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Richarlison: Tottenham striker rejects move to Saudi Arabia

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Striker Richarlison says he wants to stay at Tottenham Hotspur after turning down a move to Saudi Arabia.

The Brazil forward, 27, joined Spurs from Everton in 2022 for a club-record fee of £60m.

He has scored 15 goals in 66 appearances for Tottenham and was not always a starter last season under manager Ange Postecoglou.

Richarlison, whose contract runs until 2027, has attracted interest from a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia, with one unnamed team tabling a bid.

However, he says he wants to remain in England in order to improve his chances of continuing his international career with Brazil.

"There has been an offer but my dream of playing for the Brazilian Selecao and in the Premier League speaks louder," Richarlison told ESPN Brazil, external.

Spurs are interested in signing a striker this summer and have identified Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke as a target.

The Cherries are keen to keep Solanke, who scored 21 goals in 42 games for Bournemouth last season but was overlooked for England's Euro 2024 squad.

He has a £65m release clause in his Bournemouth contract - which has three years left on it - but Tottenham value the striker at a lower price.

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Premier League: How Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle are looking

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The annual question is being asked - can anybody stop Manchester City?

For the ninth season in a row Pep Guardiola's side have been installed as pre-season bookmakers' favourites to win the Premier League title.

They have won six of the past seven titles, including an unprecedented four in a row.

BBC Sport takes a look at City's seven likeliest title rivals, sorted by last season's finishing positions.

Last season's finish: Second (two points below City)

Arsenal have finished runners-up to City in the past two seasons and are only slightly longer odds than the champions this year - miles clear of any other team.

The Gunners have made just one major personnel change this summer, bringing in Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna for a fee of up to £42m. He can play at left-back or centre-back.

They have also turned a loan deal into a permanent stay for Spain goalkeeper David Raya, who usurped Aaron Ramsdale as number one last season.

Arsenal's goals have been shared out - with winger Bukayo Saka their top scorer over the past two seasons. Could a proper striker be the difference between winning the title and not? They have been linked to Napoli frontman Victor Osimhen.

BBC Sport senior football news reporter Alex Howell says: "Arsenal have finished second for the last two seasons but the last campaign felt like a big change for all at the club.

"The Gunners finished just two points behind champions Manchester City and pushed them until the final day of the season.

"Captain Martin Odegaard said at the end of last season that they've changed the club and it does feel as though that Arsenal are going to be title contenders for a long time."

Last season's finish: Third (nine points below City)

Liverpool start a season without Jurgen Klopp as their manager for the first time since 2015-16.

Klopp announced his end-of-season departure in the middle of the last campaign - and he was replaced by Arne Slot in May.

The Dutchman appears to be changing the Reds' playing style from a high-energy pressing game to more of a possession-based set-up.

The Reds, who are the only team other than City to win a Premier League title in the past seven years, have yet to sign anybody this season - but Slot hopes that will change.

BBC Sport's Nizaar Kinsella, said: "Liverpool will expect to challenge even in Slot's first season in charge after a glorious era under Jurgen Klopp left the club in a good place.

"They won’t be favourites, however, and there will also be a reasonable understanding if they fall short in what is his first season as he beds in his new approach."

Last season's finish: Fourth (23 points below City)

Aston Villa qualified for the Champions League by achieving a hugely impressive fourth-place finish last season.

Unai Emery has turned the club from relegation candidates to a team who were being talked about as title contenders for a while last season - and he has not even been in charge for two years yet.

The club have needed to sell players this summer to meet the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.

But they have brought in plenty of new faces - including Everton midfielder Amadou Onana, Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen, Luton midfielder Ross Barkley - and the return of academy products Jaden Philogene and Cameron Archer.

BBC Sport senior football news reporter Nick Mashiter says: "Since being appointed when they were three points above the relegation zone in October 2022, Unai Emery has overseen a drastic transformation, along with Monchi - Villa's president of football operations - and others.

"They were in the title conversation last season and were third at the end of the year, just a point off then leaders Arsenal, but two defeats by Manchester United and a home loss to Newcastle effectively ended any hopes by mid-February.

"Villa have undergone a mini-refresh with Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby the biggest departures - as Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea join from Juventus - but still feel light on title-winning experience, despite the huge strides made."

Last season's finish: Fifth (25 points below City)

Tottenham started brightly last season under Ange Postecoglou and were five points clear at the top after 10 games - but then tailed off and finished outside the Champions League places.

Teenagers Archie Gray (£30m from Leeds), Lucas Bergvall (£8.5m from Djurgarden) and George Feeney (undisclosed from Glentoran - signed for the under-18 team) are their only summer arrivals to date. South Korean teenage winger Yang Min-hyuk will join the squad in January.

Mikey Moore, a 16-year-old academy striker, has impressed in pre-season friendlies.

BBC Sport's Nizaar Kinsella said: "Manager Postecoglou will be the force driving Tottenham to believe they can finally take that next step and win silverware for the first time since 2008.

"As ever, he won't want to limit Spurs' ambitions but qualification for the Champions League seems a more realistic target."

Last season's finish: Seventh (31 points below City)

Newcastle set the bar so high in 2022-23 with their surprise Champions League qualification that last season's seventh-place finish felt like an anti-climax.

Manchester United's win in the FA Cup final meant the Magpies, who finished the season strongly, missed out on Europe entirely.

Now Newcastle will hope they can keep hold of manager Eddie Howe, who is considered one of the favourites to become England boss.

BBC Sport's Simon Stone said: "I am getting a sense of frustration around Newcastle that they are being handicapped by financial rules, meaning they are having to sell players when they really want to buy.

"The good news is Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon are all still at the club. The bad news is there is another month before the transfer window closes. The uncertainty cannot be helping Eddie Howe in his planning."

Last season's finish: Eighth (31 points below City)

Manchester United had their worst league finish since 1989-90 last season as they finished eighth - although they did end on a high by winning the FA Cup.

Manager Erik ten Hag had widely been expected to lose his job in Sir Jim Ratcliffe's overhaul of the club, but United decided to stick with the Dutchman who has won trophies in both his seasons at the club.

Manchester United have splashed cash for two youngsters this summer - £36.5m Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee and £52m Lille centre-back Leny Yoro. Already, though, Yoro is injured and facing months out of action.

Several players have left on free transfers including ex-France internationals Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial.

BBC Sport's Simon Stone said: "The sight of £52m new boy Leny Yoro in a protective boot sends a shudder down the spine of United's fans.

"Injuries began in the last pre-season and didn't stop. Erik ten Hag must avoid a repeat because he simply cannot afford to finish eighth again.

"That is likely to bring a renewed focus around further central defensive strengthening over the next couple of weeks."

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Spurs face battle to sign Bournemouth's Solanke

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Tottenham have identified Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke as a major target before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

The 26-year-old is believed to be ready to take the next step and join a club playing in Europe to help boost his England chances.

Bournemouth are not welcoming any interest in Solanke, who they have under contract until 2027.

It is only the presence of a £65m release clause that could force them to sell the former Liverpool forward, who scored 21 goals in 42 games last season.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said last week that trying to sign a forward was a "focus".

"It's still the area of the park we're really probably the thinnest," he said.

Tottenham have interest in alternative options - including Lille's Jonathan David - and are also open to signing a winger.

Richarlison faces an uncertain future amid reported interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, and Spurs are keen to sign another striker whether or not the Brazilian leaves.

Forwards Bryan Gil and Alejo Veliz have already joined Girona and Espanyol respectively on season-long loan deals, though youngsters such as Dane Scarlett, Will Lankshear, Jamie Donley and Mikey Moore are all pushing for squad roles.

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Spurs face battle to sign Bournemouth's Solanke

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Tottenham have identified Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke as a major target before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

The 26-year-old is believed to be ready to take the next step and join a club playing in Europe to help boost his England chances.

Bournemouth are not welcoming any interest in Solanke, who they have under contract until 2027.

It is only the presence of a £65m release clause that could force them to sell the former Liverpool forward, who scored 21 goals in 42 games last season.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou said last week that trying to sign a forward was a "focus".

"It's still the area of the park we're really probably the thinnest," he said.

Tottenham have interest in alternative options - including Lille's Jonathan David - and are also open to signing a winger.

Richarlison faces an uncertain future amid reported interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, and Spurs are keen to sign another striker whether or not the Brazilian leaves.

Forwards Bryan Gil and Alejo Veliz have already joined Girona and Espanyol respectively on season-long loan deals, though youngsters such as Dane Scarlett, Will Lankshear, Jamie Donley and Mikey Moore are all pushing for squad roles.

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Tottenham news: Alejo Veliz joins La Liga side Espanyol on loan

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GB win three more medals to take Olympic total over 1,000

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'No more mountains' as Harrington goes out on top

'Gold for being brilliant!' Hodgkinson storms to Olympic 800m title. Video'Gold for being brilliant!' Hodgkinson storms to Olympic 800m title

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'Unbelievable!' - Duplantis wins gold and breaks his own world record. Video'Unbelievable!' - Duplantis wins gold and breaks his own world record

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What's happening and when at the Paris Olympics?

Boxing's gender row - what's going on and are Russia involved?

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Spurs outplayed by Bayern Munich as they suffer first pre-season defeat

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Tottenham slipped to their first defeat of pre-season as they were beaten 2-1 by Bayern Munich in front of a 67,000 sell-out crowd in Seoul.

Son Heung-min, James Maddison and summer signings Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall all featured for Spurs, who were outplayed by the Bundesliga giants despite the absence of Harry Kane.

Gabriel Vidovic capitalised on a poor pass out from Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to give Bayern an early lead, and Leon Goretzka doubled their advantage after the break.

Pedro Porro's 25-yard strike reduced the arrears but Spurs were unable to find an equaliser against Bayern, who also gave former Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha a second-half run out.

Ange Postecoglou's side are next in action on Saturday, 10 August, when they will face Bayern again at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (17:30 BST).

Elsewhere, Newcastle suffered a 2-0 loss to Yokohama F Marinos in the final match of their tour of Japan.

Goals from Brazilian winger Elber and midfielder Jun Amano proved enough for the J League club in Tokyo as Lloyd Kelly made his first appearance in Newcastle colours.

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Spurs outplayed by Bayern Munich as they suffer first pre-season defeat

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Tottenham slipped to their first defeat of pre-season as they were beaten 2-1 by Bayern Munich in front of a 67,000 sell-out crowd in Seoul.

Son Heung-min, James Maddison and summer signings Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall all featured for Spurs, who were outplayed by the Bundesliga giants despite the absence of Harry Kane.

Gabriel Vidovic capitalised on a poor pass out from Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to give Bayern an early lead, and Leon Goretzka doubled their advantage after the break.

Pedro Porro's 25-yard strike reduced the arrears but Spurs were unable to find an equaliser against Bayern, who also gave former Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha a second-half run out.

Ange Postecoglou's side are next in action on Saturday, 10 August, when they will face Bayern again at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (17:30 BST).

Elsewhere, Newcastle suffered a 2-0 loss to Yokohama F Marinos in the final match of their tour of Japan.

Goals from Brazilian winger Elber and midfielder Jun Amano proved enough for the J League club in Tokyo as Lloyd Kelly made his first appearance in Newcastle colours.

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Tottenham Stadium: Plans to double non

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Plans to double the number of "major non-football events" at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium have been approved by Haringey Council.

Tottenham Hotspur applied to increase the annual limit on large events like music concerts and boxing matches from 16 to 30, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It comes after the north London stadium breached its licence by selling tickets to a fifth Beyoncé concert in 2023.

Lady Gaga, Guns N' Roses and Red Hot Chili Peppers have been among those to perform at the venue since it opened in 2019.

During a meeting of Haringey's planning sub-committee, councillors raised concerns over noise pollution, ticket touting, littering and the impact on traffic and transport.

Gavin Douglas, head of the council's regulatory services, said regulating events was "a full-on operation, a real mixture of different issues that tend to happen".

"It does have a direct effect on the council’s revenue account," he said.

He added there would be an additional cost to "regulate it [the proposal] properly" by keeping officers available to "mitigate the issues", adding "we simply don’t have the budget in order to do it".

Two committee members proposed deferring the plan’s decision due to the amount of concerns raised, and Bruce Castle ward councillor Ibrahim Ali, who attended as a non-member, suggested the plans were "contentious".

“People do want to see events, they see it as a way of driving jobs, driving opportunities to the area, driving attractions - but I do think in an ideal world we should have had a lot of these things addressed before reviewing this application today so people can see examples of this working in practice,” he said.

Donna Cullen, executive director of Tottenham Hotspur, subsequently agreed to contribute £4,000 for each additional event over the previous limit of 16 events.

This was the sum the council had previously estimated was required.

She said: “I do not want to be in a position where the council is saying to us they have costs we’re not covering or meeting, but I do want to better understand those costs and that they’re properly applied, so that we can get to our review at the end of the year and know that everybody stepped up to do what was needed in the interests of the neighbourhood.”

Following this, councillors voted unanimously to approve the application.

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Team K League 3-4 Tottenham: Son Heung-min scores twice as Spurs win in Korea

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Son Heung-min scored twice as Tottenham edged past a team of the best players from South Korea's top flight to secure a 4-3 friendly win.

Dejan Kulusevski opened the scoring after 29 minutes before South Korea and Spurs captain Son made his mark on his homecoming in Seoul.

He curled an effort into the top corner after 38 minutes and slotted home a Kulusevski assist to give his side a 3-0 lead by the break.

But Team K League pulled two back in the second half after replacing their entire team at the break with Stanislav Iljutcenko netting twice within five minutes of the restart.

That prompted Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou to make changes and substitute Will Lankshear volleyed home a Timo Werner cross to give them a two-goal cushion.

Oberdan responded for the hosts with nine minutes left to play but Spurs held on to seal victory, with James Maddison hitting the post in injury time.

They are back in pre-season action on Saturday, when they take on Bayern Munich at 12:00 BST in Seoul.

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Transfers latest & updates from Newcastle & Spurs games in Asia

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Goodbye!

Thank you for joining us today and for all of your contributions. We have gone through a few stories so here are a few of the headlines:

Man City and Barcelona draw 2-2

Canada Olympic point appeal dismissed

Daphne van Domselaar signs for Arsenal

We will be back bright and early tomorrow morning with all the football news and gossip, see you then.

Gross to Dortmund?

According to The Guardian, external, Brighton have agreed a £5.9m deal to allow Pascal Gross to join Borussia Dortmund.

The Germany midfielder, 33, joined Brighton in 2017, making him one of the club's longest serving players.

Heading for the exit at Anfield?

The Athletic , externalare reporting that Rhys Williams, 23, and Billy Koumetio, 21, are set to leave Liverpool.

Williams, who plays at centre-half for England U21s, came through the club's academy.

French defender Koumetio moved to Liverpool's academy in 2018. He spent the end of last season on loan with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

Spurs avoid scare in Seoul

FT: Team K League 3-4 Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur

Two goals from Son Heung-min and one each by Dejan Kulusevski and Will Lankshear was enough for Spurs as they beat Team K League 4-3.

Two quick goals by Stanislav Iljutcenko and another from Oberdan will give Tottenham plenty to work on at the back.

Next up for them is Bayern Munich on Saturday.

A much harder test…

'O’Reilly will be a player'

Barcelona 2-2 Man City (4-1 on pens)

Pep Guardiola is confident midfielder Nico O'Reilly will be "a player" after the 19-year-old impressed against Barcelona.

O'Reilly is yet to make his competitive senior debut, which looks likely to come this season.

"We saw it last season in training with us, he is a guy who will be a player," Guardiola said.

"His presence and maturity with and without the ball. Many, many good things.

"I am pretty sure he can help and play with us. He can maybe play a role in holding midfield when Rodri isn't there.

"He is big and a good header, he is so strong in the duels and moves well in the small spaces.

"Can do a dual position of attacking and holding midfielder."

Haaland 'muscular niggles' confirmed

Barcelona 2-2 Man City (4-1 on pens)

Striker Erling Haaland was taken off at half-time against Barcelona because of "muscular niggles", confirmed Pep Guardiola.

The 24-year-old's minutes have been managed across pre-season by Guardiola, who is hoping he will be fit ahead of the season.

"He is feeling something and isn't comfortable," Guardiola said.

"We don't want to take risks but sooner or later we have to take a step to training and playing minutes.

"The season is around the corner, but he has muscular niggles and I don't want to take a risk as if we lose him for three weeks or a month then that would be a big, big problem."

Man Utd to play three WSL games at Old Trafford

Manchester United will play three Women's Super League games, including the derby against Manchester City, at Old Trafford this season.

The derby, currently scheduled for 4 May 2025, is United's final league match of the season.

They will play West Ham in their opening game on 22 September and newly promoted Crystal Palace on 16 February.

United's women have played at Old Trafford six times since their inception in 2018.

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Seven changes for Spurs

Team K League 2-3 Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur

Son Heung-min hands over the captain's armband to James Maddison as he heads off as one of SEVEN changes.

That is now basically a new XI after three changes at half-time.

Yves Bissouma and Timo Werner are two of them subs.

Another pre-season win for Newcastle

FT: Urawa Red Diamonds 1-4 Newcastle

Newcastle United

It’s full-time in Saitama. It proved to be a comfortable win for the Premier League side in the end.

Isak put the Magpies ahead early in the first half before Urawa leveled and saw their penalty saved by Pope within a matter of minutes.

Jacob Murphy nudged Howe’s side ahead before the break and extended their lead the other side of it before Lewis Hall got his name on the scoresheet.

They will continue preparations for the new season against Yokohama F. Marinos on Saturday.

Howe ringing the changes

Urawa Red Diamonds 1-4 Newcastle

Newcastle United

The Newcastle team ending the second half is much-changed from the one that started it. This has perhaps disrupted their flow a bit.

Earlier in the half Isak, Barnes and Pope made way for Sanusi, Parkinson and Vlachodimos.

Turner-Cooke, Harrison have come on for Murphy and Livramento.

Burn has been replaced by youngster Heffernan.

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