Robert Lewandowski's strained relationship with Bayern Munich can be fixed, according to sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic. 

With just one year remaining on his contract, Lewandowski has made clear his desire to leave Bayern ahead of the 2022-23 season. 

The prolific striker said "something has died" within him at the Bavarian giants, who are reportedly expected to turn down an offer worth €40million for the 33-year-old from Barcelona. 

Salihamidzic told Sky he had "a very good conversation" with Lewandowski and his agent Pini Zahavi last week in Mallorca, with Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn also in attendance. 

The meeting left Salihamidzic optimistic that the relationship between the club and player can be repaired. 

"I'm convinced [it can be fixed]. He's a professional and has big objectives in his career. That's why it's fixable," said Salihamidzic. 

"Up to now it's 100 per cent [that he'll stay]. July 12 is his first day in training, so I'm expecting him. But I'm not dealing with it now because he had other things to do. It's become a little bit quieter. We still have a lot to do. 

"I never deal with things that are in the air at the time. I can only repeat: he has a contract until 2023. He is welcome in Munich on July 12 and will be there for the first training session – I'm expecting him, at least. 

"We had a very good conversation [in Mallorca] ... We talked and each side explained their position, but we also didn't want to talk about the details. But it was a good conversation." 

Winger Serge Gnabry will also be out of contract at the Allianz Arena next year but Salihamidzic is hopeful an extension to his deal can be agreed in the coming weeks. 

"He's a great boy. We really want to keep him. We'd love for him to stay. I think we showed him the necessary appreciation. I hope he decides to stay with Bayern," he said. 

"We'll start to intensify the talks over the next few weeks. But if a player doesn't want to choose the club, then it's only fair to tell us, so a solution can be found that makes everyone involved happy." 

Real Madrid begin the defence of their LaLiga title on the road against Almeria, with the fixtures for the 2022-23 season confirmed on Thursday.

Xavi's first full season in charge of Barcelona begins at the Nou Camp against Rayo Vallecano, while Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid kick off their campaign away from home against Getafe.

Elsewhere on the opening matchday, Sevilla travel to Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao host Mallorca and play-off winners Girona face Valencia.

The LaLiga season begins on August 12 and will run until a mid-season break for the World Cup in Qatar, with the campaign pausing on November 13 and resuming on December 29.

Germany has given the go-ahead for transgender and non-binary footballers to decide for themselves whether to play for men's or women's teams.

The landmark move, announced on Thursday by the DFB, Germany's football federation, will come into effect from the start of the 2022-23 season.

It comes in the week that swimming's world governing body FINA said transgender women would not be allowed to compete in women's elite swimming events if they had previously experienced any physical aspects of male puberty.

FINA president Husain Al-Musallam said swimming was acting "to protect competitive fairness at our events", and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe offered supportive comments that appeared to point to his sport possibly soon following suit.

German football is taking a different view for now, with the decision hailed by Thomas Hitzlsperger, the former Aston Villa, Stuttgart and Germany midfielder who is now a DFB diversity ambassador.

Hitzlsperger said: "Football stands for diversity, a value that the DFB also promotes. This new regulation on playing rights will provide an important foundation to allow players with diverse gender identities to play football."

The DFB said transgender, intersex and non-binary footballers "can decide for themselves in the future whether they should be granted the right to play for a women's or men's team".

Any player taking medication while undergoing gender reassignment would be able to continue to do so, without being at risk of failing a drug test.

A DFB statement added: "As long as the player's health is not affected by playing sports while taking medication, they can continue to participate in the sport. Under the new regulation, this would not be considered as doping."

The DFB said its decision was based on evidence stemming from research from the Berlin Football Association, which has operated a pilot scheme from 2019 allowing transgender, intersex and non-binary players to decide in what competition they should play.

The trial has "shown that this directive will not affect the integrity of the competition", the DFB said, and regional 'trustees' will be appointed to help players through the process of being granted playing eligibility.

Sabine Mammitzsch, the DFB's vice-president for women's and girls' football, said: "The national and regional associations and also those responsible at grassroots level have signalled for some time that there is uncertainty around how to treat trans, intersex and non-binary players in practice.

"They therefore welcome the introduction of a far-reaching, nationwide regulation on the playing rights of these groups."

Neymar's former agent Wagner Ribiero believes the Brazilian is not about to leave Paris Saint-Germain as he is still dreaming of Champions League glory with the French champions.

The 30-year-old is contracted in Paris until 2025, but there have been rumours that PSG could look to offload him, having signed Lionel Messi in 2021 and recently renewing Kylian Mbappe's contract.

A return to Barcelona has long been muted for Neymar, with whom he won the Champions League with in 2014-15, while he has also previously spoken about his desire to play in the United States. 

However, when quizzed about Neymar's future, Ribiero made it clear his understanding that the former Santos starlet is not considering an exit and has his eyes firmly set on ending PSG's wait for Champions League glory.

"Neymar has a dream: to be champion of the Champions League with PSG," he told Goal.

"Despite all the rumours regarding a possible exit, he is very motivated and will not stop until he achieves it."

Asked whether Neymar likes the project at PSG, he added: "Of course. Every year that passes Nasser Al-Khelaifi (club president) improves the team in every way.

"They just finished the training centre, which will be one of the best. And now he wants to have the best French players at PSG."

Since Neymar joined PSG in 2017, the French giants have been eliminated at the quarter-final stage in three of the five seasons – finishing runners-up in 2019-20 and falling at the semi-finals the following year.

During that period, Neymar has scored 20 Champions League goals and secured 13 assists – with the only player to have more assists in the same period being team-mate Mbappe.

England defender Lucy Bronze says the choice to move to Barcelona was a "no-brainer" and that she always draws confidence from the interest of big teams.

The Lionesses full-back has made the switch to Spain from Manchester City, electing to stay in Europe despite speculation she was set to head to the United States for the next step in her career.

Having previously played for Lyon, where she was a three-time Champions League winner, it marks another move to the continent for the 87-cap veteran.

"I had offers from Lyon and Barca, the two best teams in the world. It wasn't bad to be able to pick from that and make my decision," Bronze stated.

"It gives me loads of confidence as a player knowing these big teams who are so successful want to sign me."

"I knew I wanted to play abroad again. My experience at Lyon was the best time and best moments in my career," she added.

"Going out and pushing myself into a different culture, a different experience, playing with the world's best players - to have the chance to do that again was a no-brainer.

"Maybe I can't hype doing the same experience again with Barca but I would love to. I've not had that experience in England quite the same as in Lyon.

"Hopefully, I can do it again."

Shakhtar Donetsk chief exectuive Sergei Palkin has accused football agents of exploiting the war in Ukraine to negotiate the transfers of foreign players, amid FIFA's extension of concessions for foreign players registered in the country.

Earlier this week, FIFA extended temporary regulations which allowed foreign players in Ukraine to play elsewhere. Shakhtar are a special case even within this context, with the club unable to play at their home of the Donbass Arena since 2014.

The Ukrainian domestic league was suspended in February, with a restart in August mooted.

Shakhtar's Marlos, Dentinho and Junior Moraes returned to Brazil in loan deals and Tete secured a loan move to Olympique Lyon,while Dynamo Kyiv's Vitinho and Carlos de Pena also left for Brazil upon the outbreak of armed conflict.

According to the Shakhtar chief executive, some agents have pre-empted FIFA's ruling by advising clubs to divert potential transfer fees for clubs to higher commission fees for agents.

"Some agents are destroying us. They are trying to steal players," Palkin told The Athletic. "They play games, contacting clubs, saying don’t pay us [Shakhtar] and deals are being broken. You cannot imagine what is going on.

"The power to decide on suspension of the contracts is now in the hands of players' agents. It doesn't reflect the club's intention to save players and investments."

Meanwhile, the only exception is if a mutual agreement is found between clubs and foreign employees by June 30, effectively compromising the bargaining position of Ukrainian clubs.

In one example, talented Shakhtar midfielder Marcos Antonio completed a medical for Lazio this week, with the Italian club set to sign him for a reduced price.

While FIFA's ruling confirms the argument of player welfare supersedes the financial security of clubs, Palkin believes it has only given added leverage to agents that already have a significant amount.

"We now basically have nine days to agree with our players their sale or loan to foreign clubs, which is just impossible," he added.

"FIFA has not helped Ukrainian clubs by issuing regulations. On the contrary, it significantly worsened our negotiations with players and made agents even more powerful and richer."

Christopher Nkunku has signed a new deal with RB Leipzig, extending his deal with the club until 2026.

The two-year agreement for the France international comes amid recent reported transfer interest from a number of clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester United, but cements his immediate future to the Bundesliga side.

Signed from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, Nkunku has excelled at Leipzig, and broke a club record last season for most goal contributions in a single season with a direct hand in 54 goals.

Nkunku was also a part of the Leipzig side that won the club's first ever DFB-Pokal last season.

Despite reported interest from elsewhere, Nkunku has committed his future to the German side and is targeting further honours.

"I’m pleased to continue wearing the RB Leipzig shirt. After our great achievement in winning the DFB-Pokal, it remained clear that my story here isn't over yet – we want more!" He told the club's official website.

"I was really impressed with the club's efforts to keep me, so a big thanks goes to those responsible for the trust in me and especially to [CEO] Oliver Mintzlaff, with whom I was always in close contact. 

"RB Leipzig have made a name for themselves on the international stage in recent years and have shown time and again that we can compete for titles. We want to build on that going forward and go one step further.”

Leipzig begin the new season with a DFB Supercup clash against Bayern Munich on July 30, with the new Bundesliga campaign commencing away to Stuttgart on August 6.

Vincent Kompany's reign as Burnley manager will start with a difficult test on the road against Huddersfield Town.

The Championship fixtures for the 2022-23 season were released on Thursday and Kompany's first game with the Clarets, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, comes against defeated play-off finalists Huddersfield.

Burnley's relegation from the top-flight was confirmed on the final day of the season after defeat at home to Newcastle United to bring an end to a six-year spell in the Premier League, with Leeds United surviving following victory at Brentford.

Huddersfield, meanwhile, saw off Luton Town in the Championship play-off semi-finals but lost to Nottingham Forest at Wembley, denying them a return to the Premier League for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

Elsewhere, Watford's first game back in the Championship following relegation comes at home to Sheffield United, while Norwich City are on the road against Cardiff City.

Sunderland, after a four-year stint in League One, mark their return to the second tier against Coventry City, while League One champions Wigan Athletic face Preston North End.

The new season begins on July 29 with Huddersfield's hosting of Burnley and marks the start of a challenging campaign for the 24 teams in the division, who face disruption due to the World Cup in Qatar midway through the season.

Eight medical personnel who treated Diego Maradona prior to his death will stand trial for alleged criminal neglect.

On Wednesday, a judge in Argentina ordered a culpable homicide trial for the individuals, including Maradona's family doctor and nurses, with evidence they failed to take "action that could have prevented the death" in November 2020.

The Argentina and Napoli icon died at the age of 60 while recovering from a blood clot, which came after years of battling with cocaine and alcohol addictions.

Maradona was found dead two weeks after the procedure in a rented house in Buenos Aires where he was brought after being discharged from hospital, having suffered a heart attack.

Argentina's public prosecutor convened a panel of 20 medical experts last year who concluded that Maradona's treatment was rife with "deficiencies and irregularities" and said he "would have had a better chance of survival" in an adequate medical facility.

Prosecutors asked for Maradona's caregivers to be put on trial, stating he had been abandoned "to his fate" following a verdict from the medical experts that he was neglected for a "prolonged, agonizing period".

A date for the trial has not been set but the eight will stand on accounts of a legal definition of homicide characterised by negligence committed in the knowledge that it may lead to a person's death.

They risk sentences ranging from eight to 25 years in prison, though all of them have denied responsibility and are currently in pre-trial detention.

While believing 1998 was not his best year as a footballer, Zinedine Zidane has conceded he wanted to be recognised as the best player in the world.

Zidane was a talismanic figure on French soil as Les Bleus claimed their first World Cup, scoring two goals in the final against Brazil and propelling him to the Ballon d'Or.

Despite going on to scale further heights in football at both club and international level, it remained the only year he ever won the prestigious individual award.

Speaking to L'Equipe to mark his 50th birthday, Zidane revealed it is one of the few trophies he kept from an exceptional playing career, while admitting he particularly wanted the status in the game that accompanied it.

"Because I give everything, I am able to offer everything," he said. "I have almost nothing at home from my career. Two or three objects. I am not at all conservative or materialistic. When I want to see souvenirs, I go to Marseille [where his parents live]. I don't live with it.

"I was a little overconfident the weeks before the vote. I got a little fired up in a few interviews. I've never been one to say, 'I deserve this or that,' but with this Ballon d'Or, in 1998, I told myself a little bit. It wasn't really me but I really wanted to have it.

"I was the best player in the world. It does not happen often, and to me only once. There may be preferences in the votes but when you have it, you have it. You are the best player in the world at this time, and it's beautiful."

Zidane admitted to a dip in form with Juventus after the World Cup success, but believes 2000 was his best year as a footballer as he led an "unplayable" France to a second European Championship.

"After the World Cup, I was catastrophic," he said. "I no longer put one foot in front of the other. Even my friends told me: 'But it's your cousin who plays, it's your cousin who came back to Juve!' When you win a big title like the World Cup, you tend to slack off. And me, I really relaxed.

"It takes time. After January, I restarted. Very well in January and February then I injured myself. One hundred days. The season is over. Then I resumed for the 1999-2000 season with the victory at the Euro. There, I was at the top.

"For the next two or three seasons, I never let go. 1998 was my year but I think 1999-2000 was my greatest season. Not just for me. For our whole generation in blue. Our France team was exceptional. Euro 2000 remains the pinnacle of this generation. At the Euro, we were unplayable."

It is fair to say that Paul Pogba's time at Manchester United has been somewhat polarising.

The France midfielder ultimately struggled to consistently provide the football that made him such a sought-after player in Italy with Juventus, before his big-money move back to United in 2016.

Reports suggest with his contract at Old Trafford expiring at the end of the month, Pogba will be heading back to the Serie A giants to try and revive his reputation.

TOP STORY – POGBA SET FOR JUVENTUS RETURN

Paul Pogba is set have his wish granted and will return to Juventus, according to Fabrizio Romano.

With his contract expiring at Manchester United, his wage demands could only realistically be met by a select number of clubs in Europe.

Pogba had reportedly only wanted to return to Italy with the Bianconeri, where he left a four-time Serie A and two-time Coppa Italia winner in 2016.

The 29-year-old's agent will meet with Juve representatives on Thursday, with a medical to be completed at the beginning of July when his contract at Old Trafford officially ends.

ROUND-UP

– Ajax are set to make another offer for Steven Bergwijn meanwhile, with Tottenham not accepting offers below £25million (€29m), per Sky Sports.

– Barcelona boss Xavi is hopeful Ousmane Dembele will sign a new contract to ward off Chelsea interest, Goal reports.

– Goal also report that winger Antony is determined to join Manchester United from Ajax.

– Leeds United have valued Brazil international Raphinha at £65m (€75.3m) amid interest from Tottenham, Chelsea and Barcelona, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Zinedine Zidane has not ruled out taking over as head coach at Paris Saint-Germain or following Didier Deschamps as France's national team coach, amid growing speculation over his future.

Mauricio Pochettino's departure from PSG has not yet been finalised, but reports have linked both Zidane and Nice boss Christophe Galtier to the job, with club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi even confirming talks with the latter.

Stepping down in 2021 as a two-time LaLiga and three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, Zidane would assume either role as a highly-decorated coach, having also enjoyed an exceptional playing career.

In an interview with L'Equipe to mark his 50th birthday, the Marseille native indicated he would not turn down the opportunity to coach the fiercest rivals of the club he supported as a child, citing a lack of realistic options in both personal and logistical senses.

"Never say never," he said. "Especially when you are a coach today, but the question is moot. This is absolutely irrelevant. When I was a player, I had a choice, almost every club.

"As a coach, there are not 50 clubs where I can go. There are two or three possibilities. This is the current reality. As coaches, we have much less choice than players. If I go back to a club, it's to win. I say this with all modesty. That's why I can't go anywhere. For other reasons, too, I might not be able to go everywhere.

"The language, for example. Some conditions make things more difficult. When I'm asked: 'Do you want to go to Manchester?' I understand English but I don't fully master it. I know there are coaches who go to clubs without speaking the language, but I work differently. To win, many elements come into play."

From leading France to the World Cup in 1998 as a player – propelling him to his sole Ballon d'Or award in the process – to his straight red card in the 2006 World Cup final after headbutting Italy's Marco Materazzi, Zidane experienced both the highs and lows with Les Bleus.

Punctuating his stellar international career with that sending off in Berlin leaves him with unfinished business at international level, but Zidane insisted his ambition will be with respect to current France boss Deschamps and his preparations for this year's World Cup in Qatar.

"I want to [be head coach of France], of course. I will be, I hope, one day," Zidane said. "When? It's not up to me, but I want to come full circle with the France team. I knew this French team as a player, and it's the most beautiful thing that's ever happened to me.

"But really, this is the pinnacle. And so, as I experienced that and today I am a coach, the France team is firmly rooted in my head.

"When I say that I want to take the France team one day, I assume it. Today, a team is in place, with its goals. But if the opportunity comes next, then I'll be there.

"Again, it's not up to me. My deep desire is there. The France team is the most beautiful thing there is."

Ruud van Nistelrooy revealed he could not have imagined enjoying coaching more than playing but in his first week as PSV Eindhoven boss, insisted the responsibility of match preparation and coaching has "hooked" him.

A decade removed from his last playing stint at Malaga, the 45-year-old confirmed a first senior coaching role with his former club in March, after roles in their youth categories and as assistant for the Netherlands national team.

Taking over from Roger Schmidt, whose side took Ajax to the final day of the Eredivisie season last term, Van Nistelrooy has been given three seasons to supplant the Amsterdam club's domestic dominance in the Netherlands.

In the first week of pre-season, the former Netherlands international asserted he was fully committed to preparing for this first senior role and can now only see himself as a football coach, despite initially different sentiments.

"Never. I could not have imagined it, and if they had told me when I was playing football I wouldn't have believed it," Van Nistelrooy told Marca. "Time passes, and the truth is that I could not imagine a life without football. When I left I began to think about what to do and I wanted to continue to be linked to football.

"It was necessary to see in what area and the reality is that I began to study, to train myself and I noticed that each day that passed, I had more enthusiasm. Then I started working in lower categories, with young players and I really liked that work. That is what has brought me here with such enthusiasm.

"Training is something that hooked me. It is an interesting process that I have lived to get here. Logically, I still have to take many steps, but I am excited about the opportunity that PSV gives me, which is a club in which I played, in which I feel at home, very identified."

Van Nistelrooy had a variety of coaches during his professional playing days and under varied styles, from the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, to Fabio Capello, Bernd Schuster and Manuel Pellegrini, playing under the latter at both Real Madrid and Malaga.

The PSV boss asserted he remains deeply rooted in the Dutch way of football, however, and his setup in Eindhoven will ultimately reflect his own interpretation of what he learned under the likes of Louis van Gaal and Guus Hiddink.

"What I could see in my time as a footballer is that there are coaches who had more influence than others in the game and in the team. That's normal," he said. "I've had coaches like Ferguson, Pellegrini or Van Gaal, from whom I think I can take a lot of things. I also really like the school in my country, the Dutch school, that way of understanding football and the game goes a lot with my idea.

"My system is a 4-3-3. I like to play with a six and with two midfielders who go up, with an eight and a 10, let's say. And then two wide wingers. Logically, it all depends on the players you have, on their characteristics. Then you always have to make modifications, adaptations, but my idea of ​​the game is that."

He added, however, that any ambition he has as a senior coach can only exist with success at PSV.

"My head is only at PSV, I just started here," Van Nistelrooy said. "I have trained very well here and I have signed a contract for the next three years.

"The project that both the club and I have in mind is long-term, as long as things go the way we think they will. I want to build something beautiful and important here, with a good project, with young and quality players."

Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz secured a spot in the next round of the Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship following a 2-0 win over Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday.

Goals from Zion Scarlett and Jahmari Clarke, on either side of half-time, ensured that the team would at least finish third in Group H and condemned their Caribbean neighbours to a winless goalless campaign.

That does not mean that the Jamaicans had things all their own way, with Antigua and Barbuda showing plenty of fighting spirit, and goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke doing his best to keep the Reggae Boyz at bay.  There was very little to be done when Scarlett was given too much time in the area and spun away from the attending defender to find plenty of space to put the ball wide of a stranded Boyce-Clarke in the 41^st minute.

With the Antiguans failing to find a way to get back on level terms Clarke made full points for the Jamaicans safe in the 81^st minute from the penalty spot after substitute Tyler Roberts was brought down in the area by Antigua defender Dajun Barthley.  Barthley was later ejected from the game by referee Rubiel Vázquez after reviewing the VAR system.  The Jamaicans will now face Haiti on Sunday in Tegucigalpa.

Sadio Mane's selfless attitude increased Julian Nagelsmann's desire for Bayern Munich to sign him from Liverpool. 

Bayern completed a €41 million (£35.2m) move for Mane on Wednesday, with the Senegal international signing a three-year contract at the Allianz Arena. 

The 30-year-old told the media at his presentation he would happily play "in three or four positions" for Bayern, but that decision lied with Nagelsmann. 

It was this team-spirited perspective that motivated Bayern to push the deal through. 

"Right from the first conversation he made a very selfless impression, which is extraordinary for a player with such a big name," Nagelsmann told the club's official website.  

"He said, quite modestly, he can imagine himself in any position.

"It's rare to experience that in a first conversation, that a player puts themselves completely at the service of the club and the coach. That made our urge to get the signing over the line even greater. 

"We have to wait and see what happens in the transfer market, but Sadio is a player who can easily play in four or five positions - and can also switch during the match." 

Nagelsmann was delighted to see a big-name arrival at the club with Robert Lewandowski hoping the Bundesliga champions will sell him to Barcelona rather than force him to see out the final year of his contract. 

The Bayern boss said: "We're Bayern Munich, we always have the chance to bid for big stars. 

"Sometimes we hit financial limits, especially with guys who are playing in England. That was different with Sadio because he has great desire for our project, our club and his team-mates. I was delighted."