All the top stories and transfer rumours from Friday’s newspapers…
THE INDEPENDENT
Paul Mitchell has been earmarked for a role in any INEOS football structure at Manchester United, should the Sir Jim Ratcliffe-led consortium buy the club.
World Athletics has banned trans women from international competition, Sebastian Coe has confirmed.
Ronnie O’Sullivan went “too far” with his criticism of snooker, the sport’s chief has said, after the seven-time world champion said it was “in the worst place it’s ever been”.
THE SUN
Marcus Rashford is ready to wait and see what Manchester United’s new owners put on the table before committing to a new contract. The England forward, 25, has only a year of his current deal left at the end of this season.
Tyson Fury has revealed that he and wife Paris are expecting their seventh child. The Furys welcomed baby Athena to their clan in August 2021, with many expecting their young daughter to be their last child.
Zack Steffen has admitted that he has no plans to return to Manchester City at the end of the season. The American joined Pep Guardiola’s side in 2019 and has made 21 appearances for the reigning Premier League champions.
Tim Sherwood has claimed that he stopped Tottenham from selling Harry Kane to Leicester City – for just £600,000.
An England fan had his ticket for the Italy match ripped up by the FA after showing off an offensive Diego Maradona flag.
Holland’s preparations for their Euro 2024 qualifiers this week are in disarray after five players were forced to leave their camp with illness.
DAILY MAIL
Huddersfield Town is to be bought by an American consortium after agreeing an 11th-hour takeover to avoid entering administration and being condemned to relegation.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has blamed the previous Blues regime for sanctioning the change to a tribute for club legend Ray Wilkins which featured in an episode of Ted Lasso and supporters labelled ‘disrespectful’.
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The Qatar bid for Manchester United will finally land on Friday – but it will still be way short of the Glazers’ valuation.
Folarin Balogun will be selected for the U21 European Championship despite the threat of the striker switching allegiances from England to the United States.
THE TIMES
The American former owners of AC Milan have tabled an offer for a minority stake in Manchester United. Elliott Investment Management, which before selling Milan last year celebrated a first Serie A title in a decade with the Italian giants, had initially made a proposal offering financing to any potential bidders.
Anthony Watson is the latest England international considering a move to France this summer. The Leicester Tigers wing is set to visit the Top 14 side Castres in the coming days, as he assesses his options for next season. He could take up an option in Japan.
Revamped plans for a European Super League would see Celtic and Rangers eclipse the huge sums currently on offer for competing in the UEFA Champions League.
Marcus Rashford took to social media on Thursday to reveal he is taking some ‘Downtime’ in the Big Apple.
There is every chance Brighton defender Levi Colwill, on loan from Chelsea, earns his first England call-up for the summer fixtures against Malta and North Macedonia.
DAILY EXPRESS
Italian police reportedly knocked an England fan unconscious in ugly scenes ahead of the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 qualifying match in Naples. There had been fears of horror clashes ever since the Italian FA confirmed the game would be staged in the city, which is famed for its football-related violence.
Liverpool have been handed a significant blow in their pursuit of recruitment expert Paul Mitchell, as they may face competition from Manchester United to secure his services.
Emma Raducanu could find herself unable to compete at next year’s Olympics despite claiming she would “love to” play. The country’s top-ranked woman has not represented the national team for almost a year. After making herself “unavailable” for next month’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifier tie, Raducanu is running out of chances to make herself eligible for Paris 2024.
DAILY STAR
David Beckham has invested £49m ($60m) into Inter Miami’s training facilities, with the footballing mogul continuing to transform the MLS franchise.
Chris Kamara has revealed he urged Jose Mourinho to move for Virgil van Dijk – when the Dutchman was impressing at Southampton.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Antonio Conte could miss out on the prospect of a £15m payday by leaving Tottenham before the end of the season. Tottenham are expected to agree Conte’s exit after the Italian criticised the club’s players following the 3-3 draw with Southampton in which Spurs let a 3-1 lead slip.
McLaren have announced a big restructure of their technical department in a bid to arrest their alarming decline in performance, with technical director James Key leaving the Woking team with immediate effect.
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An England supporter who was pictured with an offensive flag referencing the death of Diego Maradona had his tickets for Thursday night’s Euro 2024 qualifier revoked and was condemned by the Football Association.
World Athletics has put itself on a potential collision course with the International Olympic Committee after banning Russia and Belarus athletes from elite competition.
DAILY MIRROR
Glamorgan will benefit from the knowledge of one of English cricket’s finest white-ball minds with Mark Alleyne returning to elite head coaching after a gap of 15 years.
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Steven Gerrard believes it might be time for Harry Kane to “move on” after the Tottenham striker became England’s leading scorer – with Manchester United interested.
Ibrahima Konate admits Liverpool need to freshen up their squad with new additions this summer if they’re to be Premier League title challengers again.
DAILY RECORD
Michael Beale is hoping for a five-star summer as he plans for the next stage of his Rangers restoration project.
Barry Ferguson reckons Billy Gilmour needs to move on from Brighton to get his career back on track – and says he’d love to see him back at Rangers.
Hundreds of England fans missed kick-off in their Euro 2024 qualifier with Italy after being bused to the stadium in the wrong direction.
Swedish chief Mats Enquist says his country will never use VAR until it stops ruining games for fans.
SCOTTISH SUN
The race for Alfredo Morelos’ signature continues to heat up with the striker coming to the end of his Rangers contract.
The Colombian striker, whose current deal is set to expire in the summer, has been heavily linked with a move away from Glasgow after failing to agree a new contract with the club as of yet.
The European Super League would offer Celtic and Rangers a ‘big opportunity’ to progress, according to the man spearheading the controversial project.
The planned breakaway league caused major backlash upon its announcement back in early 2021, with opposition eventually leading to the vast majority clubs who had signed-up to withdraw.
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