Sports news

Jurgen Klopp took to social media to admit Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph had left him feeling “super, super happy”.

Arne Slot became the first Dutch manager to lift the trophy after leading Liverpool to the top of the standings in his first season at the helm at Anfield, having replaced Klopp last summer following the German’s decision to step down.

It was Liverpool’s 20th top-flight title and comes five years after Klopp led the Reds to their first Premier League honours five years ago.

Reflecting on Liverpool’s latest triumph, Klopp wrote on Instagram: “Super grateful for the past, super, super happy about the present, extremely positive about the future!

“Congratulations – YNWA. Thank You Luv.”

As Klopp bid farewell to the Anfield crowd last season, he encouraged those in attendance to serenade his successor, and Slot made sure to return the favour during his title celebrations. The current boss was asked why he felt the need to do so after the game.

“Because of what he did when I arrived here, before I even arrived here,” Slot said. “I think that is something not one manager ever did before.

“So that is what definitely helped me. But apart from that, he helped me even more by the team he left behind and the culture he left behind in that team.

“The quality the players have was, I think, obvious for everyone [to see]. But the culture of hard work, not only from the players, but also from the staff members, has been incredible. And that is one of the reasons we could achieve what we’ve achieved this season.”

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Chelsea’s proposed Stamford Bridge rebuild could see the Blues forced to find a temporary home when work on the project eventually starts, with Twickenham put forward as a viable option.

With Stamford Bridge considerably smaller than the likes of Old Trafford and the Emirates Stadium, Chelsea have wanted to redevelop and grow their stadium for close to 20 years.

It started relatively early during Roman Abramovich’s ownership but has been resurrected and taken on new life since the BlueCo takeover in 2022.

Chelsea secured a deal in 2023, due to come into force in 2025, to purchase £80m worth of neighbouring land from a veterans charity that would enable a redevelopment of the stadium and surrounding area. The land, home to 6,500 military pensioners, was listed for sale and the club was reported at the time to have beaten competition from 13 rival bidders.

Redeveloping Stamford Bridge one stand at a time, in line with Liverpool’s approach to Anfield, is not seen as ideal. They are more likely to bulldoze the existing stadium and build from the ground up on the same site. But while Manchester United will not be forced out due to the size of the wider Old Trafford site, Chelsea, even with the new adjacent land purchase, lack the space amongst busy London streets to be able to leave Stamford Bridge as it is while a new stadium is being built.

Chelsea have previously explored playing at Twickenham, the home of English rugby union and currently known as the Allianz Stadium for sponsorship purposes. The 82,000-capacity venue is around seven miles further west to the outskirts of London in Richmond upon Thames.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) have essentially opened the doors at Twickenham to Chelsea, in the hope of it being financially rewarded as part of efforts to use the stadium for more non-rugby events.

“It would allow it to happen, there have been conversations previously about possible [Premier League] clubs coming here,” RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said, via The Telegraph.

“Richmond council, Richmond borough is more concerned about [local impact]. I just think in terms of impact on local residents, numbers of fans and so on they’re a little bit more sensitive. It may depend on which club it is.

“It would be a big financial number, I know Richmond borough would definitely have a conversation about that though.”

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Real Madrid’s current manager Carlo Ancelotti has already agreed to take over the Brazil men’s national team this summer, according to multiple reports.

Ancelotti’s future seemed set until at least the summer of 2026 after he led Madrid to a rare Champions League-La Liga double in the 2023/24 campaign. Yet, as many managers have discovered in the past – including the Italian himself, no coach can ever get too comfortable in the Santiago Bernabeu dugout.

After bowing out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals, multiple outlets effectively confirmed Ancelotti’s departure at some point this season. In the aftermath of Saturday’s Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona, Brazil became increasingly confident that they would be able to appoint the revered manager this summer.

Now, MARCA claim that an agreement has finally been struck between Brazil’s football federation (CBF) and Ancelotti. All that’s missing is the 65-year-old’s signature. Fabrizio Romano suggests that his salary has been settled, with Ancelotti, an assistant coach with Italy in the early 1990s, poised to become one of the best-paid national team managers on the planet.

ESPN go so far as to name the date of 26 May as when the CBF expect to see Ancelotti in Rio de Janeiro. That would be just one day after Real Madrid are scheduled to host Real Sociedad in their final La Liga match of the season.

There is still the chance that Ancelotti can win another top-flight title before walking out in a blaze of glory. Madrid are just four points adrift of league-leading Barcelona and still have to face the Catalan giants in an almighty Clasico next month.

A May exit for Ancelotti would stop him from leading the squad into this summer’s newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup.

Madrid begin the campaign against Saudi giants Al Hilal on 18 June. If the capital outfit are unable to appoint Xabi Alonso as Ancelotti’s permanent successor before then, there has been speculation that former player and manager Santiago Solari could take over on an interim basis.

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Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane is reported to have rejected approaches from both Arsenal and Liverpool in favour of extending his stay in the Bundesliga.

Sane’s current contract expires this summer and it was claimed earlier in the season that, as part of Bayern’s desire to part ways with at least one winger, he could be sacrificed after failing to hold down a regular spot in Vincent Kompany’s starting lineup.

Free to be approached by clubs, Sane has received interest from Arsenal, whose manager, Mikel Arteta, worked with the German at Manchester City. Manchester United were speculatively linked and reports of interest from Liverpool emerged earlier this year.

In the face of the interest in his services, Sane is believed to have agreed an extension with Bayern. Christian Falk notes the winger has snubbed Arsenal and Liverpool in favour of tying himself to the Bundesliga champions-elect until 2028.

Sane is thought to have agreed to a significant pay cut to secure his continuation with Bayern, where teammates Harry Kane and close friend Jamal Musiala were vocal behind the scenes with their desires to see Sane’s contract extended.

Kompany has handed Sane 16 Bundesliga starts this season and a further 11 outings off the bench. He has racked up ten goals and five assists in that time, almost all of which have come in 2025 after establishing himself as a key player for the Belgian boss more recently.

Such impact could have been huge for both Arsenal and Liverpool. The Premier League’s top two will look for attacking reinforcements and the chance to snap up a player of Sane’s calibre on a free transfer was understandably appealing.

Now forced to look elsewhere, Arsenal are known admirers of Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, while Liverpool’s efforts are focused on signing a central striker after Mohamed Salah ended the uncertainty over his own future by penning a new contract at Anfield.

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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Cristian Romero could be allowed to leave the club this summer, a report has claimed, as long as suitors are willing to pay a premium price for the Argentina international.

Romero has been increasingly linked with a Spurs departure in recent months. He has missed big chunks of the season through injury and there appears to be a frustration towards his situation.

The 27-year-old was reported last month to be unhappy over how the club handled his injury and recovery. More recently, he refused to pledge his future to Tottenham beyond this season and left the door open for a summer transfer, even talking up a switch to La Liga specifically.

Both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are rumoured to be interested, with the latter thought to be particularly keen on a summer transfer.

MARCA claims that Spurs have priced Romero at €70m (£60m), implying there would be a willingness from their side to do business and cut ties if an offer was deemed acceptable.

Atletico look set for a defensive reshuffle with expected departures for veteran pair Cesar Azpilcueta and Axel Witsel, as well as no guarantees that Clement Lenglet’s loan will become permanent. City rivals Real are also in need of a boost at the back, having paid the price this season for an existing lack of centre-back depth and the potential for David Alaba to also now leave.

Romero’s form for Atalanta in Serie A prompted Spurs to strike an initial loan deal in 2021, made permanent for a £42.5m. That made Romero the second most expensive player in the club’s history, behind only flop record signing Tanguy Ndombele, but a £60m valuation could still yield profit.

At his best, Romero is among Europe’s top central defenders, having been a starter in Argentina’s triumph at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

After leaving South America at the age of 20, he quickly rose to prominence with Genoa, resulting in a 2019 transfer to Juventus. But Romero never played a game for the Serie A giants, initially staying with Genoa on loan and then moving to Atalanta on a similar deal. The latter eventually paid just €16m for a permanent deal in 2021, considerably less than Juve’s €26m outlay.

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