Could Jose Mourinho make a sensational return to Chelsea? According to The Sun the “Special One”, who was sacked by Manchester United in December, is open to becoming the Blues boss for a third time.
With current head coach Maurizio Sarri expected to join Juventus in the coming days, Chelsea will be looking for a new manager.
Ex-player Frank Lampard remains the favourite for the job but Italian publication Tuttosport claims that Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez is also a contender. Like Mourinho, Benitez is also a former Chelsea manager.
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The Daily Mail reports that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has a longlist which features Lampard, Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, Massimiliano Allegri, Steve Holland, Javi Gracia and Patrick Vieira.
2. Max hits back after Jos retweet
Max Verstappen’s father Jos retweeted a story that said Red Bull were “worried” they could lose their star driver. The retweet was later deleted but in response Verstappen Jr snapped: “I am the driver, not my father.”
Leicester City defender Harry Maguire looks likely to move to Manchester this summer - but will it be to City or United? Leicester are not keen on selling the 26-year-old centre-half, but a source has told Sky Sports that the Foxes believe he’s worth around £80m.
Golden State Warriors are still alive in the NBA Finals after beating Toronto Raptors 106-105 in game five on Monday. Now 3-2 behind the Warriors’s hopes have been dealt a huge blow with star forward Kevin Durant suffering a right Achilles tendon injury. Game six of the NBA Finals will be held on Friday 14 June (2am) in Oakland.
5. Ruiz Jr’s tasty new belt
After shocking Anthony Joshua to win the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO world heavyweight titles, Andy Ruiz Jr has added a new belt to his collection. Arriving back in his home country the Mexican boxer was presented with a novelty belt by Snickers, his favourite chocolate bar.
6. Becker slams under-28 players
The Guardian reports that German legend Boris Becker has hit out at the “quality and attitude” of men’s tennis players aged 28 or younger. Thirty-somethings Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer - the “big three” - continue to dominate the grand slams. Becker said: “I was just reading a stat that no active player outside the big three under 28, apart from [Dominic] Thiem [and Milos Raonic in 2016], has been in a grand slam final. That is not good. That is not a compliment for anybody under 28. And don’t give me that the others are too good. We should question the quality and the attitude of everybody under 28. It just doesn’t make sense.”
England all-rounder Ben Stokes says that while he has learned a valuable lesson from his well-publicised brawl outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017 he’ll never be an angel. He said: “I don’t have to prove myself to anyone. I only have to prove things to myself. I’m not looking to please anyone, or to go out there and do something individually great.” England play the West Indies in the Cricket World Cup on Friday.
8. Nicklaus backs Woods at Pebble Beach
Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus believes Tiger Woods is the player to beat at this week’s US Open at Pebble Beach. When asked who is the favourite to win the third major of the season, Nicklaus told Sky Sports: “I would think Tiger [Woods]. Tiger won there by a million there the last time he won, he grew around that area and he is smart, so knows how to play there.”
9. USA ready for World Cup defence
Defending champions United States will play their opening match of the Fifa Women’s World Cup today against Thailand. Midfielder Lindsey Horan is looking forward to the pressure of the World Cup title defence. She told the BBC: “We want to be the ones that everybody is chasing. I wouldn’t say it’s pressure, because it’s something we like. We like having it on our backs. It tells us that everybody is after us and helps us to keep that high standard.”
Today’s Fifa Women’s World Cup fixtures
New Zealand vs. Netherlands (2pm, BBC red button and online)
Chile vs. Sweden (5pm, BBC red button and online)
USA vs. Thailand (8pm, BBC Four)
10. Southgate: Three Lions must step up
Gareth Southgate has warned his England stars that they must “raise the bar” and become winners or risk their international football futures.
He said: “I think we created an environment that took a bit of pressure off the players and we want them to relax, to express themselves, we’ve talked a lot about them but there now comes a point where, actually, we’ve got to demand more and we’ve got to find another edge.
“I’ve got to make sure that I’m constantly raising the bar with this group and we don’t accept any kind of sloppiness to creep in.”
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