Luciano Spalletti said Napoli "will never stop thanking" Kalidou Koulibaly should he depart for Chelsea, as reports suggested the Senegal captain was edging closer to a move.

Koulibaly has made 236 Serie A appearances since joining Napoli from Belgian outfit Genk in 2014, including 27 as the Partenopei finished third last season.

Napoli vice president Edoardo De Laurentiis admitted he was unsure why Koulibaly was yet to extend his contract with the club last week, and reports on Tuesday suggested he could be set for a move to the Premier League.

Chelsea are reportedly locked in negotiations to seal a €40million (£33.7m) move for the 31-year-old, who has just one year remaining on his deal in Naples, and Spalletti says he will harbour no ill-will towards the defensive colossus if he departs.

"I always remain of the same opinion. I always prefer Koulibaly to everyone," Spalletti said, during a question-and-answer session with fans. 

"It is easy for me because he, as a Napoli player, is the one who has the highest average points. When he was on the pitch, we scored more points. 

"Should he choose to go, we will never stop thanking him for everything he taught us and for everything he gave us to make us play in the Champions League this year. 

"He is very good, very strong. This year he would also be captain [if he chose to stay].

"If he will choose different things, we will wish him the best because he deserves it all, and woe to anyone who will tell him something if he has to make different choices."

Koulibaly's departure would be a significant blow for Napoli, who have already lost Lorenzo Insigne on a free transfer during the off-season, with the Italy star heading to Major League Soccer side Toronto FC.

And Spalletti says Napoli are assessing all options as they look to improve their squad: "We are making evaluations. We have lost [Dries] Mertens [who is yet to agree a contract renewal], Insigne and [David] Ospina. 

"For the others there are possibilities, so we don't know. These players are important references, but we have very strong young people who can become leaders of this team."

One player to have been strongly linked with Napoli is former Juventus forward Paulo Dybala, who remains a free agent after departing the Turin giants at the end of his contract last month.

"Who knows? The ways of the lord are infinite," De Laurentiis quipped when asked whether Napoli could target the Argentine on Sunday, and Spalletti says he admires the 28-year-old.

"Many like Dybala because he has the qualities to give solutions to a team," he added. "He is a player who has imagination, inspiration, a great foot, takes set pieces very well, scores goals. 

"We would try to make him grow a little bit. He's perfect in the way of being a strong team player."

Andy Murray stormed to a straight-sets win over Sam Querrey at the Hall of Fame Open in Rhode Island, while 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem earned his first victory in over a year in Sweden.

Murray needed less than an hour to record a 6-2 6-0 triumph over the big-serving American, setting up a last-16 meeting with Australia's Max Purcell.

Three-time grand slam champion Murray hobbled out of his last meeting with Querrey at the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2017, a defeat which marked the start of his injury woes.

But he produced a polished display on the grass to wrap up his eighth career win over the American on Tuesday.

Elsewhere in Rhode Island, eighth seed James Duckworth battled to a 6-2 4-6 6-2 win over Liam Broady, and seventh seed Jiri Vesely raced to a 6-4 6-2 triumph against Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

Meanwhile, Thiem ended a 426-day wait for a Tour-level win by overcoming Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-5) at the Swedish Open.

The Austrian, who has won 17 career titles, halted a run of 10 consecutive losses on the ATP Tour with his first triumph since he beat Marton Fucsovics at the last-32 stage of the Internazionali d'Italia in May 2021.

The 28-year-old expressed his delight at ending his drought in the aftermath, saying: "It's a long time. My last victory was in Rome in 2021, it feels like a different world somehow.

"Many, many things happened. It was tough, but it was also a very good experience I think, for life in general. I'm so happy that I got this first victory here today."

Thiem will face fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the last 16, while Sebastien Baez will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after the former beat Fabio Fognini in straight sets.

The round of 32 did see two shock exits, however, with seventh seed Holger Rune succumbing to a 6-3 6-3 defeat against Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler, and Nikoloz Basilashvili being forced to retire at one set down against Hugo Gaston.

Also, Francisco Cerundolo beat Pedro Sousa to set up an enticing clash with top seed Casper Ruud.

Top seed Danielle Collins suffered a shock defeat in a marathon first-round match with Simona Waltert at the Ladies Open Lausanne.

Collins, ranked a career-high seventh in the world, lost to a player 147 places below her as home hope Waltert prevailed in a final set tie-break.

The American battled back from a break down three times in the final set and had three match points in the tie-break.

But Collins could not find the telling blow as Waltert improbably turned the tide to win five successive points, and claim her first top-10 win 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-6 (8-6) after three hours and one minute of play.

Meanwhile, Waltert's compatriot Belinda Bencic survived a scare to avoid joining Collins on the casualty list, recovering from a set down to beat Diane Parry 3-6 6-3 6-1.

World number 77 Parry has claimed notable recent scalps in former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova at Roland Garros and Kaia Kanepi at Wimbledon, but was denied another as the second seed hit back to advance. 

But there was no joy for fifth seed Nuria Parrizas-Diaz, who suffered defeat to Petra Martic, while eighth seed Varvara Gracheva lost to qualifier Eva Lys.

However, third seed Irina-Camelia Begu overcame Tamara Korpatsch in straight sets and sixth seed Caroline Garcia - fresh off a fourth-round run at Wimbledon - defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-3.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, second seed Martina Trevisan came from a set down to survive against Natalia Szabanin and third seed Yulia Putintseva and ninth seed Anna Bondar also prevailed.

Defenseman Duncan Keith announced his retirement on Tuesday after an illustrious 17-year career in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers.

Considered one of the best blue-liners of the past two decades, Keith helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2015 as the playoff MVP.

He also earned two Norris Trophies in 2010 and 2014, making him one of only 12 players in NHL history to win the award given to the league's top defensemen twice.

A second-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2002, the 38-year-old spent his first 16 seasons in Chicago before being traded to the Oilers prior to last season.

Known as a two-way defenseman and an adept stick-handler, Keith finished his career with 106 goals and 540 assists in 1,256 regular-season games. Since his 2005-06 rookie season, Keith's 646 points and 159 +/- rating both rank fourth among all defenseman, while only Kris Russell blocked more shots (2,044) than Keith's 2,010.

Named one of the 100 Greatest Players during the NHL's Centennial season in 2017, Keith also routinely rose to the occasion and displayed his phenomenal endurance the longer the season went on, adding another 19 goals and 72 assists in 151 playoff games.

During Chicago's run to its third Cup title in a six-year span in 2015, Keith tallied three goals and 21 points in 23 playoff games with a plus-16 rating while averaging 31:07 minutes per game in ice time.

Brentford have completed the signing of Keane Lewis-Potter from Hull City for a reported £16million, a club-record fee.

The highly-rated youngster has penned an initial six-year deal at the Brentford Community Stadium, with reports suggesting the overall package could be worth £20m.

Lewis-Potter is the second purchase of pre-season for the Bees following Aaron Hickey, who was briefly Brentford's record signing when he joined from Bologna for £14m last week.

The versatile forward is an England Under-21 international and came through the youth ranks at Hull, with 2021-22 being a particularly productive season for him.

Lewis-Potter, 21, scored 13 goals and assisted a further four, which drew plenty of interest from the Premier League.

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank told the club's website after the signing was announced: "I am pleased that we have managed to sign one of the biggest young talents in the Championship.

"He had a very good season last year. He scored 13 goals and contributed four assists in a team that were fighting a little bit towards the bottom of the league. Those are impressive numbers.

"We have a player who scores his goals by arriving in the box and attacking the last line. He gets in the position to convert the chances made for him. He is a flexible player, he can play both sides, as a striker and as a 10 if we want to do that. He has a very good mentality.

"He fits the Brentford model perfectly. He is a good young player who we think has the qualities to play in the Premier League now. He will also develop even further."

According to Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer, it's no guarantee that Baker Mayfield will be the team's starting quarterback in Week 1 against his former Cleveland Browns team-mates. 

With Carolina’s acquisition of Mayfield from Cleveland for a conditional fifth-round draft pick in 2024 official, Fitterer met with the media on Tuesday and said the starting QB job is up for grabs with Mayfield, Sam Darnold, third-year pro P.J. Walker and rookie Matt Corral all in the mix. 

"The reason why we added Baker was to make the group better as a whole," Fitterer said. "Our whole philosophy is to add competition not just in the quarterback room but every position. 

"So if we see an opportunity to get better, where we can add a player that makes sense for us as a team, makes sense for us financially, makes sense for us just from an addition standpoint, we're going to do that. 

"And with Baker being out there, having the conversations, it made sense for us."

Mayfield went 29-30 in 59 regular-season starts with the Browns after they selected him first overall in 2018. Darnold was taken two picks later by the New York Jets, who traded him to Carolina in April 2021. 

Darnold appeared in 12 games last year in his first season with Carolina and went 4-7 in 11 starts. 

"Sam really had a nice spring for us, stepped up, showed a lot of edge, threw the ball really well," Fitterer said. "And I think competition would be good for him, would be good for P.J., it's good for Matt Corral — the young guy that's going to be in the room learning. And it's good for Baker. It's a fresh start for him. 

"So I think overall, it's a very healthy situation for us all to be in."

Potentially starting against the Browns in the season opener has Mayfield excited. 

"I'm not going to sit here and be a robot and tell you that's not one I've marked on the calendar already," Mayfield said. 

"One, that's not who I am. To me, it's about winning games. Whoever we have marked on the schedule, I'm going to try to win. 

“Obviously, this one has a little more history and personal meaning, but for me, it's about winning and setting the tone for the rest of the year, and however I can help this team do that, I'm going to do." 

Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool "hate" their pre-season defeat to Manchester United in Bangkok, but admitted he was satisfied to get minutes into the majority of his squad.

The Reds were downed 4-0 by their rivals as part of a tour of the Far East, with goals for Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri helping new boss Erik ten Hag to a win in his first game in charge.

Liverpool returned to pre-season training a week later than United, with some of their stars who took part in internationals in June only joining up with their team-mates over the weekend.

That meant Klopp chose to rotate the majority of his players in stints throughout the friendly, using 32 players in all, and the German admitted that after a truncated build-up for his squad, he was more relieved to give them game-time despite his frustration at the result.

"Obviously the game came a little bit too early for us, for some of our boys," he told the club's website after the clash in Thailand that saw new signings Fabio Carvalho and Darwin Nunez make their first appearances. "I think we agree that we saw a lot of good things in this game.

"But in the decisive moments we were not clear enough with finishing our situations off. We gave massive chances away. United did well in these moments, they finished the situations off.

"The most important thing now after the game, even when I hate losing, everybody has 30 minutes in their legs now."

According to Opta, Liverpool actually had a higher expected goals rate (xG) in the game of 1.7 to United's 1.5, taking 18 shots to their more ruthless opponents' nine.

Liverpool will complete their trip to Asia with a clash on Friday against Crystal Palace in Singapore, before they head back to Europe for matches in Germany and Austria against RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg.

Klopp admitted the time differences and frantic schedule presented difficulties, but took time to hail the club's hosts in Bangkok, who provided a raucous atmosphere at Rajamangala Stadium.

"It's tough but [we are] not on tours for a long time, so we do it now and from here to Singapore," he added. "I think we fly two-and-a-half hours so that should be fine. Then on Saturday we already go home again, so that's fine.

"The welcome here was fantastic and I am pretty sure in Singapore it will be similar. It was really, really good but [it was just] not the result we wanted [in the end]."

Erik ten Hag was impressed by Manchester United's "great spirit" after they kicked off their pre-season tour with a 4-0 win over Liverpool.

The Red Devils recorded a comfortable victory against an understrength Reds side in Bangkok thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri, while Tyrell Malacia made his bow for the club.

Jurgen Klopp's Champions League finalists utilised a much-rotated team throughout the friendly encounter, while United started with close to a full-strength XI, resulting in something of a lopsided result.

But Ten Hag, who succeed interim boss Ralf Rangnick at the end of last season, still had positives to take from the fixture ahead of his side flying out to Australia to continue their preparations for the new term.

"Of course we are satisfied today, because I think they were a team with a great spirit," he told MUTV. "We know we have just started.

"We made some mistakes in pressing, we conceded some chances, but also we created a lot. Our team played bravely. We are happy with the first game.

"I know we have good players. Now we have to make a [good] team. [It will] take a lot of time.

"Liverpool were not at their strongest, so we will not overestimate this, but still, I have seen some really good things. We have potential."

Ten Hag's men next travel to Victoria to face Melbourne Victory – who could deploy former United winger Nani – on July 15, before tests against fellow Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.

An exciting finish to Stage 10 of the Tour de France saw Magnus Cort finish ahead of Nick Schultz by a matter of inches in Megeve.

With under three kilometres left, Schultz and Matteo Jorgenson caught up with Luis Leon Sanchez at the front, only for the chasing pack, including Cort, to also reach them in the closing stages.

After a few attempted to break away, it was Schultz and Cort who ultimately did so, with the victor uncertain as they both crossed the line.

Replays showed that Cort narrowly took it, and the Dane said following the race after his second Tour de France victory that it was the lure of another stage win on the tour that motivated him to push harder.

"Unbelievable," the EF Education-EasyPost rider said. "I was on the limit for so long on this climb, and luckily I had [Alberto] Bettiol up front and he was really strong, which meant I could sit on, and save some energy.

"I was losing the group a couple of times in the last few kilometres. Suddenly it was all back together and I was able to take it in the sprint.

"[The win] was huge. For me, my type of rider, it can't be any bigger than this... In my first tour I won a stage and I've been a few times without. It's unbelievable to do it again.

"When we entered the runway and I could see things coming back together, I could see the podium and the logo of the Tour de France, I thought 'I have to take this, no matter the price.'"

The 148.5-kilometre stage was always likely to be dominated by a breakaway of some sort, with 25 riders doing so, including Lennard Kamna who moved into the virtual yellow jersey for a brief period.

While Tadej Pogacar lost time in the overall classification, he remained ahead atop the GC by 11 seconds, having understandably ridden a conservative race after losing UAE-Emirates Team member George Bennett for the rest of the tour due to COVID-19.

Protest almost halts Tour de France in its tracks  

The race was briefly halted with 36km still to go as protestors demonstrated in the middle of the road. The leader at the time, Bettiol, was given a new start when it resumed, with the 24 chasers and then the peloton following.

It was not the first confusing moment of the day, with the race's start also delayed due to Cofidis rider Benjamin Thomas having an issue with his shoes.

STAGE RESULTS

1. Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) 3:18:50
2. Nick Schultz (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) same time
3. Luis Leon Sanchez (Bahrain Victorious) +0:07
4. Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) +0:08
5. Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:10

CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS 

General Classification

1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) 37:11:28
2. Lennard Kamna (BORA-Hansgrohe) +0:11
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +0:39

Points Classification

1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 284
2. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 149
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) 139

King of the Mountains

1. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) 19
2. Bob Jungels (AG2R Citroen) 18
3. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) 14

Jasprit Bumrah recorded an incredible six-wicket haul as India wrecked England's batting order en route to a 10-wicket ODI win at a stunned Oval. 

The imperious Bumrah took centre stage as the tourists dismissed four of England's top batters for ducks during a sensational start on Tuesday, finishing 6-19 as he led a scintillating attack.

England's total of 110 all out represented their lowest in a men's ODI since they registered just 99 against Sri Lanka in 2014, and their lowest ever score against India in the format.

Bumrah, meanwhile, recorded the best-ever figures by an Indian bowler against England in one-day cricket, before Rohit Sharma's 76 not out completed India's crushing victory in rapid fashion, the chase completed in just 18.4 overs.

Jason Roy (0) was the first to fall victim to Bumrah's terrific display in a chastening start for the hosts, with Joe Root's (0) second-ball dismissal following before the end of the second over.

Mohammed Shami then stepped up to remove Ben Stokes for a golden duck before Bumrah returned to send in-form Jonny Bairstow (7) and Liam Livingstone packing – the latter for yet another duck – as the hosts collapsed to 26-5.

A recovery of-sorts led by skipper Jos Buttler (30) saw England edge past their worst-ever score in the format (86 against Australia in 2001), but it proved little consolation as Bumrah finished the hosts off with the wickets of Brydon Carse (15) and David Willey (21).

As expected, India had little trouble in cruising to that target, doing so without loss as opening par Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan (31no) sealed a lead for India in the three-match series. 

Brilliant Bumrah breaks new ground

Bumrah's six-wicket haul left England shell-shocked and represented the best display of his ODI career, surpassing a return of 5-27 against Sri Lanka in 2017.

Meanwhile, his 6-19 represents the best ever performance by any bowler at The Oval, as well as the fourth-best at any ground in England.

Ducks galore as woeful England slump

England left themselves with little chance of competing with India after losing four of their top six batters to ducks (Roy, Root, Stokes and Livingstone).

Not since England did likewise against Australia in January 2018 had such a fate befallen any side in a men's ODI contest.

Wolves have confirmed the signing of central defender Nathan Collins from Burnley for a reported fee of £20.5million.

Collins, who made 19 Premier League appearances as Burnley suffered relegation to the Championship last term, has signed a five-year contract with the option of a further 12 months at Molineux.

The 21-year-old, who has won six caps for the Republic of Ireland, has become the most expensive player in Irish history by completing his switch.

The fee paid by Bruno Lage's men eclipses the reported £19m Liverpool paid Tottenham for Robbie Keane in 2008, as Wolves look to build on last season's 10th-placed Premier League finish.

Technical director Scott Sellars told the club's website: "We're getting someone who is physically very good, very tall, very athletic, and is very comfortable on the ball – he can step in and take the ball forward, which is what we need. 

"He's very good in both boxes and has real aerial strength. The feedback on his personality is about his leadership qualities, he's a good character, so he ticks all the boxes."

Collins is expected to compete with Conor Coady, Max Kilman and Willy Boly for a starting spot at Molineux, after Wolves lost fellow defender Romain Saiss on a free transfer to Besiktas.

Formula One's former race director Michael Masi has left motorsport's world governing body, the FIA.

The Australian was stood down by the organisation from his position in February following his controversial actions during the 2021 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Masi incorrectly applied safety car rules during the closing stages, effectively helping to hand the race win – and with it, the drivers' championship – to Max Verstappen over rival Lewis Hamilton.

The FIA, which put the mistake down to "human error", initially said it would offer Masi an alternative position after the rotating duo of Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich took his place for the 2022 season.

But now it has been announced by the FIA that Masi, who took the race director position following Charlie Whiting's death on the eve of the 2019 season, will move on from the organisation.

"The FIA confirms that Michael Masi has decided to leave the FIA and relocate to Australia to be closer to his family and take on new challenges," read an official statement.

"He oversaw a three-year period as FIA Formula One race director and safety delegate following the sudden passing of Charlie Whiting in 2019, carrying out the numerous functions he was tasked with in a professional and dedicated manner.

"The FIA thanks him for his commitment and wishes him the best for the future."