in AI, and his captaincy dilemma.

The Hundred and Cricket

MI London's hopes of a fourth straight Hundred title are over despite a narrow win over bottom-placed Birmingham Phoenix. Birmingham Phoenix prevailed in the battle to avoid the wooden spoon in the women's competition, with Ellyse Perry hitting a composed half-century. Manchester Super Giants routed Sun Risers Leeds to move to the cusp of the men's eliminator. SunRisers Leeds snatched a spot in the women's eliminator by beating Manchester Super Giants in a winner-takes-all game. Nat Sciver-Brunt led Trent Rockets into the Hundred final with a 32 off 19 balls, securing a seventh successive win. Trent Rockets are relying on a favour from Manchester Super Giants after their six-match winning run was ended. Floodlights will be on throughout Hundred matches due to the solar eclipse.

Other Sports and Football News

Geronimo Rulli has joined Manchester City from Marseille as the club's new goalkeeper understudy to Gianluigi Donnarumma. Alexis Sánchez has signed with CF Montréal on a Designated Player contract. Chucky Lozano, pushed out of San Diego, is described as a "perfect football fit" for the LA Galaxy. Olivia Moultrie has been ruled out for the rest of the 2026 season with an ACL injury, the Portland Thorns announced. Ronnie O'Sullivan's poor start to the season continued with an early loss at the China Open. Rory McIlroy returns to PGA Tour action at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, aiming to assess his game. Teenage sensation Ruby White wants revenge after her Commonwealth final loss. Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali says drivers can have their opinion on regulations. McLaren boss Andrea Stella has warned rivals about the team's "momentum" in the title battles.