Manchester City have ended their interest in Declan Rice after Arsenal made an improved £105million bid for the West Ham captain. The PA news agency understands the Gunners made their latest offer for the 24-year-old England international on Tuesday after two previous approaches were rebuffed by the Hammers. It was also reported City had a bid totalling £90m knocked back and the treble winners have now decided not to match or try to better Arsenal’s proposition. It is believed the Gunners have offered £100m and a further £5m in potential add-ons. It would make Rice the most expensive British player of all time and eclipses Arsenal’s previous record transfer. It is understood West Ham are unhappy with the payment structure put forward but, rather than dismiss the offer out of hand, are now looking to negotiate. By contrast, Arsenal’s pursuit of Germany forward Kai Havertz has been more straightforward. With a deal agreed with Chelsea, Havertz underwent a medical over the weekend and is expected to be announced as an Arsenal player within the next 24 hours as footage of his arrival video was leaked on social media. Meanwhile, a move for Ajax full-back Jurrien Timber is still being worked on as Arsenal aim to improve a squad that finished second last season. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Never let anyone tell you that cricket isn’t exciting… England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow helped to stop a Just Stop Oil protest during Wednesday’s play at Lord's, dragging a protester off the field. Protestors disrupted play in London on Wednesday morning (June 28) shortly after the match had started at 11am. While the individuals managed to release orange powder onto the playing surface, they didn’t make it onto the wicket itself – largely thanks to the efforts of Bairstow. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The keeper picked up one of the group members, carrying him off towards security staff. After a short delay, the game was resumed and Bairstow returned to the field after changing his keeping gloves to a standing ovation. He received a lot of praise on social media, too. One wrote: “Jonny Bairstow should be knighted for this !!!! What a legend !!!!!!” Another said: “Poundland Jesus getting carried off pitch like Jonny Bairstow putting his ironing board away.” A user added: “Jonny Bairstow what a legend, carrying them ridiculous protestors off the pitch.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

There's a youth movement going on in the National Women's Soccer League

Caesars, FanDuel, and BetMGM have $3,250 worth of bonus cash available for new users to back the U.S. tonight with! Find out how to claim these offers here.

The United States heads into the Women’s World Cup with a formidable group of wily veterans and eager newcomers

Less than two weeks after a bridge collapse in Philadelphia on a key stretch of US Interstate 95,

Manchester United are on the hunt for a new midfielder, and first-team coach Benni McCarthy has confirmed Erik ten Hag has kept tabs on one of their touted targets.

Iga Swiatek is coming off her third title in the past four years on the French Open’s red clay

Fresh images of Barcelona's controversial Nike away kit for the 2023/24 season have emerged online. Fans are annoyed that it will be predominantly white, the colours of rivals Real Madrid.

Bayern Munich have agreed personal terms with England captain Harry Kane, German daily Bild reported Wednesday, but an initial 70-million-euro (£60-million, $76-million) bid...

Damon Hill has praised Lewis Hamilton for the “admirable” way he “kept his chin up” after the controversy of Abu Dhabi – and believes the Mercedes man is “absolutely motivated” to win a record eighth world title. Eighteen months have passed since Hamilton lost out to Max Verstappen at the contentious season finale, with his Dutch rival going on to take last year’s title too. And Verstappen, 69 points clear in this season’s championship, is primed to complete his hat-trick. Hamilton, 38, has not won a race since the penultimate round of the 2021 campaign – the longest losing streak of his career – but he heads to this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix following two consecutive podium finishes in his revamped Mercedes machine. “It is admirable the way Lewis kept his chin up after what happened in Abu Dhabi,” Hill, the 1996 world champion, told the PA news agency. “He got back on with the task in hand and he is driving better again this year than he has done before. He is starting to gel with that car now and he has solved some of the problems he faced. “So I would be amazed if he doesn’t want to go out on a high by winning that eighth title, and he is absolutely motivated by that. He has got that longevity and he looks after himself. “He needs a competitive car, half-a-chance, and someone like Lewis will rise up to that challenge and find more in himself. At the moment we are seeing a happier Hamilton, and a happy Hamilton is a fast Hamilton.” The British driver’s future on the grid, however, remains a hot topic of speculation. Hamilton has entered the final six months of his current £40million-a-season contract with Mercedes. But despite a string of recent discussions with team principal Toto Wolff, a conclusion to the saga is not understood to be imminent. “The talk is that Lewis is finalising a much longer-term deal that goes beyond his racing career,” added Hill, 62. “The car company itself is involved, so there is a bit more bureaucracy in this deal.” Hamilton is already 93 points behind Verstappen in the standings after the Red Bull driver raced to his sixth victory from eight rounds to equal Ayrton Senna’s career tally of 41 wins last time out in Canada. Following Verstappen’s triumph, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said his star driver must now be considered among Formula One’s all-time greats. “Comparing different eras is quite difficult,” said Hill, who was speaking at his Halow Project charity event in Sandown following a world-first kart run on Zero synthetic fuel. “They do many more races than they used to in the sport. But, nevertheless, in every era there are one or two drivers who are the cream of the crop, and you have to say Max is one of them, along with Lewis and Fernando (Alonso). “I certainly see him having his own era called ‘the Max Verstappen era’ where he wins practically everything. “If you appreciate great drivers and the job they do then it is great to watch. But I understand people want to see a race and not a demonstration and we have to be patient and hope the others catch him up pretty quickly.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Horner details what makes ‘mega talent’ Verstappen so special Max Verstappen aims to ‘keep winning’ after matching Ayrton Senna’s 41 victories Max Verstappen claims pole position during rain-hit qualifying for Canadian GP

England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl in the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Wednesday as Australia recalled...