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Former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Mike Bailey has died at the age of 84 after a long illness.The midfielder, who was capped twice by England, started his career at Charlton Athletic before moving to Molineux in 1966.He made 436 appearances and scored 25 goals for Wolves, lifting the League Cup in 1974, after helping the West Midlands club reach the Uefa Cup final two years earlier.In his final season at Wolves he helped them earn promotion back to the top flight.Bailey went on to have a brief stint in the North American Soccer League (NASL) with Minnesota Kicks before returning to England to become player-manager of Hereford.He later took charge of Charlton, Brighton, Greek club OFI and non-league side Leatherhead.Follow Wolverhampton Wanderers on BBC SoundsPre-match, post-match and topical Wolves contentListen on SoundsSubscribe and listen for everything you love about WolvesLatest Wolves news, analysis and fan viewsAsk about Wolves - what do you want to know?

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Phil Parkinson bemoaned his team's lack of ruthlessness – and the amount of stoppage time at the end of the game – after a 98th-minute equaliser denied Wrexham a Welsh derby victory at Cardiff City.Parkinson's side were on course to begin the new Championship campaign with a hard-fought win after Kieffer Moore's third-minute goal at the Cardiff City Stadium.Wrexham missed chances to extend their lead – and twice hit the woodwork – on a night when they carried greater threat than their hosts only to be denied a win when Rubin Colwill smashed in a free-kick in the last act of the game."We've had chances to kill the game off. We haven't taken them, the keeper's made saves, but we haven't really made him make a top-class save," Parkinson said."We knew we could give Cardiff problems and time and time again. We did and really in the cold light of day, the game should have been out of sight, but it wasn't."While Parkinson suggested his side could have managed the closing minutes of the game better, there was frustration over the timing of Cardiff's goal.The fourth official's board showed six minutes of added time, with George Dobson fouling Joel Colwill in the last of those minutes before Rubin Colwill seized the chance to equalise."I'm not quite sure where they got six minutes from - I'm looking forward to asking [the officials about] that," Parkinson said."However, giving cheap free-kicks away at this level, you can get punished and that's what cost us tonight."All we had to do was stay calm in that moment and we'd be talking about three points."Latest Cardiff City news, analysis and fan views

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Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have held talks about selling their shares in Chelsea to Clearlake Capital.Clearlake currently owns 61.5 per cent of the club, while Boehly, Walter and Hansjorg Wyss each own a 12.8 per cent stake.Clearlake, under the leadership of Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano, effectively run the club even though Boehly is the chairman.Boehly was the face of the consortium which bought the club four years ago in a £2.5bn deal.Stream the Premier League with no contract

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The top stories and transfer rumours from Tuesday's newspapers...Todd Boehly and Mark Walter are open to selling their stakes in Chelsea to majority owner Clearlake Capital in a deal that would value the club at more than £5bn - The TelegraphChelsea are in off-field turmoil amid claims co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter are set to sell their stakes - The SunThe Chelsea chair, Todd Boehly, and director Mark Walter are considering selling their shares in the club to the majority owners, Clearlake Capital, in a deal that would give the private equity company complete control at Stamford Bridge - The GuardianPaper Talk is a review of the sports headlines from the national newspapers, every Monday to Friday, live on Sky Sports News from 10.30pm. Missed the show? Catch up on the latest news with the Paper Talk podcast.Galatasaray are prepared to double Bruno Fernandes' wages in a bid to lure the Portugal midfielder away from Manchester United - The TelegraphGalatasaray, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan are among the clubs who have been weighing up making an offer for Bruno Fernandes - Daily MailManchester City face having to pay Chelsea more than £120m to land Enzo Fernandez if the club try to sign him in the final two weeks of the transfer window - The TelegraphStream the Premier League with no contractManchester City are hoping to complete the transfer of the £85m-rated Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi in the next few days after agreeing to sell Rodri to Barcelona - The TimesManchester City are closing in on a deal for Morocco and Lille defensive midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and want it completed this week - ESPNChelsea star Cole Palmer has revealed he accidentally poisoned himself by botching his cooking of a salmon dish - The SunThe Premier League has observed and evaluated ball chip technology in competitive matches as the league considers its possible future use - The Athletic

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Manchester City are faced with an Enzo Fernandez premium, Chelsea winger Pedro Neto has no shortage of potential suitors, and Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes is offered a huge salary increase.Manchester City will have to pay Chelsea more than £120m to land Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez if they try to complete a deal in the final two weeks of the transfer window. (Telegraph - subscription required), externalChelsea want close to £100m if they are to sell Portugal winger Pedro Neto, 26, this summer with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal linked with a move. (Mail - subscription required), externalManchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham are all also interested in Neto, who joined Chelsea for £54m from Wolves in 2024. (Metro), externalManchester United have been offered the chance to sign Spain midfielder Marc Casado, 22, who Barcelona have put up for sale. (Sport - in Spanish), externalDespite Manchester United's reluctance to sell, Galatasaray have offered Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes £18.3m per season - double his current salary - to tempt him away from Old Trafford. (Telegraph - subscription required) , externalLiverpool are still keen to sign Paris St-Germain duo Bradley Barcola, 23, and Ibrahim Mbaye, 18, with a combined fee of £155m being mooted for the France winger and Senegal forward. (Teamtalk), externalBayern Munich are confident of agreeing a new deal with England forward Harry Kane, 33, who is entering the final year of his contract. (Bild - in German), externalComo have made an offer to take Fiorentina and Italy forward Moise Kean, 26, on loan with an obligation to buy in a package worth £25m. (La Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), externalLeeds have given Suriname striker Joel Piroe, 27, permission to travel to West Ham for a medical. (Sky Sports), externalAC Milan have agreed a £34m deal to sign Belgium winger Diego Moreira, 22, from Strasbourg. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian), externalSao Paulo and West Ham are among the clubs taking an interest in 39-year-old former England forward Jamie Vardy, who is a free agent. (Talksport), externalListen to the latest Football Daily podcast

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Rubin Colwill scored a ferocious equaliser with almost the final kick of the match to earn Cardiff a 1-1 Championship draw with Wrexham.Wrexham appeared to have the Welsh derby bragging rights sewn up as the contest ticked into the eighth minute of added time at Cardiff City Stadium.But George Dobson brought down Joel Colwill on the edge of the box, and his brother Rubin stepped up to lash a brilliant free-kick over the wall and past Anthony Patterson in the Wrexham goal.Colwill’s strike cancelled out Kieffer Moore’s third-minute effort, the former Cardiff forward continuing his habit of scoring against his former employers – his seventh goal against the Bluebirds.Wrexham had 18 goal attempts to 11 and, in truth, should have prevented any late anxiety by putting the game beyond the hosts back at this level after a season in League One.Cardiff’s defensive resources had been stretched by injuries to Calum Chambers, Dylan Lawlor and Will Fish, so much so that the usual left-back Joel Bagan was switched inside to partner Gabriel Osho in the heart of defence.The new-look partnership was exposed immediately after Cardiff only managed to clear a Lewis O’Brien free-kick as far as Danny Imray, and his ball forward caught the hosts napping.Osho played Moore onside and the striker broke beyond Bagan to rifle the ball above Nathan Trott’s head for his first goal since February, ending his run of 11 Wrexham games without scoring.Trott tipped over Callum Doyle’s header as Cardiff appeared to struggle to get to grips with the pace of Championship football. But the Bluebirds slowly improved and had a good spell midway through the first half after Zak Vyner left a back pass short and Patterson reacted smartly to beat Yousef Salech to the loose ball.Jack Moylan then scooped over and Patterson made a comfortable save from Cian Ashford after some slick Cardiff passing.Wrexham went close to a second when Moore rose well from an O’Brien cross and skimmed the crossbar with a header. Imray’s scuffed shot then forced a save from Trott, although the ball appeared to be heading wide anyway.Just as they had at the start of the game, Cardiff switched off after the restart. Ollie Rathbone’s ball inside found Doyle, but Trott was alive at the near post to save with his foot. Trott made a more comfortable stop from Nathan Broadhead before Doyle lashed a rasping drive past him and on to a post.Cardiff sent on the Colwill brothers just after the hour mark to try to shift momentum in their favour, and Moylan saw his deflected effort drift just wide.Dominic Hyam headed against his own crossbar, but Cardiff kept pushing and ultimately denied Wrexham their first win in the Welsh capital since 1992.

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Cardiff earned the most dramatic point on their return to the Sky Bet Championship as Rubin Colwill's stunning 98th-minute free-kick earned a 1-1 draw against Wrexham.Former Bluebirds striker Kieffer Moore had given the visitors the lead with a cracking strike after just two minutes and 26 seconds at the Cardiff City Stadium, in the first meeting between the two Welsh sides in 24 years.It was his seventh goal against Cardiff - against no side has he scored more in his career.That looked to be enough to secure a winning start for the Red Dragons, who missed out on a place in the play-offs last season - and thus a chance at a fourth straight promotion - by a margin of just two points.Cardiff had looked bright in spells, but found clear-cut openings hard to come by - and when Wrexham captain Dom Hyam headed a cross onto his own crossbar, it looked as though their final chance had come and gone.But after George Dobson brought down Joel Colwill inches outside the penalty area, his older brother fired a beauty into the top-left corner to spark opening-night jubilation in South Wales.

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Multiple sources say talks have begun within Chelsea's ownership group after a rift, first apparent in 2024, led both sides to explore buying each other out.However, it has since emerged that Clearlake - the club's majority owner with a 61.5% stake and led by co-founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano - could now buy out their minority partners.Boehly and Walter each own 12.8% and are reported to value the club at £5bn, meaning they would each receive about £640m from a sale. Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss is also closely aligned with the pair and owns a further 12.8%, although his position remains unclear at this stage.Walter, the co-owner and chief executive of global finance firm Guggenheim Partners, where Boehly also began his financial career, last week sold the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5bn (£9.23bn) - a year after buying a majority stake in the NBA franchise.Separately, US federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating companies in Walter's business empire.Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season and appointed Xabi Alonso as their new manager in the summer.Chelsea say no Fernandez move as deadline passes - but is it really over?It would represent a further reduction in Boehly's influence, having initially been the public face of the takeover before serving as interim sporting director during the first transfer window under the new ownership.Since 2023, Eghbali has become the most influential figure at Chelsea and has been heavily involved in transfer dealings, while a number of senior executives have left the club within the first two years of the ownership.Some sources at Chelsea and in the ownership group play down the rift and highlight pictures of the pair together at key matches, notably at Chelsea's FA Cup final defeat by Manchester City.But Chelsea's ongoing plans either to redevelop Stamford Bridge or move to a new stadium have been a source of tension.Although both Boehly's camp and Clearlake are understood to favour a move away from the current site, there are differences over the design and scale of the project, which Boehly hinted at in an interview with Bloomberg last March."We have to think long term about what we're trying to accomplish," he said."We have a big stadium development opportunity that we have to flesh out. That's going to be where we're either aligned or we ultimately decide to go different ways."Chelsea and representatives for Boehly, Walter and Clearlake have declined to comment.Latest Chelsea news, analysis and fan viewsAsk about Chelsea - what do you want to know?

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Sheffield United's owners are focused on the new season despite the club's former owners suggesting they face a "real prospect" of administration ahead of an insolvency court hearing on Wednesday.United World, which sold Sheffield United to COH Sports Bidco, claims it is still owned £35m for the takeover.If the £35m owed to United World is paid the threat of administration goes away.As things stand, though, Sky Sports News understands that a winding-up hearing will take place on August 19 - and sources at United World have told Sky Sports News that it could result in co-owner Steve Rosen being banned from his role.This is due to EFL Regulation 2.1.16, which states any owner involved in two insolvencies in 10 years can be disqualified.It is understood that in 2023 US company Invacare suffered an insolvency event and Rosen was non-executive chairman.It is also understood that if the owners are declared to be insolvent a 12-point deduction could be imposed on the club.In a statement to Sky Sports News, United World said: "As the former owners of SUFC, United World does not want to see SUFC facing months of uncertainty that will follow the winding-up order being granted on 19 August, but in the absence of [Helmy] Eltoukhy and Rosen, both billionaires, agreeing to pay what they owe, we have no alternative but to take all legal steps to protect our interests."We understand that the EFL and the Independent Football Regulator (the IFR) are aware of this situation but so far, we are not aware of any intervention by either."United World has issued this public statement in the hope that it is possible to avoid the potential consequences the Club may face if this is not resolved before 19 August, after which we shall have no control over those consequences."The EFL is aware of the United World statement and will consider any relevant developments in line with its regulations.Sources close to the Sheffield United ownership said: "We are disappointed Prince Abdullah is trying to hurt the club and its supporters with publicity stunts."The deal between sophisticated parties in 2024 was well advised by his financial advisors."Sheffield United is financially healthy, unlike under Prince Abdullah when the Club incurred a points deduction for missing payments to football creditors."Nonetheless, Helmy Eltoukhy and Steven Rosen invited Abdullah to re-invest in the Club and join the ownership of Sheffield United and to help use his skills to support our promotion efforts."Helmy and Steve are focused on the sustainability of the club and the season ahead."Sheffield United started the Championship season with a goalless draw at home to Birmingham.

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Kevin Lamour said Fifa administration was ‘deceived’Chief operating officer knew he could lose his jobThe Fifa chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, has been sacked after openly criticising Gianni Infantino’s ill-fated plan to sell parts of the World Cup to private investors.In a significant development at the pinnacle of world football’s deeply troubled governing body, Lamour has departed less than two years after joining from a previous role at Uefa. He had come out strongly against Infantino’s FFE scheme after it was revealed, saying Fifa’s administration had been “deceived” and that the president “believes he embodies Fifa when he is supposed to be at its service”.Lamour had also made clear that he would countenance losing his job as a consequence of opposing the plan, which was shelved hours after he spoke out on 31 July. “If that means I lose my job, then so be it,” he said in a statement. “I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”The precise circumstances of his sacking are unclear but the Fifa secretary general, Mattias Grafström, informed staff in an email that Lamour would be leaving the organisation.A Fifa spokesperson said: “Fifa can confirm that the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Fifa’s chief operating officer has ended on 17 August 2026. Fifa thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future. No further comment will be made on the matter.”In the statement that appears to have expedited his departure, Lamour also said his colleagues “deserve better than contempt and intimidation”. He added: “My feeling is that we all want to be proud to work for Fifa, and today, unfortunately, it seems that is no longer the case for many of us.” On the same day one of Infantino’s senior advisers, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned in protest at Infantino’s proposals.Lamour had been Uefa’s deputy secretary general before joining Fifa, and had first joined the European body in 2007. His departure is all the more eye-catching for his longstanding working relationship with Infantino, with whom he also worked at Uefa. Infantino continues to be under huge pressure after the failure of his scheme, with efforts to force his removal continuing.

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Spain midfielder Rodri said it is his "dream" to play for Barcelona after he arrived in the city to complete his move from Manchester City.Barcelona have agreed to pay City about £65m, with the 30-year-old to sign a four-year contract with the La Liga champions."I'm very happy to have arrived. The last few days have been intense, but I'm glad everything has been sorted out. Of course, playing for FC Barcelona is a dream," Rodri told journalists at the airport on Monday."I can't wait to be with my team-mates, many of whom I already know from the national team. It's time to get to work and give my very best."Rodri added that he is aiming to win "the Champions League and everything else that comes our way" with Barca.The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner made 298 appearances across seven trophy-laden seasons at City after joining them from Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a then club record £62.8m.He missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were disrupted by a hamstring issue.However, he was back to his best at the World Cup this summer, leading Spain to their second title and being named player of the tournament.Rodri leaves City having won 12 major honours, including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups and the Champions League in 2022-23.Last week, City rejected Barca's opening offer of £38.5m for Rodri, who was set to enter the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium.It had looked like Real Madrid would be his next destination but La Liga rivals Barcelona stepped up their efforts to complete the signing in recent days.Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page

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Sports editorPublished6 minutes agoFifa's chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the governing body less than three weeks after he strongly criticised its president Gianni Infantino's aborted plan to sell stakes in competitions to private investors.In a statement, a spokesperson said: "Fifa can confirm that the working relationship between Fifa and Kevin Lamour as Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026."Fifa thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future."It declined to comment on reports that Lamour had been dismissed.BBC Sport has been told that Fifa's staff were informed of Lamour's departure in an email by its secretary general Mattias Grafstrom on Monday evening.Last month, Lamour described the controversial Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) plans as "the project of one person", and said "the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions".He added Fifa's own administration was "deceived" about the now abandoned project."Our mission - the mission of the hundreds of passionate, dedicated, and exemplary Fifa employees - is to serve football", he added."A president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them. Today, we are experiencing the opposite."Lamour acknowledged he had a duty of loyalty to his employer but also to "certain values" and supporting his colleagues."If that means I lose my job, then so be it," he added. "I will understand and respect that decision. At least I'll sleep well tonight."Lamour joined Fifa in November 2024, having previously served as deputy general secretary at Uefa, and was two layers of management below Infantino.Earlier this month, Infantino received the backing of senior executives in a meeting in Morocco, but BBC Sport was told Lamour was not invited.In a letter sent to members of Fifa's Council, and seen by BBC Sport, Grafstrom wrote: "I would like to provide you with an important update regarding a change within the Fifa Administration."Following recent discussions, Fifa and our Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Lamour have agreed to part ways. This decision was made after careful consideration and with great respect for Kevin, both personally and professionally… I felt it was important that I personally provide you this update and I would like to express my gratitude to Kevin for these contributions and for his work and commitment on behalf of Fifa on a daily basis. I wish Kevin all the best for the future."Listen to the latest Football Daily podcastSoundsGet football news sent straight to your phone