Atletico Madrid reject €150m Julian Alvarez bid from city rivals Real

Real Madrid have had a €150m offer for striker Julian Alvarez rejected by city rivals Atletico Madrid. Real president Florentino Perez last week pledged to make a 1€50m offer for an unnamed “galactico” player if re-elected to his position. Having successfully retained control on Sunday, Perez made good on his promise. However, the move for the 26-year-old Argentina forward was turned down by his club, who cited Alvarez’s release clause of €500m.

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Christian Eriksen at home and ‘doing well’ after collapse

Christian Eriksen said he is “feeling good” and his “recovery has already started” after being released from hospital less than 24 hours after he collapsed in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. Eriksen, who suffered a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, held his chest in the 65th minute of Sunday’s fixture and fell to the ground.

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Antonelli holds his nerve to win chaotic Monaco Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli took a dominant victory in the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton after a chaotic ending that featured two safety cars and a red flag. The 19-year-old Italian’s fifth win in a row, in combination with a dire race for Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who finished 12th and out of the points, puts him in a commanding position in the championship. Pierre Gasly finished third for Alpine, but was immediately dropped to seventh with a penalty that promoted Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar to the final podium position.

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Antonelli takes sensational pole in thrilling Monaco qualifying

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli pipped Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to pole position in a gripping qualifying session at the Monaco Grand Prix. The top spot changed hands three times in the final seconds of qualifying as Antonelli became last man standing, edging Verstappen by just 0.043 seconds to take his fourth pole of the year. Lewis Hamilton was third as the fastest Ferrari, a place ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc, who had been briefly top with two minutes to go but crashed on his final lap.

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Andy Farrell signs new IRFU contract until 2031

Andy Farrell has signed a new deal to remain as Ireland’s head coach until 2031, removing any chance of England luring him back to Twickenham after next year’s Rugby World Cup. Instead, Farrell has opted to stay put in Dublin and will now preside over their next two World Cup campaigns. Farrell, who led the British & Irish Lions to a series win in Australia last year, has steered Ireland to two Six Nations titles, including a grand slam in 2023 and a historic Test series win over the All Blacks in New Zealand since replacing Joe Schmidt in late 2019.

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