By LEWIS BROWNING, SPORTS REPORTER and OLIVER HOLT AT THE HARD ROCK STADIUM

Updated: 22:35 BST, 3 July 2026

Former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood has been attracting interest from across Europe and his potential transfer could boost the Reds’ summer plans

Atletico Madrid are reportedly interested in a move for former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood. The Reds sold Greenwood to French Ligue 1 side Marseille in the summer of 2024.

United secured a sell-on clause, which entitles them to a major portion of any future transfer fee which Marseille may receive from a sale. While initial reports varied, the clause is widely understood to be between 40 and 50 per cent – providing United with a financial boost for their next transfer if he moves.

And French publication L’Equipe claim that Atletico head coach Diego Simeone has requested his signing. It is said the Argentine seeks to reinforce the attacking positions following the departures of Antoine Griezmann, Nico Gonzalez, and the likely exit of Julian Alvarez.

Turkish side Fenerbahce and Italian Serie A teams Juventus and Roma are also reportedly interested in Greenwood.

Italian publication Tuttosport claim that Marseille have slapped a £42million valuation on the player – a fee Juve may find difficult to meet through a straight cash deal. However, it is said that the excellent relationship between the two clubs could lead to a creative solution involving player swaps.

It is claimed that Jonathan David or Edon Zhegrova could be included in negotiations to lower the overall fee. However, such a scenario would see United receive less money from a potential sale.

Greenwood has scored 48 goals in 81 appearances for Marseille. The forward’s impressive form has previously seen former Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi back him to win the Ballon d’Or.

He said: “I see him every day, he has huge potential. I don’t see any other players in Europe at the same level.

“He has the potential to win the Ballon d’Or. It will be up to him to decide whether he wants to do everything he can to fight for it or not.

“At the level of the qualities that nature has given him, that his parents have given him, I think he is worthy of the Ballon d’Or.

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“I would like him to be more consistent. I know he needs to press with more intensity, he needs to manage the ball better when the team is in trouble, not lose the ball easily, but keep it to allow the team to move up because he has the ability to do it.”

Greenwood, who has one England cap, switched international allegiances to Jamaica last year.

In August 2025, he received his passport for the Caribbean nation, opening the door for him to represent his grandparents’ country.

Keir Starmer resigned as Labour leader with opinion polls indicating he was the most unpopular prime minister in modern times. This is despite the fact he had secured the second-highest postwar parliamentary majority only two years earlier.

But over those two years, “Keir Starmer is a wanker” was chanted at anti-asylum protests, in football grounds, at festivals and during televised darts competitions. Facebook and X feeds were full of anti-Starmer content. “Vote Reform, Get Starmer Out” was Reform UK’s campaign slogan at the May local elections.

The left and right had their own favourite (albeit contradictory) reasons as to why he should be disliked. But there was something strange about this vehemently hostile public mood towards such a sober, unemotional politician. It seemed to go beyond the normal anger that many prime ministers face from opponents.

The politics of feeling

Dislike, even apparent hatred, of Starmer was only partially about his performance as prime minister. It also exemplifies what Anna Secor and I call the “politics of feeling” in our book of the same name. We argue that in the turbulent period since the 2008 financial crisis, politics in the UK and US has no longer been about coherent ideology expressed through policy and programmes.

We argue that, instead, political movements such as right-wing populism or left progressivism now offer people a way of feeling about the past and the future. They offer intensity and attachment as people live with insecurity in the post-2008 world. Feelings also connect and disconnect people. Some would have felt elated, sad, relieved, or nothing much at all on Starmer’s resignation. That reaction alone is enough to connect voters to like-minded others.

A key condition for “Starmer hate” was how Labour won its “loveless landslide” in the 2024 general election. In the book, we show how centrist politicians struggled in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis to regain their political hegemony amid challenges from populists and progressives.

À lire aussi :
The mistakes that sealed Keir Starmer’s fate

Labour’s general election campaign responded to this challenge in two ways. First, the party offered the promise of “change” to try to resonate with a longstanding public desire for something different, as expressed in events like Brexit.

Second, it claimed that politics will, once again, tread lightly on people’s lives. Being boring was made into a virtue in comparison with the antics and stunts of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and other right-wing populists. What was offered was being able to detach from politics while some kind of positive change happened.

These promises helped to secure the landslide in a context of voters’ exhaustion with the Conservatives after 14 years of government. But it was the lack of love that made Starmer a prime target for strong feelings. The absence of attachment meant that Starmer soon became the repository for a range of longstanding frustrations and grievances. These intensified when people didn’t immediately see or feel the change they desired.

From the left, Starmer’s position on issues such as immigration betrayed the faint hope for progressive change that some had placed in him. From the far-right, Starmer became the latest example of a corrupt elite or establishment that had betrayed the British people.

Little positive attachment to Starmer meant there was no constituency of supporters to push back against the intensifying anger and outrage that social media both created and depended on. That maelstrom of negative feelings could stick to Starmer because his political style placed him firmly within the centrist, technocratic tradition that was being rejected.

Equivocation, flatness and what was often judged as an absence of political commitment stood in stark contrast to the self-confidence and ease of figures as politically diverse as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and New York mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Hatred is intense, and that intensity is central to today’s politics of feeling. And so an apparent hatred of Starmer is about the experience of feeling something intensely – and the difference this makes to people’s everyday lives. Intense feeling interrupts boredom, loneliness and other kinds of ordinary malaise. And in uncertain and anxious times, hate offers the illusion of reassurance. It establishes an unequivocal position against something.

What’s more, sharing the same strong feeling with others – even if it is a negative one – is a collective experience. Chanting “Keir Starmer is a wanker” with other people might be nihilistic, or even aggressive, but it is also a way of connecting with strangers who feel the same way.

Strong feelings about Starmer will fade. But the conditions that meant contempt and loathing became part of UK politics remain. If Andy Burnham becomes the next prime minister, how he responds to those conditions and today’s politics of feeling will be vital to the success of his political project.

This article contains references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

Rupert Kent, prosecuting, said: “These defendants knew, or at the very least ought reasonably to have known, the attack upon Mr Zeraati was instigated by a foreign power, we submit namely the Iranian regime, with which the defendants had an indirect relationship through third parties.”

The Chase star Jenny Ryan has revealed she was left with a scar on her throat after undergoing surgery to remove her thyroid gland, which had become enlarged and was causing problems.

She’s one of the six chasers on the ITV show The Chase, where she is nicknamed ‘The Vixen’.

She made her first TV quiz appearance on University Challenge, for the semi-finals in 2003, also appearing on other quiz shows such as Mastermind, Are You an Egghead, and Only Connect.

The quizzer shared the update on Instagram alongside a photograph showing the scar on the front of her neck.

She said via social media: “Hello my lovelies. You might notice my new scar. You’d be hard pushed to not spot it, given it’s right on the front of my neck.

“As much as I’d like to have an exciting and glamorous reason, old timey duel, Olympic fencing practice, near miss with guillotine, the reality is not so sexy.

“My thyroid gland made a bid for fame and got so big it started causing some problems so we chopped it out.”

Jenny said the operation had been successful and that she was recovering well following the procedure.

She also praised the medical team who treated her and said she would soon be returning to public appearances.

She added: “I’m fine. Surgery was all good and the consultant is very happy. My voice still works and it’s healing nicely.

“I had to stay quite still for a couple of weeks in case my head fell off but we are grand now.

“Thanks to the head and neck gang and all the terrific people who looked after me at UCH. The NHS is beyond wonderful.”

Jenny also told fans she would be appearing at Fingers Buzzers LIVE during the Bolton Comedy Festival on July 18.

By MIKE KEEGAN, CHIEF SPORTS REPORTER

Published: 19:30 BST, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 21:37 BST, 3 July 2026

Officials are planning a so-called ‘ring of steel’ around England‘s Mexico City hotel – in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the raucous scenes that marred Ecuador’s visit.

Cars, fog horns, fireworks and loud music triggered a miserable night’s sleep for Mexico’s last opponents – and a complaint to FIFA.

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However, it is understood that a series of measures are expected to be put in place to try and ensure Thomas Tuchel and his players do not face similar problems on the eve of their last-16 battle.

Talks are thought to be ongoing between FIFA and local police over placing an effective cordon around England’s hotel ahead of the high-stakes fixture at what is likely to be a fervent Azteca Stadium.

While no final decisions have been made, there is a hope that the Three Lions will not see their preparations impacted in the same way as the Ecuadorians who, in addition to the shenanigans outside the hotel, suffered delays at the airport and on the roads.

Indeed, England will be given a police escort during their time in the Mexican capital.

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A ‘ring of steel’ is being prepared by officials to help secure England’s team hotel in Mexico

Ecuador’s preparations to play Mexico were disrupted and changes are inbound for England

Harry Kane (second from right) and Co won’t be in the same hotel where Ecuador stayed

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Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Co will not be staying at the same hotel as Ecuador, but will be in a nearby area.

England have sold around 8,000 tickets for the match, which was due to kick off at 1am on Monday and 8pm here, but could now be brought forward due to storms in the area.  

In total, around 15,000 England followers are expected to attend what will be a huge occasion at the 87,523-capacity venue, one of football’s great cathedrals.

At this stage, there is no intelligence to suggest that those there to support England will be targeted by fans of the co-host and officials are hoping that the trip will pass off without major incident. 

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It is thought that England fans will be asked to be respectful and courteous to their hosts and, should their team progress, act with good grace.

Meanwhile, some Three Lions fans are attempting to cash in by selling their tickets on FIFA’s resale portal for a staggering £22,800.

More than 70 tickets bought through the England Supporters’ Travel Club (ESTC) via the official ballot of 3,000 are up for grabs. Some are attempting to use the game as an opportunity to pay for their entire trip.

Category one tickets, effectively the best seats, were going for north of £51,000 last night.

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