Daniil Medvedev has given the ATP credit for reaching a "logical" decision to strip Wimbledon of ranking points – and the Russian stands to benefit by going back to number one in the world.

There would need to be a remarkable turn of events for Novak Djokovic to retain top spot at the end of the short grass-court season, given he has a mountain of points to defend over the next two months and will lose the 2,000 that he earned by winning Wimbledon last year.

That is the standard total awarded to a grand slam singles champion, with Medvedev earning the same number for his US Open triumph in September.

The decision by the ATP, which runs the men's professional tour, to effectively punish Wimbledon for its decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players, means the absent Medvedev at least stands to benefit in the rankings given he only has 180 points to lose from the London grand slam.

Djokovic carried a lead of only 680 points over Medvedev into the French Open, where the Serbian is again defending 2,000 points after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year's final. Medvedev was a quarter-finalist in Paris last year, collecting 360 points.

Medvedev may yet go top before Wimbledon, but there is a strong chance Djokovic begins his campaign at the All England Club knowing he will be powerless to prevent his number one status sliding away.

"About the ATP decision, it is not easy to comment, but when I read the FAQ of the ATP, why they made this decision, because they are explaining themselves, they are not just saying, 'Okay, we decided that', I found it very logical what they say at least," Medvedev said.

"This is what I didn't find in Wimbledon explanations. I'm not saying which decision is right, but at least so far in explaining their decisions, I found ATP just more logical."

The ATP said its decision, which has been unpopular with many, was reached "purely on the basis of maintaining a level playing field for our players across the season".

Medvedev began his French Open campaign on Tuesday with a clinical 6-2 6-2 6-2 win against Argentinian Facundo Bagnis, showing no ill effects of recent hernia surgery.

Smiling, Medvedev said it was "very strange" that he might become the world's top-ranked men's player while exiled from Wimbledon.

"But I'd be really happy to play Wimbledon. I love Wimbledon," said the 26-year-old, who plans to compete at grass-court events in Germany and the Netherlands in June.

"I love playing on grass. I will play on grass after Roland Garros. But if I cannot, I'm just going to prepare for the next tournaments and follow what's happening there.

"There are no points, I become number one, well, great for me. If there are points, I cannot become number one, I'm going to be gutted. It is what it is. I cannot change some decisions, both about ATP and Wimbledon."

Tottenham have stated they can further invest both on and off the pitch after agreeing a capital injection of up to £150million from the club's majority shareholder ENIC Sports Inc (ENIC).

This equity increase has been enabled by "the issue of convertible A Shares and accompanying warrants", according to the Premier League club.

Spurs' statement explained the investment "represents permanent capital, with no ongoing interest cost to the club, and which may be drawn in tranches until the end of the year".

The statement added that Spurs' "independent directors have benefited from [their] majority shareholder's ability to invest directly, swiftly and without the extensive due diligence and documentation involved in third party funding."

ENIC now has the ability to increase its ownership from 85.6 per cent to 87.5 per cent. 

The news comes after reports emerged that Antonio Conte, who guided Spurs to Champions League qualification, had been promised up to six new signings in the close season.

"The delivery of a world-class home was always a key building block in driving diversified revenues to enable us to invest in the teams and support our ambitions to be consistently competing at the highest levels of European football," said Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

"Additional capital from ENIC will now enable further investment in the club at an important time."

Denis Shapovalov has attacked Wimbledon and the ATP for the decisions that have led to fears of players skipping the grass-court grand slam.

Canadian left-hander Shapovalov enjoyed a run to the semi-finals at the All England Club last year, eventually losing to Novak Djokovic, but he will lose all his points and be unable to defend them at the 2022 tournament.

The season's third major will not have any ranking points after the ATP and WTA, which run the men's and women's tours, respectively, effectively decided to punish the grand slam's organisers for banning Russian and Belarusian players.

Naomi Osaka has said she is unsure about playing in London on that basis, as she wants to play events where there are points available following a slide on the WTA list, and there are concerns others may also give it a miss. A number of players have voiced concern that prize money could be slashed too.

Shapovalov, who addressed the matter after a shock first-round loss to Denmark's Holger Rune at the French Open on Tuesday, said he did not agree with the banning of players or the subsequent points decision.

"I completely understand the politics and the situation they're in. But if you have a tennis tournament that's supposed to have the best athletes in the world, it shouldn't matter where you're from," Shapovalov said.

"I also don't agree with the ATP to take out all the points. The most guys it's affecting are the guys in the top rankings."

Referring to last year's semi-finalists in the men's singles, Shapovalov, who beat Andy Murray on the way to the last four, said: "Obviously Novak [Djokovic], me, Hubi [Hubert Hurkacz], [Matteo] Berrettini, who is not playing here, we're going to drop a lot.

"I think they could have gone with it a different way, maybe keep 50 per cent like they have in the past or some kind of fairness."

Karolina Pliskova lost to Ash Barty in the women's final at Wimbledon last year, and the Czech described the WTA's move to strip points from Wimbledon as a "super tough and unfair and bad decision".

She will play Wimbledon, which starts on June 27, because she feels it is a tournament she can win, and at the age of 30 she is determined to take every opportunity going to land a maiden grand slam. She could become champion this year but, because last year's Wimbledon ranking points will fall off, plunge down the rankings at the same time.

Intriguingly, Pliskova said leading WTA stars could not agree what action tour chiefs should take about points.

"We had a group of WhatsApp chat [between] top 10 players and these 10 girls could not agree on the same thing," Pliskova said. "Some girls were for no points, some were for 50 per cent, to keep just 50 per cent from last year, some were for like all the points. So it is what it is."

Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, who won the French Open in 2017 and reached the Wimbledon semi-finals a year later, suspects there could yet be a twist in the saga to come.

Ostapenko said: "There are of course a lot of rumours and talks, but I think maybe they are going to change their mind. I'm not sure about points. But I think a lot of things may happen within the next week or two weeks.

"That's my personal opinion. Maybe I'm wrong. If there are no points, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do.

"I feel like it's a little bit unfair to play the tournament when there are no points and you can win the tournament and then you don't move one spot up in the ranking."

Gareth Southgate believes the rest of Europe's leading leagues face a "jump" to the Premier League, but he has suggested Fikayo Tomori's Serie A title success with Milan represents "a really good bridge".

Tomori has long since been touted as a potential England star, yet he only returned to Southgate's senior set-up on Tuesday after clinching the Scudetto with the Rossoneri.

The former Chelsea man is well established as one of the finest defenders in Italy, although the Three Lions manager suggested this alone was not enough to put him ahead of Premier League rivals.

Southgate has also watched Tammy Abraham play in Serie A this season, with the Roma forward becoming the highest-scoring English player in a single season in the league's history (17 goals – ahead of Gerry Hitchens' 16 for Inter in 1961-62).

This has given Southgate and his coaching staff a greater understanding of the level of play in Italy, but the England boss says it pales next to the "powerful" English game, even if the pressure of a title race has now played in Tomori's favour.

"Firstly, huge credit to both the boys for going and adapting to living abroad, playing a different style of football, the endeavour to learn another language and fit in culturally with the group," Southgate said after announcing his squad for June's Nations League fixtures. "That deserves huge credit.

"We're watching a lot of Serie A, we're watching a lot of the Bundesliga, we were watching a lot of LaLiga when Tripps [Kieran Trippier] was there – the leagues are different levels to the Premier League.

"Milan's defence, if you looked at the defence in the last few months of the season, was very young, with very few international caps right across the back four.

"Inter are very strong; I think, in those leagues, the top two or three teams are very strong.

"But compared to the depth of the Premier League, there isn't the financial clout and so the depth isn't the same. And the intensity of the games is very different – there is a lot more structure, a lot less transitional.

"There is a jump, I think, and I think that's been shown in a lot of the Champions League fixtures and European fixtures.

"Our league is incredibly powerful in terms of its spending power. Some of the smallest teams in our league, with the least financial resource, can compete with some historic European giants. It's a great product we've got.

"So, we're trying to map all of that when we're assessing the players and the levels of their performances – because we watch them week in, week out, really clearly, we're pretty clear on what that is, so we're realistic in our expectations.

"But, of course, Fik in particular comes with the confidence of having just won a league title, playing at Milan in front of 70,000, 80,000 people every week.

"That's a similar sort of pressure to what he's going to have in an England shirt. It's a really good bridge."

Tomori was preferred to a more experienced option like Tottenham's Eric Dier, who is "definitely in our thinking", Southgate said.

"We know him," Southgate explained of Dier's absence, but Leicester City's James Maddison, coming off the best scoring season of his Premier League career (12 goals), was snubbed because he remains behind Mason Mount and Phil Foden in the pecking order.

The England manager still will not rule out any option ahead of the Qatar World Cup, however, adding: "We have September, and I think there's always the possibility that somebody emerges. That's always happened when I've been selecting squads."

Elsewhere, Southgate confirmed he had spoken to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta before selecting Bukayo Saka, while there were discussions with Liverpool's Champions League finalists Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson.

Alexander-Arnold is involved but will likely only to take part in "the first part of the camp", though Southgate "didn't need to see" Henderson.

Harry Kane's future at Tottenham hinges on whether he can achieve his ambitions by staying put, according to former Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas.

Kane was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City at the end of the 2020-21 season, but the Premier League champions were seemingly unwilling to meet Spurs' asking price.

The uncertainty around the player's future led to him sitting out the opening-weekend win over City at the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

Despite a slow start to the season, with Kane managing only two goal involvements (one goal, one assist) in his first 13 Premier League games, he went on to record 24 (16 goals, eight assists) over his next 24 games.

The turnaround in form came shortly after the arrival of Antonio Conte as Nuno Espirito Santo's replacement, and the Italian guided Spurs to fourth place and Champions League qualification, secured with a final-day 5-0 rout of Norwich City, in which Kane scored and assisted.

Further questions regarding Kane's future are likely to arise during pre-season, though City have since moved on and completed the signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.

Villas-Boas, who managed Spurs for 17 months until December 2013, feels Kane's future will be determined by his personal ambitions, and if any potential buying club is willing to match Tottenham's demands.

"I think it's up to him to decide what is progress in his career or not," he told Stats Perform. "If you fulfil your own ambitions of being in Tottenham and making a part of the history in Tottenham, that is great.

"If you have ambitions to go further and to test yourself in other environments, I think you will depart.

"I think it is up to him, it's also up to the clubs who can come around knocking and take him away, but I wish him all the best as well.

"He's a good boy, he has proved a lot of people wrong, he has established himself and I sincerely hope he does well."

England manager Gareth Southgate has called up West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen and Leicester City's James Justin for the first time, while Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori return.

The Three Lions face Germany, Italy and Hungary next month in the Nations League, with England confirming a 27-man squad on Tuesday.

Bowen, who scored 18 goals for West Ham this season to help David Moyes' side finish seventh in the Premier League and reach the Europa League semi-finals, "was in the frame" to be called up in March, according to Southgate, but did not make the cut.

Only Harry Kane scored more goals in all competitions over the 2021-22 season among Englishmen in the Premier League.

Leicester full-back Justin is a surprise choice, though his ability to fill in at left-back may have seen him get the nod, with Luke Shaw having missed the end of the season due to injury and Ben Chilwell only making his Chelsea comeback on Sunday.

Jordan Henderson does not feature despite being set to play in this weekend's Champions League final with Liverpool, though his club-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold is included. Tyrone Mings and Eric Dier miss out in defence.

"We felt like Hendo [Henderson] we didn't need to see this summer. Trent is slightly different," Southgate told a news conference on Tuesday.

Tomori, who has enjoyed a brilliant season with Serie A champions Milan, is called up in Mings' place, while another English player to thrive in Serie A this season – Roma striker Abraham – is also present. 

A first-half double against Torino on Friday saw Abraham become the highest-scoring English player in a single season in the Italian top flight, surpassing the previous mark of 16 set by Gerald Hitchens at Inter in 1961-62. 

Kyle Walker makes his return after recovering from injury, while Kieran Trippier is also recalled. Reece James figures as well in a defence stacked with right-backs.

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi is included, though Southgate confirmed the centre-back has a knock, while Harry Maguire is the only Manchester United player to feature in the squad, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho unsurprisingly absent again.

Similarly, there is no place for Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe, while James Maddison has been overlooked despite a strong season with Leicester.

England begin their Nations League campaign against Hungary on June 4, before taking on Germany in Munich three days later.

Italy face the Three Lions at Molineux on June 11 in a repeat of the Euro 2020 final, while Hungary also visit Wolverhampton on June 14.

England squad in full: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Wolves), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), James Justin (Leicester City) Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal); Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton); Tammy Abraham (Roma), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City).

Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso says both teams should be described as "mentality monsters" ahead of Saturday's Champions League final.

Alonso played for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009, before moving to Madrid where he also spent five seasons, winning the Champions League with both clubs.

The English and Spanish giants meet at the Stade de France at the weekend in a repeat of the 2018 final, which Madrid won 3-1 in Kyiv.

Speaking to BT Sport, Alonso expressed his admiration for Reds boss Jurgen Klopp and his ability to get the most from his team.

"Jurgen, I have played many times against him," he said. "He is intense, he is very passionate and I think that one of his best qualities is that he is able to get the best from his players and he is able for them to commit in a very generous way and create proper teams.

"Each manager, I think they have their own way, their own book. Some managers, they do it on a tactical way, on a very analytical way. There are others that like to create more of that connection, to give that freedom, but you need to know the players.

"You need to be able to give them the right recipe for them to show their best level. That’s the beauty - you don't have just one way, you have many different ways and Carlo [Ancelotti] is different to Jurgen, Jurgen is different to Pep [Guardiola], Pep is different to Thomas Tuchel to Xavi, so they are all different."

Klopp regularly refers to his Liverpool team as "mentality monsters" in relation to their ability to respond to adversity and find a way to win, and Alonso believes this is an accurate assessment, but also feels Ancelotti's men have the same attribute.

"I love when Jurgen says that they are 'mentality monsters' because to do what they are doing, it is not easy," he said. "It's not just this year, it's what they have been doing for the last few years and they have that mentality.

"But, another thing is the final. The final, it is a big one and when you need to show that mentality because Madrid, they are other mentality monsters, so it's a big, big clash that we are going to have. Enjoy it.

"I was in Kyiv a few years ago and it was great to enjoy with two of my teams. It's not all about the final, it's also about reaching the final and enjoying it with the crowd. I was there with friends from Madrid and friends from Liverpool and I am kind of in the middle of both teams, so I will win whatever happens.

"[They are] both great teams, they both deserve [to win] so I will feel for one not to get it.

"We will see. It's the Champions League final so just enjoy it."

Athletic Bilbao will be searching for a new head coach ahead of next season after Marcelino confirmed he is leaving the club.

Marcelino took over at the Basque club on January 3, 2021. He took Athletic to the Supercopa de Espana title later that month.

Athletic also made the final of the 2021-22 edition of the tournament but lost to Real Madrid, while former Villarreal and Valencia coach Marcelino oversaw two Copa del Rey final defeats – one of which was delayed from the 2019-20 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Marcelino's side made the semi-finals of this season's Copa, beating both Barcelona and Madrid, but they lost over two legs to Valencia, who were beaten by Real Betis in the final.

The 56-year-old's contract expires at the end of June and will not be renewed. He took Athletic to eighth in LaLiga in the 2021-22 season, following on from a 10th-placed finish in the previous campaign.

Marcelino oversaw 59 league games in total, winning 19 (32.2 per cent) and losing 17, with his team scoring 70 goals while conceding 59 in return, averaging 1.36 points per game.

Marcelino told a news conference on Tuesday: "We believe the time has come to step aside and bring an end to a beautiful story. We're proud to have had the privilege of coaching Athletic Club.

"Thank you to everyone, I wish you all the success in the future. This is not a goodbye. You will always be in our hearts. Always.

"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to the fans. We were orphans while the pandemic attacked us. Then I found out what it really means to be at San Mames as Athletic's coach.

"We have had some magical nights and unforgettable moments."

Athletic, who lost 1-0 to Sevilla in their final game of the season, have been linked with Mauricio Pochettino, should the former Tottenham boss be dismissed by Paris Saint-Germain.

Carlo Ancelotti has hit back after Mohamed Salah spoke of being on a Champions League revenge mission, declaring that Real Madrid have their own score to settle.

Saturday's final at the Stade de France in Paris comes four years after Madrid beat Liverpool in Kyiv to lift the trophy, when Salah was injured in an early heavy challenge by Sergio Ramos and had to be substituted.

Without their star man for much of the game, Liverpool lost the match 3-1 as substitute Gareth Bale hit a second-half double, and a sense of injustice has lingered for Salah.

"That final of 2018 could be a motivation for Salah, but Madrid also lost a final in Paris to Liverpool," said Ancelotti. "So we could also want to avenge a defeat in a Champions League final.

"He's a great player, a danger man, but they can look back at 2018 and we can look back at the final in 1981."

It was not the most persuasive of arguments from Ancelotti, given the 1981 European Cup final took place before any of the players involved this week were born, and there was no controversy in Liverpool's 1-0 victory to match the manhandling of Salah four years ago by Madrid's then captain Ramos.

Ramos moved on from Madrid to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season so will not be involved in the rematch, while Ancelotti stepped in to succeed Zinedine Zidane.

Should Madrid win, Ancelotti will become the first head coach or manager to win the Champions League or European Cup four times. He is currently level with Zidane and former Liverpool boss Bob Paisley with three titles.

"It would be a good personal achievement, but anything can happen in a final," said Ancelotti.

"I'm not obsessed with individual accolades. It isn't top of my wish list. I take it one day at a time, prepare the game and the build-up to the final. 

"The stats are there and when I retire I'll look back at these stats and might be able to say I've won four Champions League titles, but right now I don't think about it."

Ancelotti won the Champions League in 2003 and 2007 with Milan, who beat Liverpool in the latter final, before leading Madrid to 'La Decima' – an unprecedented 10th title – in 2014, during his first spell at Madrid.

He said this season's performance from Madrid has been "huge", after they went close to being eliminated at each knock-out stage, by Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City.

"I don't think we've seen teams more committed than us, but that won't be enough to win the final," Ancelotti said. "You've got to have the same desire, commitment and motivation and play well to win the final.

"Hopefully we don't have to come from behind. We'd like Liverpool to have to for once."

Ancelotti was reminded that Tuesday marked exactly 30 years since his last game as a player, a season-ending 8-2 win at Foggia that capped an unbeaten Serie A campaign. He pointed out that the game turned when he was substituted at half-time, when Milan were 2-1 down.

His Milan ties have remained strong, and he sent the club a message of congratulations after they wrapped up the Serie A title on Sunday.

Milan have won the European Cup or Champions League on seven occasions, which is second only to Madrid's haul of 13 and one ahead of both Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

Now there lies a genuine incentive for Ancelotti to stop Jurgen Klopp's Reds.

"My Milanese friends tell me not to let them win," he said, "so they don't equal the seven of Milan."

The ball used for Saturday's Champions League final will carry a message of peace, and will be auctioned off following the match.

The final will be held in Paris, with 13-time champions Real Madrid taking on Liverpool in a repeat of the 2018 showdown.

That match four years ago was held in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which has been under attack from Russia since the end of February.

Sport has united in its condemnation of Russia's actions, with football no different.

This year's Champions League showpiece was meant to be held in St Petersburg, but UEFA swiftly moved the match to Paris following Russia's invasion.

Russian clubs, meanwhile, will be unable to compete in UEFA competitions, while Russia's national team were removed from their World Cup qualifying play-off by FIFA.

Adidas, the manufacturers of this season's Champions League ball, have now revealed the match ball for the final.

The special edition ball will not be available for retail, and instead will be auctioned to help fund humanitarian efforts. It will also be inscribed with the words 'мир | PEACE'.

An Adidas statement read: "Using one of sport's biggest stages as an opportunity to unite the world in a global message of peace... the match ball will be auctioned after the game with the proceeds going to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to help protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution."

"Placed on the ball in bold lettering as a statement from UEFA, 'мир' in Cyrillic script can be translated as 'peace', which sits above the word in English – PEACE.

"The ball is designed to carry a simple message of peace, belonging, and hope that will be passed from player to player with every kick of the ball and beyond the Stade de France to the furthest corners of the world. The broader design of the ball is noticeably devoid of colour, featuring pure white panels to symbolise truce and unity."

Robert Kovac has been appointed as Wolfsburg's new head coach following a topsy-turvy season for the Bundesliga side.

Wolfsburg began the 2021-22 campaign with Marc van Bommel at the helm, but he was dismissed in October after a promising start tailed off dramatically.

Successor Florian Kohfeldt inspired a brief upturn in form, only for a nine-match winless run to see the team fall from the European places in November to a potential relegation battle in January.

Kohfeldt remained at the helm as Wolfsburg recovered to secure a mid-table finish, although he was sacked following the final-day draw with champions Bayern Munich.

Next, Wolfsburg have turned to Kovac, who was last in work at Monaco in Ligue 1.

He has signed a three-year contract and will aim to repeat the successes of his previous Bundesliga stints, winning the DFB-Pokal with Eintracht Frankfurt and both the league and cup at Bayern Munich.

"I am a child of the Bundesliga," Kovac said, "and the desire and motivation are very great to open another successful chapter with the Wolves."

Former Bayern coach Kovac, who also has experience with Croatia, left Monaco during Ligue 1's winter break at the start of this year.

The principality club subsequently enjoyed a stunning late-season run under Philippe Clement to finish third and enter next season's Champions League qualifying rounds.

Carlo Ancelotti said he would "respect" Kylian Mbappe's decision to stay at Paris Saint-Germain and turn down Real Madrid, as the coach attempted to move on from the saga.

Mbappe was widely expected to leave the French league behind and move to Madrid on a free transfer at the end of this season, with the red carpet ready to be rolled out for the World Cup winner's arrival.

Yet the 23-year-old was eventually persuaded to sign a lucrative three-year contract in Paris, a jolt to the system for Madrid and LaLiga, with league president Javier Tebas left seething and questioning how PSG's finances could allow for such a deal.

Ancelotti has a Champions League final coming up on Saturday as Madrid face Liverpool, and a news conference on Tuesday gave him an opportunity to answer Mbappe questions before game-day comes closer.

His responses were predictably curt, and the Italian said: "We haven't talked about players who don't form part of this club.

"We respect the player and his decision, and we've got to work hard and of course we've got something big coming up which is the final."

Asked again about Mbappe, Ancelotti said: "I don't talk about players who aren't here, who aren't Real Madrid footballers."

Mbappe had said it was a dream of his to pull on the famous white shirt of Madrid, but his snub to Los Blancos may mean that never happens.

In an interview with Marca, published on Tuesday, Mbappe said: "I think it's disrespectful to say that my dream is to play for Real Madrid after signing my contract just a few days ago.

"The dream is fine, but today I am only focused on my new contract, in the present. You never know what can happen... I have a three-year contract, but for the moment I have to focus on my year at PSG."

PSG were eliminated by Madrid in the last-16 stage of the Champions League, and the French club have never won the Champions League.

By contrast, Madrid will be chasing a 14th such title when they tackle Liverpool, in a match that by a quirk of fate takes place in Paris.

Mbappe insisted his decision to commit to the Ligue 1 champions was not a question of money.

"People can talk about what they want, but everyone knows me. I have spoken with everyone at Real Madrid, I have spoken with PSG, and they know that I have never discussed money with the president, with Florentino Perez, or with Nasser Al-Khelaifi," Mbappe said.

"My lawyer talked a little about money, as did my mother, but I didn't. I talk about sport because I talk on the pitch. 

"My money goes to my account, I look at it a bit, but I don't care. I am here to win titles, to show that I am the best and to be happy. I think right now I'm happy."

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is set to announce a September trilogy fight against Gennadiy Golovkin, meaning his rematch with Dmitry Bivol must wait.

Alvarez suffered only the second defeat of his professional career against Bivol this month after stepping up to light heavyweight.

The Mexican has a rematch option, which he intends to activate, but first will face Golovkin for a third time at super middleweight, he told ESPN.

"We already had that contract [with Golovkin], that agreement, so we have to continue what we started," he said.

"I think those are the two biggest fights in boxing, the fight with Golovkin and the rematch with Bivol.

"Unfortunately, we lost [to Bivol], but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try again. The important thing here is perseverance and we're going to do it again.

"What is certain is that we are going to return in September. And in the coming days, we are going to announce the fight."

A controversial split draw between Alvarez and Golovkin in September 2017 was followed by a Canelo win a year later. That remains the sole defeat of Golovkin's career.