Madrid have reportedly returned to the negotiating table with an improved offer worth around €22 million per season, a notable increase on previous proposals that had stalled talks for almost a year. Yet the Brazilian winger is understood to be seeking closer to €30 million annually, leaving a sizeable gap between both parties.

While the difference appears financial on paper, the negotiations are increasingly becoming a question of status, recognition and where Vinicius fits in Real Madrid’s new hierarchy following Kylian Mbappe’s arrival.

Recognition after years of delivering

Those close to Vinicius believe the current negotiations represent the defining contract of his career.

The Brazilian joined Madrid in 2018 as an exciting teenager before developing into one of the world’s elite forwards. Since then, he has evolved from a raw talent into one of the club’s biggest match winners, scoring in two UEFA Champions League finals and playing a central role in Madrid’s recent domestic and European success.

According to ESPN, Vinicius and his representatives believe Madrid should “appropriately recognise” everything he has contributed to the club over the last eight years.

In that context, the salary request is less about maximising earnings and more about securing the respect that comes with being regarded as one of Real Madrid’s defining figures.

The Mbappe effect

The arrival of Kylian Mbappe has inevitably changed Madrid’s wage structure.

The French superstar occupies the position of the club’s marquee player, both commercially and financially. Vinicius’ reported salary expectations would bring him significantly closer to Mbappe’s earnings, effectively placing both players on a similar pedestal.

That creates a delicate balancing act for Madrid.

Real Madrid’s dilemma

Madrid now face three possible outcomes.

The first is reaching a compromise that rewards Vinicius without completely matching his demands.

The second is allowing the negotiations to continue throughout the season, with the winger entering the final year of his contract and becoming eligible to negotiate with overseas clubs from January.

The third, and most dramatic, would involve sanctioning a sale before losing him for nothing in 2027. ESPN has already reported that Madrid would consider a departure if no agreement can be reached.

That possibility has fuelled links with Arsenal, although the Premier League champions would likely need Madrid to reduce their asking price substantially before any move becomes realistic.

Mourinho offers reassurance

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Vinicius struck a relaxed tone after returning to Real Madrid’s pre-season training.

Speaking through the club’s official channels, the Brazilian praised new head coach José Mourinho and insisted the focus remains on football.

“Mourinho wants me to be as I’ve always been: happy, cheerful, and that I play my football.”

Discussing pre-season preparations, he added: “We have to prepare physically so that during the season we have fewer injuries and we can count on everybody.”

The comments offer little indication about his contractual intentions, but they suggest there is no immediate tension between player and club on the training ground.

More than a pay rise

Modern football contracts are rarely just about salary.

For elite players, wages often represent their standing within the squad as much as their financial value. Vinicius’ current negotiations appear to reflect exactly that.

Having carried Madrid through several successful seasons before Mbappe’s arrival, the Brazilian wants his contract to acknowledge his place among the game’s biggest stars.

Whether Madrid agree may ultimately determine not only Vinicius’ future, but also the balance of power inside one of football’s most star-studded dressing rooms.

File photo of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi© AFP

Mohamed Salah was greeted by cheering Trabzonspor fans in Istanbul on Wednesday as he closed in on a move to the Turkish club.

The Liverpool icon wore the team’s blue and burgundy striped shirt after flying in on a private jet to complete the deal.

Earlier he was filmed aboard the jet pulling on his new jersey.

“Trabzon are you ready? I can hear you. See you very soon,” Salah said in a video message posted on the club’s official X channel.

Turkish TV showed still images of Salah wearing a shirt with No. 61 on it as he arrived in Istanbul, where hundreds of chanting fans waited to greet him. NTV also broadcast the Egyptian signing a Trabzon shirt and said his official signing ceremony would be held Thursday in the Black Sea city.

Salah is a free agent after leaving Liverpool at the end of last season.

Trabzonspor’un anlaşmaya vardığı 34 yaşındaki Mısırlı futbolcu Muhammed Salah, İstanbul’a geldi. pic.twitter.com/IuxwMaghYW

— 2.Sayfaofficial (@2_sayfaofficial) August 5, 2026

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There was speculation the 34-year-old Egypt international would end his career in Saudi Arabia, but it emerged this week that Trabzonspor was leading the race to sign him.

“We’ve started transfer talks with Mohamed Salah, he’s coming to Istanbul!” the club said. 

The official announcement of negotiations to the Istanbul stock market saw Trabzonspor shares rise 6.5%.

Salah established himself as a Premier League great with Liverpool where he won two league titles and the Champions League among eight major honors.

He scored 257 goals in 442 appearances for the Merseyside club and is regarded as one of its greatest players of all time.

But he endured a disappointing end to his time at Anfield with a dramatic drop off in form last season and a public falling out with then-coach Arne Slot.

He only scored 12 goals in all competitions, having scored 34 in the previous campaign.

He announced in March that he would leave the club at the end of the season, despite having a year to run on the contract he signed in 2025.

Trabzonspor is a seven-time Turkish champion and finished third last season.

Luis Figo launches brutal attack on Infantino and demands he leaves FIFA/Image: AP, EFE

Luis Figo has called on Gianni Infantino to step down as FIFA president, delivering one of the strongest public attacks yet on the embattled football chief as the fallout from the collapsed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal continues to deepen.The former Portugal captain, who has served as a UEFA football adviser since 2017, accused Infantino of putting personal interests ahead of football and insisted the FIFA president could no longer salvage either his position or his reputation after abandoning the controversial plan to sell minority stakes in FIFA’s flagship competitions to private investors.Figo’s intervention comes as Infantino faces mounting pressure from national associations, football confederations and senior figures within the sport following the collapse of the proposal, which reportedly would also have seen him assume a senior executive position carrying an annual salary of around $30 million.

Figo launches extraordinary attack on FIFA president

In a statement published by the Daily Mail, Figo accused Infantino of attempting to push through sweeping changes to world football without properly informing FIFA’s members, while suggesting the project would have primarily benefited the FIFA president and those close to him.“Nothing gets in the way of pleasing his friends,” Figo said, before describing Infantino’s conduct as “the lowest, most deceitful and cravenly self-interested behaviour I have ever witnessed.”The 2000 Ballon d’Or winner questioned why FIFA’s leadership had not openly presented the proposal before member associations gathered for the World Cup final.“If it was such a good idea, why not tell your members when you had them all in a room before the World Cup Final?” Figo asked.“If it was such a robust plan, why not tell your members the risks as well as what you describe as the benefits?”He also referenced reports that Infantino was set to become chief executive of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise.“If the scheme was a no-brainer, why not be honest about the fact that it was going to give you a $30m-a-year job at the end of it?” Figo continued.“But none of this was done. Because it’s not a good idea. It’s not robust when you fail to be transparent about the crippling returns that private equity always seek.”

Claims extend beyond the failed investment proposal

Figo suggested the failed World Cup investment scheme was only part of a much broader pattern under Infantino’s leadership.The former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan star—who made nearly 800 club appearances during his career, earned 127 caps for Portugal and has worked as a UEFA football adviser since 2017—said he could write “10,000 words” about the problems at FIFA before listing several examples he believes have damaged the governing body’s credibility.“It’s not bold when you fail to explain that once you have sold your share it is gone forever and you have disinherited your successors from ownership of the World Cup,” he said.“And it’s not honest when you fail to mention that, after you have delivered the head of the World Cup on a platter to your mates in DC, they are going to give you a job worth five times your current salary.”He then broadened his criticism beyond the FFE proposal.“None of this comes as a surprise when you consider the litany of abuses he has inflicted on football’s reputation,” Figo said.“From suspending and reversing disciplinary decisions to breaking the laws of the game over a half-time show, nothing gets in the way of pleasing his friends.”

Pressure continues to mount on Infantino

Figo’s comments add to the growing pressure surrounding Infantino after FIFA withdrew the FFE proposal following widespread opposition from across the football world.In recent days, senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned, FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said staff had been “deceived”, while FIFA’s chief of global football development Arsène Wenger stated that scrapping the proposal was “absolutely necessary and beyond question.”Potential successors have also begun to emerge behind the scenes, with CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani among the figures linked with a possible challenge should Infantino’s presidency come to an end.

“He should go. Now.”

Figo concluded his statement by arguing that the controversy had permanently undermined Infantino’s leadership and that remaining in office would only cause further damage to world football.“This plan, like the Super League before it, was blown apart by the media exposing every devious twist and turn before its advocates had their messaging straight. And thank goodness it was,” he said.“Infantino has debased the office of FIFA President that he promised to elevate. He has lied, deceived and tried to feather his own nest at the expense of the game he is supposed to serve.”“He has lost the support of his senior staff, his closest advisers, the vast majority of people who devote their lives to this sport and even, it would seem, the FIFA Peace Prize winner.”Figo ended with his clearest message yet to the FIFA president:“It is too late to save his dignity but it is not too late to save football. He should go. Now.”

Canelo Alvarez has explained why three of his previous performances prove that he could hand Terence Crawford a first career defeat, if their rematch were to take place.

Canelo had not lost in the 168lb division ahead of his clash with the Omaha southpaw, who moved up three weight divisions from his natural welterweight category in pursuit of the super-middleweight poster boy.

On fight night, Crawford controlled the contest and proved to be too fast with his feet, his hands and his mind to outpoint the champion and become boxing’s first post-war three-weight undisputed ruler.

Ever since, Canelo has pleaded for the opportunity to avenge the defeat, with the recently-retired Crawford understood to have a lucrative offer on the table for a rematch.

Speaking to CBS, Canelo explained that his performances in his three previous rematches – against Miguel Vazquez and twice against Gennady Golovkin – prove how much he can improve when able make post-fight adjustments.

“As a fighter, we always want revenge.

“Yeah, [I believe I can beat him]. I always believe in what I can do. If you look back, I always do good in my rematches and I know what is wrong, what I did wrong.

“So, yeah, if the opportunity is there, it would be amazing [to rematch Crawford].”

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Whilst frustrated at the lack of a rematch, Canelo has taken full responsibility, believing that he should have placed a rematch clause into the original fight contract for his initial showdown with Crawford.

• Alex Eala opens her campaign in the Canadian Open Toronto 2026 vs world No. 71 Alycia Parks in the Round of 64. Seeded 25th, she received a first-round bye.

National Bank Open (Canadian Open Toronto 2026) schedule

August 6, Thursday – Center Court

• 8:10am – Alex Eala vs Alycia Parks – singles r64
•  10pm – Alex Eala / Venus Williams vs Liudmila Samsonova /Miyu Kato – doubles r32

Times subject to change.

LIVE: Alex Eala vs Alycia Parks – Canadian Open Toronto 2026 – Round of 64

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The Moonee Valley Racing Club has officially revealed the list of contenders for this year’s running of the Cox Plate.

Chris Waller has put forward a substantial number of entries for the $6 million event, with 27 of his potential runners, including the star mare Autumn Glow, featuring in the 2040-metre race announced on Tuesday.

Despite the $1320 entry fee having been paid, Waller reiterated that a start for Autumn Glow in the October 24 race is not guaranteed, unless her regular jockey James McDonald, a four-time winner of the Cox Plate, provides a different opinion.

“Just to keep options open,” Waller stated when asked about Autumn Glow’s nomination.

“It’s not on our radar, but if James at any stage says, ‘have a go at the Cox Plate’ she’ll be having a go.”

Autumn Glow is slated to resume in the Group 1 Winx Stakes at Randwick on August 22 over 1400m. Her performance in that event will likely guide the decision between targeting the $20 million The Everest (1200m) or the King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on October 17.

A total of 103 horses were nominated for the Cox Plate, which this year will be staged at Flemington due to the redevelopment of the Moonee Valley track.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained import Sir Delius leads the local entries, seeking to redeem himself after being scratched from last year’s race when he was a short-priced favourite.

The international contingent comprises 15 nominations from Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan. The prominent international entry is the three-year-old Gstaad, who recently finished second in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood behind the exceptional miler Bow Echo.

Calandagan, who had been rumoured as a possible visitor, was not among the nominees. However, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, who trains the Japan Cup winner, has nominated Royal Ascot victor Map Of Stars.

Waller will be without Via Sistina this year, the mare that secured the past two Cox Plates and brought him within one win of Tommy Smith’s record of seven victories. Nevertheless, his 2026 stable includes two horses that competed in the race last year.

Buckaroo, who was runner-up to Via Sistina by a narrow margin, has been nominated again. Aeliana, who finished sixth last year, is also entered and is expected to race in the Cox Plate en route to the Melbourne Cup.

“It’s not my job to seed them, but she’d certainly be right up there,” Waller commented on Aeliana, whose preparation faced an unexpected challenge on Tuesday morning with a late scratching from a trial at Warwick Farm.

“We’ll probably make it her target race. I’m not saying she’s our top seed, but she will be set for the race and I think it fits into a Melbourne Cup.

“But, first and foremost, a Cox Plate.”

Waller trains half of the 16 three-year-olds who have been nominated, including Group 1-winning two-year-olds Campione D’Italia, Fireball, and Tron Bolt.

With a strong list of nominations for the 2026 Cox Plate, the excitement is building. Many are already looking to place bets with various online bookmakers.

Embattled Fifa president Gianni Infantino has apologised for “mistakes” over his controversial World Cup sell-off plan but senior leaders at world football’s governing body have “reaffirm[ed] their full support” for him after a crisis meeting on Wednesday.

Infantino was forced to abandon his plans – namely to sell stakes in the World Cup and other Fifa tournaments to private investors – after public uproar last week, with Uefa confirming a boycott of Fifa events if the plan was voted through.

On Tuesday, Jordan FA president Prince Ali bin Hussein accused Infantino of “blackmail” and, under immense pressure, with his job seemingly on the line, the Swiss-Italian called an emergency meeting with the Fifa management board in Morocco.

A letter released by Fifa on Wednesday evening was signed by both Infantino and Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, even though the latter is understood to have written an email to staff on Tuesday in which he described Infantino’s proposal as “sad and reproachable”.

It showed a far more united front than that email would suggest and saw the president admits that mistakes were made in the process of setting out his sell-off plans – his first public apology for the scheme.

“We acknowledge mistakes were made in the process of the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE),” read part of the letter.

“It was certainly not the intention for the FIFA Council and FIFA Member Associations to feel excluded from the process and it should have been handled differently. We acknowledge that errors were also made after the proposal was leaked to media.

“We sincerely apologise for these errors and commit to them not happening again. With this in mind, we will conduct a necessary review, and a report will be presented to the FIFA Council at its next scheduled meeting.”

However, any suggestion that Infantino might resign, or otherwise be forced out of his job by senior figures at the governing body, were also nipped in the bud with a clear show of support for the embattled president.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the FIFA Secretary General and the Management Board in attendance reaffirm their full support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, as the only official elected by the 211 FIFA Member Associations,” read part of the statement.

“It was discussed and agreed at the meeting that the processes, communications and interactions between the FIFA President, the FIFA Secretary General and the Management Board that support the delivery of this vision can and should always be continuously improved in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency.

“We are fully confident that the outcomes of today’s meeting will strengthen FIFA’s governance, help restore confidence in the organisation and enable us to prepare for the major events and challenges ahead in a united and transparent manner while continuing our mission to develop the game around the world.”

The statement also went on to say that any attacks on Fifa’s integrity or good governance will not be accepted and seemed to suggest that now the sell-off plan has been abandoned, the whole situation should be quietly forgotten.

”The proposal, which would have been subject to the approval of the FIFA Member Associations and the FIFA Council, is now off the table,” read another part of the statement. “With the project withdrawn, FIFA will no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity, good governance and due process and will take all necessary measures to protect and safeguard its name and reputation.

“There are always lessons to be learned, and we will continue to improve our processes in light of this experience. In this instance, however, it is important to stress that, although mistakes were made, everything that was done, was done in full compliance with the FIFA regulatory framework.”

Infantino still faces a barrage of criticism from outside Fifa however, with a number of countries having withdrawn support for his presidency ahead of the election in March 2027.

Real Madrid and Portugal legend Luis Figo, who works as an adviser for Uefa, hit out at Infantino on Wednesday and implored him to resign, saying: “I could write 10,000 words on the problems at Fifa. But the solution needs only three: Infantino must go.”

Canadian prime minister Mark Carney also said he no longer has confidence Infantino, explaining he felt the Fifa president committed a “fatal” governance failure by not consulting senior advisers. “Certainly I don’t have confidence in Mr Infantino,” said Carney, who had appeared alongside Infantino at several events during the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.