Bayern Munich are staging meetings to decide whether to make one last bid for Harry Kane or wait for his contract to run, as their latest offer was understood to be still at least £10m short of what Tottenham would accept. The England striker wants his immediate future settled before the Premier League starts this weekend, which puts another element of time pressure on the deal. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy did nevertheless delay a response to Bayern on their third offer earlier this week, and the feeling is that he was unimpressed by the German club's attempts to force the situation by setting a deadline of last Friday. All parties are now effectively conditioned by Kane's own deadline, although Bayern themselves want any deal in place before this weekend's German Super Cup against Leipzig. The Bundesliga champions have four options available to them, all of which will be discussed over Tuesday. One is another bid, although it remains to be seen whether they would go high enough to match Levy's demands. The second is waiting until January, when they could well get Kane for a knock-down price, in a similar manner to Christian Eriksen's exit for Internazionale in January 2020. A third is negotiating a pre-contract once Bosman rules allow at that point. A fourth, currently being mooted, is acting on longstanding interest in Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani. Kane has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Tottenham, but ignored the noise around his future to score four goals in a 5-1 friendly win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday. Dejan Kulusevski set up Kane’s hat-trick strike and hailed the professionalism of his team-mate. “He scored four goals, so very good,” Kulusevski exclaimed. “Nah, he’s unbelievable. Honestly, his mentality, I can learn from him like everybody. He just goes out and performs day in day out. “He’s a true professional. I’m happy I helped him score today but of course we want him to stay and we’ll do everything to make him stay.” Read More Tottenham respond to latest Bayern Munich bid for Harry Kane Ange Postecoglou aims ‘deadline’ dig at Bayern Munich over Harry Kane transfer saga Gary Lineker worried about Tottenham’s campaign with or without Harry Kane Tottenham respond to latest Bayern Munich bid for Harry Kane Dejan Kulusevski vows to ‘do everything’ to keep Harry Kane at Tottenham Postecoglou aims ‘deadline’ dig at Bayern over Kane transfer saga

The Pac-12 leftovers could reportedly be thrown a lifeline by the AAC of all conferences.While Cal, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State are what is left of the dying Pac-12 conference, the AAC could be looking to swoop in and take advantage of the fortuitous situation.Eric Prisbell o...

College football realignment might end up seeing Stanford and Cal joining the ACC of all places.The latest wave of college football realignment has left us with only four Pac-12 schools: The academic Bay Area powers of Cal and Stanford, and the Pacific Northwest Step Brothers known as Oregon Sta...

Let's take a look at some of the biggest surprises with regard to the first Coaches Poll of the 2023 college football season.College football is right around the corner, which means we have some rankings to dissect, alright.The USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll was released on Monday. ...

With the Pac-12 being dealt two fatal blows by the Big Ten and Big 12, you better believe the dying league's bowl-game tie-ins have been greatly compromised as a result.While an expanded College Football Playoff will remove the Big Ten/Pac-12 tie-in to the Rose Bowl in 2024, the dying leagu...

West Ham have made an improved £30million bid for Manchester United and England centre-back Harry Maguire, the PA news agency understands. The Hammers have been linked with Maguire throughout the summer but a previous £20million offer was rejected. Maguire, 30, fell down the pecking order at Old Trafford last season and was recently replaced as captain by manager Erik ten Hag. United, however, have always maintained that Maguire remains an important member of their squad and would be happy for him to stay and fight for his place. Maguire, who joined United for £80million in 2019, faces competition from Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof for a spot in the side. West Ham, meanwhile, have also been linked with a move for Maguire’s United team-mate Scott McTominay. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Liverpool continue to be frustrated in their pursuit of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia after having a third bid rejected by the Championship side. After their initial two offers of £34million plus £4m and £42m were turned down, the Reds returned with a proposal worth £46m but that too has been rejected, the PA news agency understands. Saints are understood to be looking for £50m for a player who has made just 29 Premier League appearances in one top-flight season. Negotiations are expected to continue between the two sides. Mohamed Salah’s agent, meanwhile, has dismissed speculation linking the forward with a move to Saudi Arabia as the 31-year-old “remains committed” to the club. A report in the Middle East claimed talks were taking place between the Egypt international’s representatives and Al-Ittihad about a deal said to be worth around £155million over two years to the player. Salah’s former team-mate Fabinho has already made the move to Al-Ittihad this summer in a £40m transfer. In that context the £60m fee being touted for Salah – who has scored 139 goals in 231 Premier League appearances – appeared to under-value a player who is only 12 months into a three-year deal which is the most lucrative contract in Liverpool’s history. And Salah’s representative insists the former Chelsea and Roma forward has no intention of leaving Anfield in any case. “If we considered leaving LFC this year, we wouldn’t have renewed the contract last summer. Mohamed remains committed to LFC,” Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas posted on Twitter. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Neymar has told Paris St Germain he wants to leave the club, according to reports in France. The club have not commented publicly on the matter, but the PA news agency understands the Brazil superstar, who is under contract until 2025, has yet to formally communicate his intention to leave to the club’s executives. It is unclear whether new PSG coach Luis Enrique sees Neymar as part of his plans in any case, but the report comes at a time when the club are resigned to either selling France striker Kylian Mbappe this summer or losing him for nothing next summer, when he will be out of contract. Lionel Messi left the club earlier this summer to join Inter Miami and, if Neymar and Mbappe follow him out of PSG, it will well and truly mark the end of an era. The club are trying to shake off what their president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has previously described as their “bling bling” image of the past and work to develop more players organically rather than bring in top-of-the-range superstars. Neymar was arguably the epitome of the old approach, with PSG smashing the world transfer record to sign him from Barcelona in 2017 for 222 million euros (£200m at the time). He has won France’s Ligue 1 title five times since joining PSG but has failed to add to the single Champions League crown he won with Barca in 2015. Mbappe, meanwhile, has been left out of PSG’s main training group as the standoff over his contract continues. PSG sources are convinced he has already reached an agreement to officially sign for Real Madrid when his contract expires and benefit from a 160m euro signing-on fee as a free agent. PSG are understood to have even offered Mbappe a new contract with a “guaranteed sale” clause in it confirming he can leave for a fee next summer, but sources say his representatives have refused to engage on that, or any other, offer they have made. PSG gave Al Hilal permission to speak to Mbappe after the Saudi club tabled a world record £259million offer last month. However, it was reported Mbappe and his representatives declined to even meet a delegation from the club when they visited Paris. Chelsea and Barcelona are also understood to be trying to put together player-plus-cash deals to bring in Mbappe, who won the World Cup with France in 2018 and also starred at last year’s finals in Qatar. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Kevin De Bruyne insists he is “way ahead” of schedule on his return from a hamstring injury that cut short his appearance in Manchester City’s Champions League final win. The 32-year-old scored 10 goals and provided 31 assists as City won the treble last season, adding the FA Cup and Champions League to a fifth Premier League crown in six years. De Bruyne revealed that he was carrying a hamstring injury for the last two months of the campaign and was forced off just 36 minutes into the 1-0 win over Inter Milan in June. His first action back was off the bench as a second-half substitute in Sunday’s Community Shield meeting with Arsenal – where he set up Cole Palmer for the opening goal but then missed the first penalty as the Gunners won a shoot-out 4-1. “I’m way ahead of schedule,” he said after the Wembley clash. “I was probably looking to be back around the game vs Seville (in the Super Cup on August 16). I just enjoyed my summer, worked on my injury. “I came back and the scan was good so I trained mostly alone in Japan. That went well, I’m happy. “You don’t know how the injury will be. Mostly in the past I’ve always been quite a quick healer. It’s the body.” City begin the defence of their league title with a trip to Sky Bet Championship winners Burnley on Friday night. De Bruyne, though, admits he does not know if he will be fit enough to start at Turf Moor. “I don’t know how I am physically,” added the Belgium international. I'm getting better and there's still around 70-80 games this year so I should be fine! Kevin De Bruyne “I’ve probably trained five or six times with the team. I’m not too worried about it. I played 45 minutes at a good level so I’m happy with that. “I’m getting better and there’s still around 70-80 games this year so I should be fine!” Pep Guardiola has yet to confirm who will take over as City’s new captain this season after Ilkay Gundogan departed for Barcelona. Kyle Walker – linked with a move to Bayern Munich this summer – led City out at Wembley, while De Bruyne took the armband when he replaced Mateo Kovacic on 64 minutes. Asked about the captaincy, De Bruyne replied: “Nothing yet. I don’t know. “If I get it, I get it. It’s not going to change anything I do for the club. This is my ninth year, I know the club inside out and people know whatever they ask of me, I’ll do. “I’m not too worried. I try to do the same as always. It’s an honour if I get it and if not, it doesn’t matter.”

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne says the new approach to added time “doesn’t make any sense” and warns overworked players face up to 25 minutes being tagged on to some games. Competitions around the world have been instructed to more accurately calculate time lost to stoppages this season, including goal celebrations and VAR checks. Arsenal equalised in the 11th of 13 added minutes at the end of Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City and went on to win on penalties. The change in approach follows a directive from the game’s lawmaking body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which believes it will lead to a reduction in time-wasting and an increase in effective playing time. The move was largely positively received when it was first trialled at last year’s men’s World Cup in Qatar, but De Bruyne is not convinced. “We spoke to the Arsenal players and even the referees (about it) – they don’t even want to do it, but it’s the new rule and it’s what it is,” he said after Sunday’s match at Wembley. “A game like today, even the first half with three minutes extra, you can only guess what’s going to happen if you play a lower team who keep timewasting all the time. “Today we played 12 to 13 minutes. I can see games going for 20-25 minutes (extra). I think this will change in one to two months, but this is the first game. “I’m thinking if we play Sevilla in Olympiakos (in the UEFA Super Cup) on Wednesday (August 16) and have 15-20 extra minutes and then play on Saturday again (against Newcastle) it’s like two times extra time. “We’ll see how it goes, but it doesn’t make any sense.” Players from the Manchester clubs met with Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chief executive Maheta Molango last week and expressed their concerns about the change in approach. A PFA spokesperson added: “Across what is now essentially a year-long football season, players are already thinking of these additional minutes in terms of extra games being played. “It also comes at a time when players are pushing back against what is, increasingly, a completely unsustainable football calendar.” World players’ union FIFPRO published a report earlier this year which found players with high workloads could face the equivalent of three extra games per season if the levels of added time witnessed at the World Cup in Qatar were sustained over the course of a campaign. At the PFA meeting last week was Manchester United defender Raphael Varane, who spoke out earlier on Monday about the “damaging” impact of the changes which he said had come in without consulting players. Varane retired from international football earlier this year aged 29 after comparing life at the top level to constantly going around a washing machine. He tweeted on Monday: “From the managers and players, we have shared our concerns for many years now that there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded, and it’s at a dangerous level for players’ physical and mental well-being. “Despite our previous feedbacks, they have now recommended for next season: longer games, more intensity, and less emotions to be shown by players. “We just want to be in good condition on the pitch to give 100 per cent to our club and fans. Why are our opinions not being heard?” FIFA found an average of 10 minutes and 11 seconds were added to matches at the Qatar World Cup, an increase on the 2018 finals in Russia, but it also found effective playing time increased by over four minutes. It also found that as players became used to the new approach, the time added on dropped. Eleven minutes and six seconds were added on average at the group stage in Qatar, but dropped as low as seven minutes and 15 seconds in the last 16. The Community Shield lasted 105 minutes and 45 seconds, much longer than last season’s average Premier League game which was 98 minutes and 31 seconds. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jade Clarke says England ‘broke the glass ceiling’ despite World Cup final loss Owen Farrell says England will use any World Cup expectations ‘to our advantage’ Steve Borthwick defends World Cup selection with Billy Vunipola ‘in great shape’

Tottenham Hotspur have rejected Bayern Munich’s latest offer for Harry Kane. Bayern submitted their third offer of the summer for the England captain on Friday and an apparent deadline of midnight was also set by the German club. All weekend passed without any further development but Spurs have now responded on Monday and rejected Bayern’s latest bid, it is understood. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was reported to have met with Bayern officials last week, but the clubs remain around £25m apart in their valuation. Friday’s bid was expected to be the final offer made by the Bundesliga champions and it remains to be seen whether or not they will continue their pursuit of Kane. Kane has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Tottenham, but ignored the noise around his future to score four goals in a 5-1 friendly win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday. Dejan Kulusevski set up Kane’s hat-trick strike and hailed the professionalism of his team-mate. “He scored four goals, so very good,” Kulusevski exclaimed. “Nah, he’s unbelievable. Honestly, his mentality, I can learn from him like everybody. He just goes out and performs day in day out. “He’s a true professional. I’m happy I helped him score today but of course we want him to stay and we’ll do everything to make him stay.” Asked whether it would be beneficial to have Kane’s future sorted sooner rather than later, Kulusevski admitted: “I think it would. On the other hand, you can only control what you can control. We players cannot do anything about it. “We work our hardest, try to stay ready and the players that manage it, it’s up to them.” This latest twist in the Kane saga increases the likelihood that the forward will feature in Sunday’s Premier League opener at Brentford. Before Tottenham make the trip across the capital, Postecoglou will take his squad to Barcelona on Tuesday for their final pre-season match this summer. It will be another opportunity for Postecoglou to get his players attuned to his front-foot, progressive style of football and Kulusevski, after being accustomed to a pragmatic and counter-attacking approach under Antonio Conte previously, is relishing the attacking brand brought in. “It is fun actually. I love it,” he said. “You have to be physically very good, I love that too. I’m enjoying having a lot of ball higher on the pitch, so I’m very grateful to have him (Postecoglou). “I like him a lot. Also at half-time he was very angry because we stopped playing for five minutes and you cannot be like that. “You have to play always. Just because you’re tired, you (can’t) let them have the ball. Things happen like that. So I like him a lot and I’m looking forward to improving under him.” Kulusevski did concede there will be an adjustment period for Tottenham under Postecoglou’s new bold style. He said: “Everything takes time in life, but the thing is we really, really have to believe in it. It’s not enough if he’s trying to make us believe. We all have to do it. “But we’re in a good way, I think. This was the first game when we played 90 minutes. We’re happy, we ran a lot. It was quite good. “Last season, maybe we scored one and then we tried to protect the result. So, of course we have to improve but second half was very, very good. “He (Postecoglou) said we always have to play. Don’t shoot away the ball, don’t stop pressing, don’t waste time. Always play, play the same and don’t think about the score or the time. Just play and have fun. “We all want to score much more. When we go 1-0, we want to score the second, not back off. So, we all want to score much more.” Read More Dejan Kulusevski vows to ‘do everything’ to keep Harry Kane at Tottenham Postecoglou aims ‘deadline’ dig at Bayern over Kane transfer saga Harry Kane puts speculation to one side with four goals in Tottenham friendly Gary Lineker worried about Tottenham’s campaign with or without Harry Kane Bayern awaiting Tottenham response on ‘final’ offer for Harry Kane James Maddison wants ‘world’s best number nine’ Harry Kane to stay at Spurs

Aston Villa captain John McGinn is in line for an Easter Road return after his side were paired with Hibernian or Luzern in the Europa Conference League play-offs. The Scotland midfielder will be back in Leith on August 24 if Hibs can get past the Swiss side in the third qualifying round. McGinn spent three years with Hibs and helped them win the Scottish Cup in 2016 for the first time in 114 years, before moving to Villa in 2018. The Champions League draw earlier saw Rangers set up for a potential reunion of their own after they were paired against PSV Eindhoven or Sturm Graz if they progress. The Ibrox side were seeded in the draw but must first get past Swiss side Servette, who travel to Glasgow on Wednesday in the first leg of the third qualifying round. The Gers beat PSV 3-2 on aggregate at the same stage last year to reach the group stage, with Antonio Colak grabbing the winner when he netted the only goal of the second leg in the Netherlands. Sturm Graz have included former Motherwell wing-back Max Johnston in their European squad, although he has only featured for the second team since his recent move. Rangers would be at home in the first leg of the play-offs, which take place in the final two weeks of August. Defeat against Servette would see them go straight into the Europa League group stage. Aberdeen could also face a rematch with recent opponents after being paired with either BK Hacken or Lithuanians Zalgiris Vilnius in the Europa League play-offs. The Dons beat the Swedes 5-1 at Pittodrie two years ago. Barry Robson’s team are assured of group-stage football as they will drop into the Europa Conference League if they lose. Also in the Conference League, Hearts will take on Croatians Hajduk Split or Greek side PAOK if they can get past Rosenborg. Derry City will face Czech side Viktoria Plzen or Gzira United of Malta if they can see off Tobol Kostanay of Kazakhstan. Play-off ties take place over the last two weeks in August. Read More Football rumours: Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku player swap bid hits snag Football rumours: Manchester United enter race to sign Southampton’s Romeo Lavia England striker Alessia Russo pleased to make the most of her ‘moment’ England veteran Rachel Daly concerned by ACL issue at Women’s World Cup Rachel Daly: England’s prolific goalscorer in profile Alisha Lehmann: The Swiss attacker and Instagram superstar in profile