Manchester United

Manchester United have exercised the option to extend England forward Nikita Parris' contract by a year.

The 30-year-old joined United in 2022 on a two-year deal with a club option to extend it until summer 2025.

Parris was United's leading scorer last season with 16 goals and two assists in 30 games in all competitions, and helped them win the FA Cup for the first time.

She has attracted interest from clubs in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States.

Parris won the Champions League with Lyon in 2019-20 and was part of the England squad that won Euro 2022.

Image source, Getty Images

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Former France captain Hugo Lloris has described the controversial song sung by some Argentina players as an "attack on French people" but hopes it was a mistake that the players involved will learn from.

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez is facing sanctions from the Premier League club after posting a video on social media that the French Football Federation said included alleged "racist and discriminatory language".

World governing body Fifa is also investigating the video, in which several members of the Argentina squad - celebrating their 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final - take part in a song originally sung by Argentina fans questioning the heritage of France's black and mixed-race players.

"It doesn't matter if you are in a moment of euphoria because you have won an important trophy," he said. "It demands even more responsibility when you are a winner.

"You don't want to hear or see this kind of thing in football. We all stand against discrimination and racism."

Read the full story here.

Ex-Chelsea boss Graham Potter wished Gareth Southgate "a nice break" after fending off questions linking him to the England manager's job.

The former Brighton manager was speaking to BBC Leeds after receiving an honorary doctorate from Leeds Beckett University today.

Potter, who has been out of a job since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, was asked whether he would be interested in succeeding Southgate.

"Today is not the day to speak about that," said the 49-year-old Englishman.

"Gareth has done a fantastic job and there isn’t anybody in the country who is more respected than Gareth.

"He has led the team in a good way. to I wish him a nice break and wish him well in the next part of his career."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Nikola Milenkovic, 26, joins Nottingham Forest from Fiorentina for a reported fee of £12m on a five-year deal after the Serbia international underwent a medical on Wednesday.

Chief football officer Ross Wilson said: "He is a key part of our squad planning this summer and I know how enthusiastic he has been to join the club.

"We have long admired his performances with the Serbia national team and in Serie A and European competitions for Fiorentina."

Image source, Getty Images

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest needed defensive reinforcements after selling centre-back Moussa Niakhate to Lyon for £27m.

Nikola Milenkovic has 56 caps for Serbia and he played in all of their Group C games at Euro 2024, including the 1-0 defeat by England.

The 26-year-old started his career at Partizan and spent two seasons in their first team before joining Fiorentina in 2017.

In his seven-year stint at the Serie A club, Milenkovic has made 264 appearances, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists.

Nottingham Forest

While we are on the subject of Serbia, Nottingham Forest have just announced, external the signing of Serbia centre-back Nikola Milenkovic, 26, from Fiorentina.

More to follow.

Birdbrain

Image source, Getty Images

Former Southampton and Ajax midfielder Dusan Tadic has announced his retirement from international football for Serbia.

Tadic, 35, who captained Serbia at Euro 2024, made his debut in 2008 and went on to win 111 caps, becoming the most-capped men's player in his country's history.

In a lengthy statement on Instagram, Tadic described playing for Serbia as a "love" and aims to return to the national set-up in some capacity in the future.

"I am saying goodbye to the national team, but I believe that one day I will be there again," Tadic posted, external.

"After my playing career, I want to stay in football, and there is nothing better than helping your country if you can. With my family and friends, in the stands or in front of the screen, I will always be a loyal fan of Serbia."

It's hard to think of a more beautiful part of the world to play football in than Como, in the Italian lakes.

You would imagine manager Cesc Fabregas will not have too many problems convincing top players to join him and help his newly promoted side earn a foothold in Serie A...

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Former Liverpool and Aston Villa goalkeeper Pepe Reina has signed for newly-promoted Serie A side Como on a free transfer.

Reina, who turns 42 next month, has signed a one-year deal with the Italian club, having departed Villarreal earlier this year.

The 36-time Spain international will play under former national team colleague Cesc Fabregas, who is Como's manager.

"I arrive in a beautiful project, a family that continues to grow and tries to raise the bar every year," said Reina.

"I return to a league that I know well and that I know is very competitive. For my part, I want to give my contribution to the development of this club."

Image source, Reuters

Staying Stateside, and a reminder that teen talent Cavan Sullivan has become the youngest Major League Soccer player in history.

At 14 years and 293 days, he broke the record set by Freddy Adu, who was 14 years and 306 days when he played for DC United in 2004.

Sullivan was an 85th-minute substitute in the 5-1 win over New England Revolution at Subaru Park in Pennsylvania.

The midfielder was born in September 2009 and we thought, purely for nostalgic purposes, we would see what other big events took place that year...and what a year it was:

• 2009 started with the inauguration of Barrack Obama as the United States' 44th President
• Gordon Brown was UK Prime Minister, but Labour was coming to the end of 13 years in power

• King of pop Michael Jackson died of a cardiac arrest on 25 June, aged 50

• Oasis split as brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher went their separate ways – check out the Rise and Fall of Oasis podcast on BBC Sounds

• Avatar was released in the UK in December 2009 and remains the largest grossing movie of all time – $2.9bn worldwide

• Sticking with the film world, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars in 2009, including Best Picture

• In sport, Lionel Messi won the first of his eight Ballon d’Or awards. Wonder what he is doing now?

• Finally, most teenage boys back in 2009 will have been pestering their parents for a copy of the latest must-have video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. It is important to point out that 14-year-old boys in 2009 will have had to wait another four years before they would have been legally allowed to play it!

Hands up if you feel old. Our colleague Martin says it's both hands for him!

Simon Stone
BBC Sport in Los Angeles

I have arrived in Los Angeles, where Wrexham, Bournemouth, Arsenal and Manchester United are going to be playing pre-season games over the next fortnight.

Tonight - Wednesday - I went to watch LAFC play Real Salt Lake in their excellent BMO Stadium, which looks far bigger than it's 22,000 capacity.

If new Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe eventually gets round to building a new stadium for the club, there are a couple of noteable design features from this he might want to take on board.

Firstly, the 'ringside seats', which are akin to those right at the front in the NBA. Granted, when Lionel Messi played here last season, they was a frenzy close to the brilliant Argentine when he came close.

And, if you have paid enough to get in this particular area, and the heat is too much, you can always take a dip in the pool.

Actually, in Manchester, maybe he can scrap the last one.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Right, where to next?

How about dropping in on BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone in Los Angeles?

Simon is covering Premier League clubs stateside on their pre-season tours...a tough job, but someone has to do it!

Robert McLaren, Glasgow

Anon

Please don't forget to sign off any correspondence with your name!

I know you don't need any prompting, but feel free to hit the thumbs on those Ballon d'Or contender posts - thumbs up for the player you want to win, thumbs down the players you don't...

Click the links on each player's name to go to their post: Lionel Messi, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Rodri, Dani Carvajal, Lamine Yamal.

At the last count, Rodri was leading the way with 139 thumbs up, while Messi had a conclusive 311 thumbs down.

Barcelona winger Yamal was already having a sensational season for a 16-year-old as he made 50 club appearances, including seven goals and seven assists.

It made him by far the youngest player to reach a half-century of games for Barcelona.

But at Euro 2024 he turned that up a notch to make it a sensational season for any player of any age.

His four assists in Germany matched the record for any player in a single European Championship - and he scored a stunning strike in the semi-final win over France that will go down in history.

The youngest player, goalscorer and winner at a European Championship - who turned 17 the day before the final - was named young player of the tournament.

Brazil legend Ronaldo, aged 21 in 1997, is the youngest player to win the Ballon d'Or.

Games played: 64. Goals scored: 10. Assists: 14. Trophies: Euro 2024.

Tom, Rotherham

Anon

Debacle may be a bit strong. Certainly, Rodri's Champions League-winning goal and all-round sterling performances in Manchester City's Treble-winning season put him in with a strong shout to win the 2023 Ballon d'Or, but after Argentina won the Qatar World Cup the narrative had already switched to Lionel Messi. The award did cause a bit of a storm, but the legendary Argentine forward played an integral role in what was an emotional rollercoaster ride, capped by one of the best World Cup finals in living memory. And while Messi spent part of the judging period adjusting to life at Inter Miami, he did still have 32 goal contributions in 32 league games for Paris St Germain - 16 goals and 16 assists.

Right-back Dani Carvajal, 32, seems an unlikely figure to pop up among the Ballon d'Or favourites, but he has become one of only 12 people to play in and win both the Champions League and European Championship final in the same season.

He netted Real Madrid's opening goal in the Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund - and also scored for Spain in a Euro 2024 group victory over Croatia.

Carvajal would become the first full-back to win the Ballon d'Or.

Games played: 54. Goals scored: 7. Assists: 8. Trophies: La Liga, Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, Euro 2024.

Liam

Euro 2024 winners Spain have three leading contenders for the Ballon d'Or in their ranks, with Manchester City's midfield lynchpin Rodri potentially leading the way.

The 28-year-old lost one game all season for club and country (excluding penalty shootouts) - the FA Cup final against Manchester United.

His record, therefore, stands at four trophies for every defeat - winning the Premier League, Uefa Super Club and Club World Cup with Manchester City, and then Euro 2024 with Spain.

Rodri went off injured at half-time in the Euros final against England but had already done enough to be named player of the tournament.

No Manchester City player has ever won the Ballon d'Or during their time at the club.

Games played: 63. Goals scored: 12. Assists: 14. Trophies: Premier League, Uefa Super Cup, Club World Cup, Euro 2024.