Lionel Messi moving to Paris St-Germain could be very bad news for Chelsea and Manchester City.

Those two English sides are in the top group of seeds for this season's Champions League, while PSG will be in the second group and are therefore potential group stage opponents.

Pot two is absolutely loaded, so Manchester United and Liverpool, also in that section, will definitely avoid group matches against Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, PSG, Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund.

Guillem Balague
Spanish football journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live

Guillem Balague says Paris St-Germain will turn their attention even more on to the Champions League now Messi is joining them, suggesting domestic success is 'almost a given'.

"PSG's ownership wants a team that can be in the Champions League final every year. With Messi, you've got an advantage and with (Mauricio) Pochettinho being in charge, there is an idea of how to do that.

"Manchester City had the same idea until January. Messi is a player who almost guarantees a regular Champions League semi final spot. PSG will win the league, that is almost a given now.

"It is a less competitive league, so he should be fresh for a Champions Leaguer campaign."

Will Lionel Messi and Neymar line up together at PSG, just as they did at Barcelona?

That's our talking point now, send us your thoughts on Lionel Messi's move to Paris St-Germain.

Tweet us using #bbcfootball to have your say.

Guillem Balague
Spanish football journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live

More from Guillem Balague, who tells BBC Radio 5 Live that Lionel Messi will sign a two-year contract with the option of a third at Paris St-Germain.

"It appears that it is a two plus one deal," he said.

"He used to earn almost 140m euros gross a year at Barcelona. He agreed to reduce his wages by 50%, not more because it is illegal. Barcelona do not have the money to keep him."

Guillem Balague
Spanish football journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, Getty Images

Lionel Messi has agreed a deal with Paris St-Germain to join the French side following his shock exit from Barcelona, says Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague.

The deal is subject to a medical.

The 34-year-old Argentina captain left Barca - the only club he has ever played for - as they were unable to afford a new deal under La Liga's financial fair play rules.

Mauricio Pochettino's PSG finished second to Lille in Ligue 1 last season.

BBC Radio 5 Live

Guillem Balague tells BBC Radio 5 Live that Lionel Messi will join PSG.

"He is going to play in the Parc des Princes and it has all been confirmed. Lionel Messi is going to be a PSG player. It is done."

Image source, Getty Images

Fans are back in football stadiums, but will be subject to random spot checks of their COVID-19 status in the opening few weeks of the season.

Friday's match between Brentford and Arsenal will be the first in the top flight with no restrictions on crowd numbers since March last year.

But the Premier League says fans must be prepared to show they are either fully vaccinated or have received a negative test 48 hours before the match.

"Initially, in the first few matchdays of the season, supporters can expect the introduction of random spot-checks for ticket holders at some grounds as we establish the required processes so clubs and fans are prepared for all match attenders to have their Covid-19 status checked upon arrival, should it become mandatory."

Journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter...

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague says it's all agreed between Lionel Messi and Paris St-Germain and he will be a PSG player.

Image source, Getty Images

Sergio Aguero's Barcelona debut will be delayed for almost three months after he suffered a calf injury.

It has been a difficult introduction to life at the Catalan giants, having arrived here expecting to play with close friend Lionel Messi, only for the 34-year-old to be unable to sign a new contract at the Camp Nou.

A financial crisis is ravaging Barcelona right now, and could mean Aguero can't even be registered.

It just goes from bad to worse for the former Manchester City striker.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Everton's season opener against Manchester City in the Women's Super League will be the first shown on the BBC as part of a new broadcast deal.

The BBC will show 22 live matches during the 2021-22 season, with a minimum of 18 on BBC One or BBC Two.

Goodison Park will host Everton v Manchester City - live on BBC One on Saturday, 4 September - the first game on network free-to-air TV.

The season's first Manchester derby on Saturday, 9 October will be on BBC One.

Defending champions Chelsea's first home game of the season against Everton is also selected for broadcast on the BBC, followed by their trip to Manchester United.

October's fixture between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park will be live on BBC Two.

James Warren: I think the Messi saga will trigger a transfer merry go round. Wherever he goes, the club will need to move players and will set a domino effect around Europe. Interesting scenes. PSG will likely move Mbappe on and so on.

Image source, Pete Norton

Swansea City have signed Ipswich midfielder Flynn Downes on a four year contract in a deal worth more than £1m.

Downes, 22, will be in contention to make his debut against Sheffield United on Saturday.

Since making his debut as a teenager in 2017, Downes has made 100 appearances for Ipswich, scoring three goals. He is new Swansea head coach Russell Martin's second signing, following the arrival of former Bristol City midfielder Jamie Paterson.

Matt Gill, who is an assistant to Martin, will be familiar with Downes, having previously been part of the coaching staff at Ipswich. The Swans are also in talks with Manchester United about signing right-back Ethan Laird, 20.

Image source, Getty Images

Who should you be looking to sign in your first fantasy football team of the year? Here are Alistair Bruce-Ball's tips...

We've taken a look at how important starting fast start to a season can be to a team's chances of winning silverware.

Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly famously said "the league is a marathon not a sprint", while at Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson used to talk about title challenges beginning properly in February.

But as the game evolves, do those two views still hold true?

The evidence suggests that at both ends of the table a fast start is now more crucial to success than ever before.

Read more on this here.

Image source, Getty Images

John Stones was one of England's stars of Euro 2020 as the Three Lions made it all the way to the final, before losing to Italy on penalties.

Watch him in action when he was so close to giving England the lead against Scotland as his headed effort from a corner struck David Marshall's post at Wembley.

And here's an interview from back in January as Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised John Stones for his return to form after the defender scored twice in a "fantastic" 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Stones' new deal is fully deserved; he has been in excellent form for some time now.

The arrival of Ruben Dias from Benfica last summer has clearly helped him. The pair struck up a great partnership despite Dias being expected to play alongside Aymeric Laporte.

Last season, Stones made 22 appearances in the Premier League, the most since his debut season in 2016-17.

His stats have improved immensely; he made 2.5 clearances per game in the Premier League last season, as opposed to 1.9 in 2019-20.