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Tottenham are close to the signing of James Maddison with the Leicester midfielder set to undergo a medical on Wednesday. Spurs entered advanced talks with recently-relegated Leicester earlier this week and have now struck a deal for the England international, the PA news agency understands. Maddison will move to Tottenham in a transfer worth £40m plus add-ons, having already agreed personal terms. The signing of Maddison will represent a major coup for Spurs, who have been long-term admirers of the 26-year-old. Ex-Tottenham boss David Pleat recommended Maddison to chairman Daniel Levy when the playmaker was still a teenager at Coventry, but no move was able to materialise and he instead joined Norwich. Spurs’ interest and desire to eventually sign Maddison never waivered with his time at Leicester only serving to prove he was one of the most creative players in England. During five largely successful years with the Foxes, who won the 2021 FA Cup, Maddison made 203 appearances, scored 55 goals and produced 41 assists. While Maddison was unable to prevent Leicester suffering a shock relegation to the Sky Bet Championship last season, he was still able to hit double figures in terms of goals. Leicester’s battle for survival saw them turn down advances for Maddison in the January transfer window but they have now agreed for him to depart. Newcastle had registered an interest in bringing the midfielder to St James’ Park but decided to pursue a move for AC Milan’s Sandro Tonali, which left the door open for Tottenham to swoop in for their key target. Maddison’s creativity and versatility will boost a Spurs squad that has lacked a player in his mould since Christian Eriksen left in 2020. Once his medical is completed, Maddison will become new Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou’s third signing following Dejan Kulusevski’s permanent transfer and Tuesday’s arrival of Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Read More Arsenal submit British-record bid for Declan Rice Football rumours: Man City ‘to submit improved offer’ for Declan Rice after Arsenal bid Harry Kane must take Bayern Munich transfer chance – and so should Spurs Tottenham complete signing of Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario Kane must take Bayern transfer chance - and so should Spurs Osimhen and five Man United transfer alternatives to signing Kane

West Ham are negotiating the structure of Arsenal's £105m offer for Declan Rice, which would represent a new British record transfer fee. Manchester City are expected to bid again for the 24-year-old.

With Wimbledon starting next week, Stan Wawrinka is excited about returning to London’s iconic championships. “It’s really a different tournament with the history, also the fact that we play on grass courts. The courts are amazing, the atmosphere is great,” he says on a video call from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Today, the Swiss player is taking a break from his gruelling training schedule to visit SW19 as part of his long-running partnership with Evian. “It’s always special for us players to go practise or to play matches on small courts as well, because you have so many fans coming and the atmosphere is always going to be special,” he continues, saying his most memorable Wimbledon match was against a certain Swiss opponent. “I played one quarter final against Roger [Federer] on Centre Court – it’s always special to play Roger, to play him here was something really nice.” Ahead of the famous championships, the 38-year-old has been training in Monaco, before heading back to London this week. So, how does the three-time Grand Slam winner balance the physical and psychological aspects of preparing for high-profile events? “It’s all a big puzzle,” says Wawrinka, who was born near Lausanne to a German father and Swiss mother. “As a tennis player, you have the fitness side and you have the mental part – you have everything that you need to do to be ready.” Plus, there’s the challenge of having to deal with defeats: “Tennis is a tough sport in the way that you end up almost every week losing. You need to accept [that you will] lose and try to learn and take something positive from it.” How does the former world number three cope with not winning? “I try to refocus on myself, try to also think about everything I’ve been doing in practice… you can lose against a better player. If you know you’re doing the right things, then you can only be positive about it.” Stan the Man (as he’s known to fans) isn’t fazed by comparisons to Federer – whom he’s beaten on just three of the 26 times they’ve competed on court. “I always look for the positive of the situation and I’ve been lucky enough that when I arrived [on the circuit] I was a little bit younger than him – he was already at the top,” says Wawrinka, who is three years younger than his record-breaking countryman. “For me, it was a chance to have Roger in the same country… I had the chance to practise with him and he became a friend.” The pair were victorious at the Davis Cup in 2014 and at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, taking gold in the men’s doubles. “The Olympics are something that any athlete in any sport dreams about, to play individually, but [playing] doubles and to feel like a team it was super special,” Wawrinka recalls. How does training for doubles matches compare to singles? “It’s more the mental part. You need to know your partner, talk with him a lot about the tactics, but more about what’s going to happen. “Communication is really important on the court, but also off the court. For us, it was quite easy to play together because we are such close friends.” Seen as a late bloomer in terms of tennis, Wawrinka admits it was a struggle waiting to achieve his inaugural Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2014. “For me, the most challenging part was to find the confidence in myself and in my game. I only won my first Grand Slam at 29 years old, it took me a while to really find that confidence.” Suffering setbacks throughout his career due to knee, elbow and foot injuries, Wawrinka’s ranking has yo-yoed in the past few years, but he returned to the world top 100 in February. “It was tough to be back at 37 years old after more than a year out for another two surgeries,” he says. “It was not easy, but for me, it’s about the passion. I love what I’m doing, I enjoy the process… it was, of course, so special to be back again in the top 100.” Off the court, he unwinds by spending time with daughter Alexia, 13, whom he shares with ex-wife Ilham Vuilloud, a Swiss TV presenter: “I’m traveling a lot so I don’t have that much time to be with her, so I’m trying to enjoy that.” Having grown up on his parents’ biodynamic farm, the tennis champ has inherited the green-fingered gene, growing fruit and veg in his garden back home in Switzerland. “I have tomatoes, courgettes, I have many fruits. I think it’s just different when you have your own garden than when you go buy it at the shop directly.” Reducing his impact on the environment is also a priority for the Evian global brand ambassador, which is why he’s pleased the water brand is introducing refillable bottles for players at Wimbledon for the first time this year. “It’s important for us, the players, [because] we’re traveling a lot – this new bottle is going to be great,” Wawrinka says. Two years away from 40 and with 16 career titles and 550 career wins under his belt, he’s not planning on hanging up his racket any time soon. “I’m still hoping to play a few more years on tour. It’s, of course, not easy, but I’m passionate about it. I want to enjoy it as much as I can,” Wawrinka says. “The time I will stop there will be no way back, so I need to really push and try to be as good as I can.” Evian, official water of the Championships, together with Wimbledon have launched a new refillable solution to hydrate players on court during this year’s tournament. Discover more at www.evian.com. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Hacks for saving money on school uniforms King Charles and Queen Camilla surprise spa guests in bathrobes at eco-village Nearly 1.5m 18 and under referred for mental health support in 2022 – charity

Wednesday's roundup of transfer rumours includes news of Liverpool rivalling Real Madrid for Kylian Mbappe, Bayern Munich's bid for Harry Kane, Man Utd rescinding a contract offer to David de Gea and more.

Aston Villa pushing for Pau Torres deal.

Millie Bright has expressed her confidence that she will be ready for England’s World Cup opener as she continues her recovery from knee surgery. The defender, captain of the squad heading to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand in the absence of ACL injury victim Leah Williamson, underwent an operation after limping out of a Chelsea match in March. While Bright expects Saturday’s World Cup warm-up game against Portugal in Milton Keynes will come too soon for a return to action, she is feeling positive about the Lionesses’ opening Group D fixture against Haiti in Brisbane on July 22. The 29-year-old, who has been doing individual work during the squad’s camp at St George’s Park, said: “The knee’s really good. “I think we are a little bit ahead (of schedule) actually. Coming into it, there’s a big chunk of time before the first game, so we’re really confident and everything is going exactly the way we wanted it to go. “I think Saturday will be a little bit too soon. I’m not back with the girls yet and I don’t think we want to rush that. Obviously, we have a lot of time until the first game.” Asked if she thought there was any danger of her being undercooked, Bright said: “No, not at all. “I think the amount of minutes I’ve played leading up to this has been ridiculous, through the roof, so if anything I feel mentally and physically fresher than I’ve ever felt. “I can’t remember the last time I had longer than two weeks off. It’s been a fair few years now. A blessing in disguise I call it, that I’ve mentally and physically been able to completely just have a clean slate and let my body recover. I’ve played through many injuries but this one, I just couldn’t quite get there.” There had been concern for Alex Greenwood after she went down with an injury during Tuesday’s training session, but the Manchester City defender has said she “will be OK”, adding: “(It is) on the shin. It’s sore, but it’s football. It was a tackle, part of the game.” Meanwhile, Aston Villa midfielder Lucy Staniforth has been added to England’s standby list in place of forward Jess Park, who is returning to Manchester City for rehabilitation on a shoulder injury. Staniforth joins Maya Le Tissier on standby and both will remain with Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player squad until the Haiti match, with the European champions set to fly to Australia next Wednesday. Staniforth said: “I looked at my phone and saw it was Sarina and I was thinking ‘what’s going on?’ “I kind of thought once the first week (of England’s pre-World Cup camp, which started on June 19) was out of the way, if there was any chance of getting brought in, it would be then. I was surprised obviously. “I got her to repeat the whole tournament schedule again for me about three or four times because I just kept saying ‘sorry, when are we travelling?’ I just hadn’t followed it because I wasn’t involved. I was so out of the loop. I was buzzing. I wanted to get in the car quick and get straight down there. “I was supposed to go to Ibiza with my mum on Monday which is obviously very unfortunate. My mum was buzzing for me and of course wanted me to go. She wasn’t bothered about Ibiza. She will still go on her own. If anyone sees someone on their own in Ibiza, she’s looking for a bit of company!” Read More Lucy Staniforth added to England’s World Cup standby list amid injury concerns Happiness key to ‘best season’ of my career, says England’s Rachel Daly Kane must take Bayern transfer chance - and so should Spurs Man City ‘to submit improved offer’ for Declan Rice after Arsenal bid

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £45m fee with Leicester City for the transfer of James Maddison. Newcastle United had also shown an interest but the England midfielder preferred a move to Spurs.

An age-old argument, without any definitive answer: when do you let your best player go if the rest of the team needs serious improvement? Is it at the point of emotional guilt-tripping, or when the finances make most sense? Is it when the individual starts creating negativity around the dressing room? Or is it in fact not at all – you keep the top performers and that’s the end of it? Daniel Levy, chairperson at Spurs, has been placed in this position before, but perhaps not when Tottenham have been in such a period of weakness and at such a moment of crossroads. When Luka Modric departed in 2012, Spurs had finished fourth and reached the FA Cup semi-final. A year later when Gareth Bale made his exit, Spurs finished one place further back in the Premier League but actually earned three points more than the campaign previous. The rebuild money across those two summers was perhaps spent in mixed fashion, but it was at a time Tottenham were trying to crack into the top clubs on a regular basis. This time, it’s Harry Kane who looks set for a departure, with Bayern Munich offering up an initial bid – big money, but perhaps not quite big enough just yet – for the striker who has only one year remaining on his contract. Kane has been better, more important, more consistent and longer-serving for Tottenham than either of the two aforementioned stars, or indeed any others they’ve had of late. Yet the club also finished eighth last season, their worst league placing in 14 years, and it’s time for both Kane to move on and Spurs to move on without him. It is not for any reason so crass or emotive or frankly ludicrous as “they owe him”. Spurs do not owe Kane anything. He has been excellent for them, and they have given him the platform to be so. But he clearly has kept his level when the club has lost its own, starting at the most uppermost points of the hierarchy downwards. Kane should be seeking a move for his own prospects, for his own ability to win trophies and his own capacity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the greatest centre-forwards of this generation. At Bayern in particular, he’ll very much have the opportunity to do that. Of course, the flip side of the player-based argument is twofold: winning silverware at Spurs might mean more, and so too might claiming the Premier League goalscoring record. Only Kane himself can answer those two factors truthfully, but even if he were to head to the Bundesliga to rack up three or four titles now, there’s very little to suggest his playmaking and goalscoring prowess would have deserted him by the time he turns 33 or 34. A comeback to Spurs once they’ve rebuilt and he’s filled his boots elsewhere? Don’t rule it out. A move abroad is also a risk of its own kind, between adaptation to culture and club, especially in a Euros season. But Gareth Southgate isn’t likely to be leaving out his captain any time soon even if form does desert him – let alone the question of whether there’s even an alternative candidate. And so the decision heads once more to Levy, in charge yet again of overseeing transfers after Fabio Paratici’s enforced exit, and tasked with coming up with a price he finds acceptable for a player the fans value above all others, yet will otherwise surely lose for free in a year. To be blunt, Spurs cannot afford the kind of bluster and brinkmanship Levy has shown before with a far stronger hand. The team needs investment. The team might need outright reshaping, given Ange Postecoglou is almost as far removed from Antonio Conte tactically as he is by way of club interim appointments. Without any kind of European football this coming campaign, Spurs have the chance to make the most of the Australian’s excellent coaching capacity on the training pitch with the additional time between matches the schedule will afford him, so to maximise a season on the fringes they should also be seeking to build the group of players which will benefit him most. While Kane the player is irreplaceable, Spurs can provide Postecoglou with a group to more than make up for what they lose through his sale, if the proceeds are reinvested well and existing players nurtured. Richarlison is the most obvious example, especially as the potential replacement No 9, but Dejan Kulusevski has so much more to give too. Spurs don’t need to gut the building entirely, but they certainly need a better structure than they had last season. Selling Kane is a hard choice, but the right one for the club to move into a new phase of more normalised expectations with long-term prospects for improvement – and the right one for the striker to prove himself on a whole new level, too. Read More Man City ‘to submit improved offer’ for Declan Rice after Arsenal bid Tottenham standing firm on Harry Kane amid interest from Bayern Munich Football rumours: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain weighs up Saudi Arabia move Osimhen and five Man United transfer alternatives to signing Kane Football rumours: Manchester United make last-gasp attempt to sign Harry Kane Range of armband options for Women’s World Cup as FIFA aims to avoid repeat row

What the papers say Arsenal have entered their third bid, worth £105million for West Ham star Declan Rice after Manchester City had a bid rejected at £90million, the Guardian said. West Ham will reportedly wait for Manchester City to submit another offer on Wednesday. Bayern Munich’s first bid of around £60million plus add-ons for Harry Kane has been deemed too low by Tottenham, the Guardian reported. The club are demanding £100million for the England and Tottenham captain, who is said to be keen to move to the club. Inter Milan are looking to acquire Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku on loan again next season with an £25million option to buy him at the end of the year, the Telegraph said. Social media round-up Players to watch Kylian Mbappe: Liverpool are set to rival Real Madrid and reach Paris St. Germain’s mammoth transfer fee of £258million for the French superstar, according to Marca. Frenkie de Jong: Manchester United and Bayern Munich are both interested in signing the 26-year-old Barcelona midfielder, 90min reported.

Shohei Ohtani already knows he is headed to the All-Star Game in two weeks

Jordan Weems worked out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the 10th inning against the heart of Seattle’s order, Lane Thomas hit a two-run double in the 11th, and the Washington Nationals beat the Mariners 7-4

Streamer IShowSpeed recently went to Portugal and met Christiano Ronaldo, but he also seems to have made international contacts on the trip