Bundesliga (Germany)

Skipper Harry Kane’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months amid Tottenham’s difficulties, and he is not alone.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of those whose club futures may lie elsewhere.

Harry Maguire

Manchester United defender Maguire has been one of Southgate’s most dependable performers in recent campaigns, but has slipped painfully down the pecking order under Erik ten Hag and has been warned his international place could be under threat. The 30-year-old, who cost United £80million when he joined them from Leicester in August 2019, has been linked with West Ham, but also with a loan move to Italy with Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Roma said to be eyeing his situation.

Harry Kane

Kane and Tottenham both have big decisions to make this summer after the club missed out on European football. The 29-year-old will enter the final year of his current contract and if he does not sign an extension, could leave for free in 12 months’ time. Manchester United are long-term admirers of the free-scoring striker – although it has been suggested Spurs would be unwilling to sell to a Premier League rival – while both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have been credited with an interest.

Mason Mount

Midfielder Mount was caught up in the malaise which engulfed Chelsea during a chaotic season and six of his last seven appearances before injury ended his campaign prematurely came from the bench. The 24-year-old is out of contract next summer and new boss Mauricio Pochettino has a decision to make with Manchester United leading a posse of interested parties waiting in the wings.

Declan Rice

Rice’s reputation has continued to blossom despite what at times has been a difficult season for West Ham, and manager David Moyes is bracing himself. Arsenal and Bayern Munich have been linked with a summer move for the 24-year-old midfielder, with Manchester United and Chelsea also touted as possible destinations, while resurgent Newcastle could offer him Champions League football, but know they may not be able to compete financially as they attempt to comply with spending rules.

James Maddison

Maddison, another player with 12 months remaining on his contract, seemed destined to leave Leicester during the close season regardless of whether or not the Foxes retained their Premier League status. Newcastle pursued the 26-year-old playmaker doggedly last summed and remain keen on him as they strengthen for a European campaign, but they are likely to face competition with Manchester United and Tottenham rumoured to be among his suitors.

Jude Bellingham

Liverpool’s interest in Borussia Dortmund teenager Bellingham is long-standing, but reports from Spain have suggested his future could lie instead with Real Madrid. Manchester City and neighbours United have also been touted as potential buyers with the 19-year-old former Birmingham midfielder one of the hottest properties in European football.

Granit Xhaka’s brilliant 20-yard strike gave Leverkusen the lead after just three minutes, but a well-worked headed equaliser from Dominik Kohr followed close behind to give the relegation strugglers hope.

Xabi Alonso’s side were spared any further anxiety when Robert Andrich tried his luck from range in the 68th minute and Zentner allowed a gentle effort to squirm through his gloves and over the line.

The relief around the ground was as tangible as the keeper’s despair and, when Jessic Ngankam was sent off late on, the points were secured.

In doing so, Leverkusen stretched their unbeaten run to 33 games in all competitions, a new German record at the expense of rivals Bayern Munich.

The hosts wasted no time stamping their authority on proceedings, Jonas Hofmann winning a free-kick in opposition territory.

Xhaka acted as first receiver before sliding in Alex Grimaldo down the left flank. His cross was deflected back to the Swiss midfielder, who proceeded to swing his weaker left foot and send a curling, dipping first-time effort sailing over a wrong-footed Zentner.

Xhaka marked his first goal since joining the club from Arsenal last summer by feeling for his hamstring.

Alonso briefly looked concerned on the touchline, but as his team-mates joined in it quickly became clear it was an in-joke rather than a genuine fitness setback.

But Mainz were the ones celebrating five minutes later, Nadiem Amiri’s deft chip over the top creating the opening against his parent club.

Silvan Widmar was onside by a whisker as he met the ball with his head and squared it back across the penalty box and, although the ball did not land perfectly for Kohr, he timed his diving header wonderfully well to power the ball home from 10 yards.

Xhaka, Hofman and Grimaldo all had sights of goal as the home side pushed to reclaim the advantage, but Mainz stood their ground.

Mainz came desperately close to going ahead after 50 minutes, Leandro Barreiro stretching to meet Amiri’s free-kick at the far post, only for Jonathan Tah to mop up calmly when he could easily have scored an own goal.

There was another warning when Edmond Tapsoba’s poor pass offered Lee Jae-sung a free strike, only for the South Korean to miss the target completely.

Things were beginning to get scrappy amid a flurry of bookings, when Andrich’s pot shot changed the game. The ball swirled slightly on its way to Zentner, but there was no hiding his culpability as he waved it tamely into the side of his net.

Ngankam saw red with 10 minutes left on the clock, a dangerous slide on Xhaka upgraded from a caution after a review, allowing the league leaders to see out their evening safely.

Florian Wirtz scored the only goal of the 1-0 victory deep in first-half injury time after Robin Gosens was shown a red card.

Union succeeded in keeping it to one but, with Bayern Munich losing again, it was enough to move Xabi Alonso’s side 16 points clear at the top of the table with six games remaining.

Frederik Ronnow had made fine saves from Borja Iglesias and Alex Grimaldo before the game burst into life in first-half injury time.

First Gosens, who had been booked early on, was shown a second yellow card for a foul just outside the box.

The resulting free-kick caused chaos in the Berlin penalty area and, after a VAR check, the referee ruled Christopher Trimmel had handled and pointed to the sport, with Wirtz making no mistake.

Leverkusen had the majority of the play in the second half as they sought a second but Ronnow refused to be beaten again, saving impressively from Nathan Tella and Iglesias.

The reigning German champions look set to lose their Bundesliga title to Alonso’s Leverkusen side as they trail their rivals by 10 points.

That situation prompted the early announcement of Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel’s departure at the end of the season but Jurgen Klopp revealing in January he was leaving Anfield in the summer has hastened proceedings as a host of big-name clubs battle to find new managers this summer.

Alonso, 42, is rated as one of Europe’s top young coaches with Leverkusen still unbeaten this season and heading towards their first Bundesliga title and has been installed as the bookmakers’ favourite to replace Klopp at Liverpool.

However, with two of the ex-Spain midfielder’s other former clubs also seemingly in competition for his services, the race is more complicated, although Carlo Ancelotti’s future at Real currently appears secure with the team eight points clear in LaLiga with the Italian signing a contract extension to 2026 in December.

“He’s (Alonso) proven that he can be a coach for the big time. There are hardly any suitable coaches who are currently free,” Hoeness told a panel at the Munich Trade Fair.

“Rather they are coaches who are under contract somewhere and possibly have great success.

“And that makes it much more difficult because clubs like Liverpool, Real Madrid, Leverkusen and FC Bayern are working on it (securing Alonso).

“It’s not so easy to tell them that Bayern is the measure of all things.”

The public comments made by the 72-year-old, who is also a supervisory board member with the Bavarian club, are unlikely to impress Bayern’s new director of sport Max Eberl.

On Wednesday, Eberl gave an interview to German newspaper Bild in which he said he did not want to provoke Alonso headlines and insisted he had not spoken to any potential candidates, which numbered “more than four but not 40 names” on an “unusual” list of successors.

“We have a list that we would like to work through in peace and have conversations in peace,” said Eberl.

Liverpool’s attempts to find Klopp’s replacement are expected to accelerate following Wednesday’s appointment of a new sporting director in Richard Hughes from Bournemouth.

Hughes was the driving force behind the appointment of Cherries head coach Andoni Iraola, whose agent Inaki Ibanez is the long-time representative of Alonso.

However, Hughes would have secured the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi – another being linked with Liverpool – had there not been a delay due in the change of the club’s ownership which allowed Brighton to secure the Italian.

Sporting’s Ruben Amorim is another likely to be on Liverpool’s short list.

The Bundesliga champions and the MLS Cup holders have set up a joint venture named "Red&Gold Football" based in Munich, with the aim of developing players for both teams internationally.

Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn said the partnership with LAFC will enable Bayern to continue to compete with their European rivals, saying improvements in the quality of MLS will benefit the Bavarian giants.

"On an international level, soccer is developing rapidly, which is also evident in the transfer market," Kahn told the club's website. 

"We see this partnership as an opportunity to strengthen FC Bayern in the sporting competition with the best clubs in Europe and the Bundesliga. 

"The fact that the 2026 World Cup will largely take place in the United States, where we already have an office in New York, makes Los Angeles even more attractive. 

"I expect a boost in quality and young talent in Major League Soccer, which will have a positive impact on our partnership."

LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said: "A partnership of this magnitude is the next step in our evolution as a club. We are extremely excited to work together with FC Bayern to identify and develop young talent in Southern California and beyond.

"We believe this relationship will provide players throughout our systems with the ability to maximise their potential and see a clear pathway to first-team football."

The sides envisage the partnership could grow to include other clubs and development academies across the game in the future "as part of a global development initiative".

Kompany has joined Bayern on a three-year deal, and comes in as Thomas Tuchel's replacement.

The former Manchester City captain, who began his coaching career in Belgium with Anderlecht, could not keep Burnley in the Premier League in 2023-24.

Indeed, the Clarets were relegated following a 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Turf Moor in their penultimate match of the season.

Yet, less than two weeks after the campaign's conclusion, Kompany has been installed as boss of one of Europe's biggest clubs. 

The 38-year-old joins Bayern after Tuchel confirmed talks over potentially reversing the decision for him and the club to part ways, which came in February, had ended.

Bayern lost their last game of the Bundesliga season to finish in third place, having failed to win any of the four trophies they were in contention for, seeing their dominance of Germany's top tier ended by Xabi Alonso's unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen team.

Alonso had been Bayern's primary target, but their former midfielder has elected to stay at Leverkusen for next season.

Bayern were also linked with Roberto De Zerbi, who has just left Brighton, and Brentford coach Thomas Frank, while they were turned down by Austria coach Ralf Rangnick. Mauricio Pochettino, who left Chelsea on Monday, was also rumoured as a potential option.

Kompany, then, is a surprise pick, but Bayern will be hoping he rediscovers the magic touch he had during his first season at Turf Moor in 2022-23, when he guided the Clarets to promotion from the Championship, earning 101 points in the process.

However, Kompany's possession-based, front-foot approach was badly exposed in the Premier League, with Burnley winning just five games on their way to taking 24 points as they finished 19th, going back down alongside Luton Town and Sheffield United.

He leaves Burnley having managed 96 games, winning 41 (42.7 per cent) of those matches.

In a statement, Burnley said they were "initially confident" of keeping Kompany at the club, but claimed "the changing dynamics of the situation made this impossible". 

"We understand the allure and prestige of a club like Bayern Munich and respect Vincent's ambition to explore new opportunities," the statement continued. 

"We wish only the best for Vincent and would like to put on record our appreciation for his dedication every single day he was a part of this football club. 

"Our priority remains the stability and success of Burnley, and we will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure that our ambition is realised, namely our return to the Premier League."

Teenager Aleksandar Pavlovic – with his first Bayern goal – and Alphonso Davies put the visitors in command at the interval after Thomas Tuchel’s side had encountered a difficult start.

Harry Kane’s 23rd Bundesliga goal, sandwiched between a Ermedin Demirovic double, eventually proved the difference at a ground where Bayern had lost on their previous two league visits.

Augsburg were left to rue the presence of VAR twice in the opening 12 minutes much to the annoyance of home supporters.

A fifth-minute ball directed towards Demirovic struck the arm of Matthijs de Ligt and a penalty was awarded before a VAR check ruled contact was outside the box.

Augsburg thought they had then taken the lead when Elvis Rexhbecaj drilled past Manuel Neuer from a tight angle, but the midfielder had marginally strayed into an offside position.

Leon Goretzka volleyed wide of a post and Bayern’s improvement produced a 24th minute lead and a moment to remember for 19-year-old Pavlovic.

Raphael Guerreiro corner’s was not properly cleared by Phillip Tietz, and Pavlovic was alert to take a touch before lifting the ball into the roof of the net.

Bayern lost Kingsley Coman to injury and Augsburg had a chance to equalise when Rexhbecaj shot straight at Neuer.

Kane fired wide from a tight angle before Bayern doubled their lead in the fifth minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half.

Goretzka found Davies with a measured pass and the full-back, cutting in from the left flank, drilled home from 25 yards with his weaker right foot.

Augsburg were not finished though and halved the deficit after 52 minutes when Kevin Mbabu sped down the right.

Mbabu delivered an accurate cross for top scorer Demirovic to guide his header beyond Neuer and into the bottom left-hand corner.

Kane restored Bayern’s two-goal cushion six minutes later, rolling home Jamal Musiala’s pass into an empty net.

The offside flag was initially raised, but the goal stood after VAR intervention with the final touch coming off an Augsburg defender.

Bayern almost increased their lead nine minutes from time when Leroy Sane released substitute Mathys Tel and the substitute struck the post.

There was drama to the end as Neuer saved Sven Michel’s penalty and Demirovic converted another spot-kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but Bayern held on to make the short trip home with three precious points.

The 20-year-old had missed Bayern’s last two matches with a hamstring issue but returned to training earlier this week.

Germany face Japan and France in international friendlies on Saturday and next Tuesday respectively.

A statement from the club read: “Jamal Musiala will not join up with the Germany national team as planned for their friendly matches against Japan (September 9) and France (September 12) after the Bayern attacking midfielder withdrew from the squad due to a back complaint.”

The news comes a day after Musiala was nominated for the best young player award at this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Bayern took a 2-0 advantage into half-time after goals from Harry Kane and Serge Gnabry, but Kevin Sessa and Tim Kleindienst both struck for the hosts early in the second period.

Kleindienst grabbed the winner with 11 minutes to play, putting another dent in Bayern’s already slim Bundesliga title hopes as Thomas Tuchel’s side fell 16 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen with six games to go.

The defeat means Bayern head into Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg with Arsenal on the back of successive defeats.

Bayern had an early effort when Gnabry found Leon Goretzka, who had his shot blocked, and Gnabry was the creator again minutes later, but Thomas Muller – making his 700th competitive appearance for the club – was unable to reach the cross at the back post.

Heidenheim had a chance from a corner but although the delivery was cleared, Kim Min-jae did well to block Jonas Fohrenbach’s shot from the rebound and Muller came close at the other end after pouncing on a loose ball with his eventual shot deflected for a corner.

Bayern took the lead in the 38th minute when Kane latched on to Gnabry’s flicked cross from the right and the England captain tucked the ball into the bottom corner to score his 32nd Bundesliga goal of the season.

They doubled their lead seven minutes later as Alphonso Davies fired in a cross from the left to an unmarked Gnabry in the centre of the box and the Germany winger easily headed the ball past Kevin Muller.

Heidenheim made a triple substitution at the break and the changes immediately paid off when Sessa came off the bench to pull one back in the 50th minute after the midfielder pounced on a loose ball and broke forward to slot home.

They equalised just one minute later through Kleindienst, who got on the end of a deep cross from Jan-Niklas Beste to poke the ball in at the right post.

Bayern tried to restore their lead when Kane’s strike was saved by Muller and substitute Mathys Tel nearly made an instant impact but was also denied by a solid save from the home goalkeeper.

Kane then blasted the ball wide from inside the box.

Heidenheim were also pushing for a winner when Beste picked Sessa out but Sven Ulreich saved his shot and Beste was involved again, curling a free-kick just over the crossbar just minutes later.

Kleindienst then fired the hosts in front in the 79th minute, when Marvin Pieringer teed-up the striker, who rolled the ball into the far bottom corner to seal three points.

The former Germany international, who earned 92 caps for his country, also represented Schalke, Werder Bremen, Fenerbahce and Istanbul Basaksehir during his 17-year career.

Ozil was under contract with Turkish side Basaksehir until the end of the season, but he has called time on his playing career due to a number of injury issues.

Joshua Kimmich was sent off after just four minutes, but red cards for Klaus Gjasula and Matej Maglica ensured the hosts had the man advantage at the break, the first time three men have ever been sent off in the first half of a German top-flight encounter.

Kane broke the deadlock six minutes after the restart but it was his second goal, a magnificent effort from inside his own half, that was the highlight of a contest that also saw him pick up an assist on the first of two goals for Jamal Musiala before striking in his 12th goal from nine matches of this still-new Bundesliga season.

Leroy Sane, who set up Kane’s third, scored two of his own while Thomas Muller also contributed to the heaviest defeat in the visitors’ history.

Things got off to a dramatic start when Kimmich brought down Marvin Mehlem at the edge of the area and was shown a straight red, deemed to have prevented the visitors from a clear goal-scoring opportunity after just four minutes.

Bayern were initially awarded a penalty after Gjasula was judged to have tripped Konrad Laimer, but on review referee Martin Petersen overturned his decision, determining Gjasula was the last man and the incident occurred outside the penalty area – resulting in the Albanian’s 21st-minute dismissal and a free-kick for the hosts.

Darmstadt were holding their own against the Bundesliga title-holders in the 10-v-10, even holding the shot advantage through the first 37 minutes, but became the architects of their own undoing when Maglica caught up with Kane in nearly the exact same spot as the previous red-card incident.

The outcome was also the same though the visitors, down to nine men, were able to sustain the deadlock to half-time despite threats from Kane and Sane, who had a  goal chalked off for offside.

It was a different story after the restart when Kane broke the deadlock with a diving header to open the scoring six minutes into the second half, five minutes before Sane tapped home Laimer’s cross from six yards.

Then it was Musiala’s turn, extending to the advantage to 3-0 with an assist from Kane and throwing open the floodgates in the process as Sane bagged his brace with an 18-yard strike past Schuhen four minutes later.

Then came Kane’s piece de resistance, a world-class strike from just beyond the halfway line, sending Marcel Schuhen on a futile scramble as he watched the ball touch down in the back of his net.

https://x.com/FCBayernEN/status/1718281482190438463?s=20

Muller made it six with his first goal of the season before Musiala slotted past Schuhen for Bayern’s seventh, and while the Darmstadt keeper made a few good saves, desperate not to see his side lose by double-digits, he could not keep out Kane.

The England captain, hungry for more, latched into a perfect pass from Sane to complete his hat-trick and relentless Bayern’s second-half rout.

The 52-year-old Croatian, who took over at the Volkswagen Arena in May 2022, had overseen a run of 11 consecutive league games without a win and a 3-1 home loss to Augsburg on Saturday proved to be the final straw.

Club director Marcel Schafer told vfl-wolfsburg.de: “In our internal review of the defeat against Augsburg and the overall situation, we came to the decision to end our collaboration.

“We regret this development but regard it as necessary to give the team a new impulse, in order to stabilise the situation. We’d like to express our thanks to Niko Kovac, his brother Robert as well as (assistant) Aaron Briggs, and wish them all the best in their personal and professional lives.”

Wolfsburg went into Sunday in 14th place, seven points clear of the relegation places with eight games remaining.

Kovac said: “From our point of view, the last one and a half years have been characterised by a very trusting, professional and amicable collaboration with the team, the Wolfsburg staff – particularly, of course, with Marcel Schafer, Jorg Schmadtke and Sebastian Schindzielorz – and with the other decision-makers in the supervisory board.

“For that we’re very grateful. Of course, I as head coach am particularly disappointed that we haven’t managed to turn things around, despite some promising signs. We wish the team, the whole club and their fans all the best for the rest of this season and beyond.”

Neuer was absent from all of his country’s matches last year because of a broken leg but German media has reported the 37-year-old remains Julian Nagelsmann’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Euro 2024.

However, he has withdrawn from the final two tune-ups – against France in Lyon on Saturday and the visit of the Netherlands in Frankfurt next Tuesday – before Nagelsmann names his squad for the tournament.

A brief statement on the German national team’s official website said: “Manuel Neuer has left the German national team early and will be out of the two upcoming international matches against France and the Netherlands.

“The FC Bayern Munich goalkeeper and 2014 world champion left the team’s headquarters in Gravenbruch near Frankfurt due to a torn muscle fibre in his left adductor. He sustained the injury in training on Wednesday morning.”

Neuer earned the last of his 117 national team caps in Germany’s final group stage match at the 2022 World Cup – a 4-2 win over Costa Rica.

Tottenham’s record goalscorer landed in Munich on Friday night for a medical ahead of his transfer to the Bundesliga giants.

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou had revealed earlier in the day that the move was “imminent” after a breakthrough in negotiations between the clubs was reached on Wednesday night.

It left the ball in Kane’s court and he decided on Thursday to leave his boyhood club for Bayern, who will pay an initial £100m with add-ons potentially taking the deal up to an overall fee of £120m, the PA news agency understands.

Reports on Friday morning initially suggested Spurs had refused to give Kane permission to travel to Germany, but they were squashed by Tottenham and hours later he set off for Munich via a private jet from London Stansted airport.

Postecoglou, speaking before Spurs’ trip to Brentford on Sunday, said: “Fair to say I don’t have a blow-by-blow account, but my understanding is it has progressed to the point where it looks like it will happen.

“From that perspective, at least it gives us some clarity and we move forward without Harry.

“From my perspective it is just about understanding where we are at and the information I have at the moment is the deal is imminent but, like with all these things, you leave yourself some leeway.

“But moving forward and training today preparing for Brentford, we are doing it without Harry.

“It is best Harry speaks for himself in terms of the decision, but no doubt he is one of the greats of this football club and that never changes.

“I am only new in the building, but (it is) fairly evident Harry Kane will always be one of the greats for this football club.”

It remains to be seen whether the deal will be done in time for Kane to play any part in Bayern’s DFB Super Cup match with RB Leipzig on Saturday night.

However, with the clash taking place at Bayern’s Allianz Arena home, the England captain could well be unveiled to supporters before kick-off.

Bayern saw bids for Kane, who is in the last 12 months of his contract at Spurs, reportedly turned down in June and July but they made their intentions clear, with honorary president Uli Hoeness and president Herbert Hainer speaking openly in the media about the player’s desire to join the Bundesliga champions.

A third bid was submitted last Friday and Spurs spent all weekend deliberating before chairman Daniel Levy rejected the offer on Monday.

With noises coming out that Kane, who scored four goals in a friendly win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday, had enjoyed working with Postecoglou, confidence started to grow that he could spend the season with his boyhood team.

But Bayern’s latest bid proved enough for an agreement to be reached and, after taking his time to weigh up the decision, Kane decided to end his 19-year stay at Spurs.

It means his pursuit of Alan Shearer’s Premier League scoring record will be put on hold, with the Tottenham forward still 47 goals off equalling Shearer’s tally of 260.

However, the move will almost guarantee him the first major trophies of his career, as well as giving him a shot at Champions League glory.

Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel has been a long-term admirer of Kane but was coy when asked about the forward ahead of Saturday’s match with Leipzig.

Tuchel told a press conference: “We are working with full pressure on this deal.

“I understand there are a lot of ifs and whens. All options are open. The first is to have him as a player and at the moment he is not yet that.

“This is a big deal. We are trying to take the England captain away from the Premier League.”

Hitzlsperger – who earned 52 caps for Germany between 2004 and 2010 and helped Stuttgart win the Bundesliga in 2006-07 – came out in 2014, less than a year after his retirement. 

Having become the highest-profile player to come out, Hitzlsperger recognises the "courage" required for anyone to take such a decision.

However, citing evolving attitudes towards homosexuality in football and the impact of diversity campaigns, Hitzlsperger believes the sport is now more welcoming.

Speaking to Stats Perform at the Football Business Awards, Hitzlsperger said: "What I'm seeing is a lot of improvement in what clubs are doing to promote diversity. We see a lot of symbolism, symbols, and support. 

"But it's down to the player or the players to make that decision. It takes courage, it takes a good network of family and friends to finally go that way.

"I can't predict how long it's going to take, but I'm glad to see that among fans and clubs in the media and in general, there's a positive attitude towards it. 

"If we always pick out the people who discriminate on this, then we can always argue, but in general, I think there has been an improvement. 

"I can only hope that we see a player or some players [come out] one day because that would make another big change."

Hitzlsperger enjoyed three spells in the Premier League during his playing career, representing Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham.

The Hammers are gearing up to face Fiorentina in next month's Europa Conference League final, and Hitzlsperger is optimistic regarding their chances of continental glory.

"It's massive," he said. "Again, as a football fan, you're going into a European competition. That in itself is a great achievement. 

"But then ending up in the final means so much to the fans, the journeys across Europe, so I can only hope that they do well, win the final and give the fans something to cheer about because I remember being there. 

"Sometimes when you get relegated, I know how depressing it is for everybody involved, but the club has recovered and hopefully in the future they will also do well in the Premier League."

They got off to the perfect start in the Milan derby, going ahead through Mkhitaryan before extending their advantage when Marcus Thuram hit a stunning strike into the top corner.

Rafael Leao gave Milan some hope with a quick finish after the break, but Inter cruised to victory when Mkhitaryan’s second was followed by Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty and Davide Frattesi’s last-minute strike.

The win ensures Inter remain top of the table and are two points clear of Juventus, who beat Lazio 3-1 earlier in the day through Dusan Vlahovic’s brace.

The Serbia striker and Federico Chiesa gave Juve the lead and though Luis Alberto pulled one back for the visitors, Vlahovic put the game to bed.

Reigning Scudetto champions Napoli were forced to come from behind to snatch a draw with Genoa.

Goals from Mattia Bani and Mateo Retegui looked set to seal a historic victory for the home side, but substitute Giacomo Raspadori and Matteo Politano struck in the last 15 minutes to earn a point.

Barcelona moved to the top of the La Liga table after hammering Real Betis 5-0.

Joao Felix opened his account for the club with his first goal since arriving on loan from Atletico Madrid at the start of the month and Robert Lewandowski doubled the lead going into the break.

Ferran Torres and substitute Raphinha also got on the scoresheet before Joao Cancelo rounded off a dominant evening for Barca.

Athletic Bilbao are third in the table after beating Cadiz 3-0 and Mallorca beat Celta Vigo 1-0, while Valencia stunned Atletico Madrid to hand them their first defeat in the league.

Hugo Duro scored twice and Javi Guerra rounded off a 3-0 win to take Valencia fifth and Diego Simeone’s side will be hoping to bounce back against Lazio in the Champions League on Tuesday before their derby against Real Madrid next weekend.

Mats Hummels was at the double for Borussia Dortmund as they struck late to earn a 4-2 win against Freiburg in the Bundesliga.

The veteran centre-half opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Lucas Holer and Nicolas Hofler both scored in quick succession to give Freiburg the lead at half-time.

Donyell Malen levelled the score on the hour mark, but Freiburg were reduced to 10 men with nine minutes to go when Hofler was sent off, allowing Hummels and Marco Reus to capitalise with two goals in two minutes at the death.

Goals from David Raum, Lois Openda and Xavi Simons helped Leipzig earn a third straight league victory, beating Augsburg 3-0.

Three points sees them move into third in the table where they are tied on nine points with Wolfsburg, who came from behind to beat Union Berlin 2-1 through Joakim Maehle’s winner.

Hoffenheim and Stuttgart also have nine points after 3-1 wins against Koln and Mainz respectively, while Eintracht Frankfurt were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against VFL Bochum.

Ibrahim Salah’s 89th-minute goal helped Rennes come from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw with Lille in Ligue 1.

Seventeen-year-old Leny Yoro and Bafode Diakite gave Lille the advantage before Lorenz Assignon pulled one back with 16 minutes of normal time to play and Salah snatched a point at the death.

Metz sit between both sides in sixth after beating struggling Lens 1-0 in Saturday’s other fixture.

The unassuming 19-year-old sits in St George’s Park explaining how his life in the German city has helped him grow.

The last of Dortmund’s English trio, the former Chelsea youngster has developed while Bellingham and Jadon Sancho shone to earn their mega-money moves.

Bynoe-Gittens made his debut less than 18 months ago but has settled well. His lessons, having joined from Manchester City in 2020, have left him “near fluent” as he matures away from the Premier League spotlight.

“Not everybody spoke English when I arrived. That was very hard for me because, at the time, I only spoke English. I had to learn German quickly,” he says.

“I remember looking for something like shampoo in the supermarket and you’ve got to find where it is and you might need to ask someone. It’s hard, you know.

“The word is the same, so maybe that’s an easy one to find! But maybe if you were going to the shops or getting the bus to town and having to find the right way to go…

“At school I tried to speak French and that didn’t really work. German is difficult – it’s really hard to learn and it takes time. But when you live here, you pick it up.

“I was a very shy person back then, so I had to learn to speak more and to ask for things that I might not ordinarily have asked for.

“The first year was tough, because Covid meant that there were no games. Then when we came back in 2021 I was injured for four months.

“After Christmas, I started playing more games and then that’s when I broke into the senior team.

“Seeing other players before me doing it persuaded me I could try it as well and try to progress like Jude has done right now or Jadon did.”

Now he is the only Englishman left at Dortmund after Bellingham’s initial £88.5million move to Real Madrid this summer.

Thankfully the new England Under-21 international can ask for a little more than shampoo – along with a cheeky offer of giving lessons to Bayern Munich new boy Harry Kane while at St George’s Park – although he misses his friends.

“Jude would take me out into Dortmund sometimes. Or when Jadon was there, we would go to get a haircut together or something or go to his house for three or four hours, maybe play FIFA,” said the Under-19 European champion, who remains close with team-mate Gio Reyna.

“They took me in as their little brother…I’d beat Jude at FIFA all the time.

“It’s great to see him do it. I knew he was going to be like this. It wasn’t a surprise to me. How he prepares for games, how he prepares for training. He’s just so professional. He’s a great person too.”

In May, on his final appearance, Bellingham sat devasted on the Signal Iduna Park pitch after a 2-2 draw with Mainz on the final day of last season handed Bayern the title.

Going into the game top, Dortmund were expected to end their 11-year Bundesliga drought, capping Bellingham’s three starring years in Germany.

Yet, it was to end in heartbreak as injured Bynoe-Gittens watched from the sidelines as the title slipped away.

“It was very hard,” he said, having made 20 appearances, scoring three times. “I couldn’t play in the last two games because of injury and watching it was just really sad, we had worked so hard to get there.

“There are are almost no words to describe it. We had no emotion, just numb.

“We’re always focused on winning or pushing for the title, like last season. We have to start quick, now, and hopefully be clear.

“We want to win the Bundesliga. Dortmund is a big club. You can’t just go for second, third or fourth. We want to push for first, the DFB Cup too and then go far in the Champions League.”

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Dortmund, the 1997 winners, have not got past the quarter-finals since losing the final to Bayern in 2013 but European success is always an objective.

Edin Terzic’s side open their Champions League campaign at PSG on Tuesday and also face AC Milan and Newcastle, travelling to St James’ Park in December.

The luck of the draw allows Bynoe-Gittens, who came through at Reading before moving to Chelsea and then Manchester, to return to England outside international duty. Quiet but confident, he is ready to show what he has learnt.

“It was always my dream to play in the Champions League as a kid, watching it on TV. Playing in it was a big achievement for me,” he said.

“It gives me added fuel to play in England and to show everybody what I can do.”

Sergio Arribas had the hosts in front in the third minute of Saturday evening’s contest but England midfielder Bellingham – who netted in the opening day win at Athletic Bilbao – levelled the scores 16 minutes later.

After Tony Kroos had seen an effort ruled out for VAR at the end of the first half, former Birmingham midfielder Bellingham put Real ahead on the hour and Vinicius Junior made it 3-1 with 17 minutes remaining.

Athletic Bilbao were 2-0 winners at Osasuna, with goals inside the first 20 minutes from Inaki Williams and Gorkua Guruzeta doing the damage. The hosts had substitute Chimy Avila dismissed late on.

Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo drew 1-1, with Oscar Mingueza earning the visitors a point in the last minute after Ander Barrenetxea had opened the scoring for Sociedad midway through the first half.

In Italy, champions Napoli opened with a 3-1 win at Frosinone, with Viktor Osimhen on target twice.

Abdou Harroui’s seventh-minute penalty had newly-promoted Frosinone ahead but Matteo Politano and Osimhen turned things around by half-time, before the latter sealed the points with 11 minutes remaining.

Lautaro Martinez netted in each half as Inter Milan beat Monza 2-0 at San Siro, while substitute Federico Bonazzoli got the only goal 15 minutes from time as Verona – who survived last season with victory over Spezia in the relegation play-off – won at Empoli.

Fiorentina were 4-1 victors at newly-promoted Genoa, with Cristiano Biraghi, Giacomo Bonaventura, Nicolas Gonzalez and Rolando Mandragora making the points safe before Davide Biraschi replied for the hosts.

A late penalty from Zakaria Aboukhlal earned Toulouse a 1-1 draw with Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain.

Kylian Mbappe, absent from the squad for the opening-weekend goalless draw with Lorient after a dispute over his future left him training separately from the first team, came off the bench to score a penalty just past the hour mark.

However, Aboukhlal’s spot-kick meant a second successive draw for the capital club.

Lyon are propping up the table after a 4-1 home loss to Montpellier. Mousa Al-Taamari (2), Arnaud Nordin and Akor Adams were on target for the visitors, with Alexandre Lacazette getting a red card for Laurent Blanc’s struggling hosts having netted their only goal of the game when they trailed 3-0.

In the opening round of Bundesliga action, Donyell Malen’s 88th-minute goal gave Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over Cologne.

Augsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach shared eight goals in a 4-4 draw, while there were also wins for Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg, Wolfsburg and Stuttgart.

Kane, whose 30 Premier League goals last season were not enough to help Spurs seal a European place, has been the subject of two bids from Bayern.

Both of those have been rejected by Spurs, though with Kane out of contract next year, there remains a possibility the England captain might finally end his long association with the club.

King, though, is hoping Kane will stay and play a key part in Ange Postecoglou's team.

He told Stats Perform: "It's always important to keep your best players, of course.

"Harry's an unbelievable player and what goes on from here is obviously up to him and the club. But him being here, being as professional as possible, working as hard as possible is what we're used to.

"That's Harry in a nutshell. I know he's enjoying the training, he's enjoying performing under Ange at the moment, and the rest we leave between him and the club to sort."

While Kane's future remains in doubt, one player to come through the door at Spurs this transfer window is James Maddison.

The playmaker scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 30 league appearances for Leicester City last season, though could not save the Foxes from relegation, but King thinks the Maddison is the ideal fit for Tottenham's midfield.

He added: "I feel like he's the type of player that we need in the squad at the moment. He is a creative player. He's a player that can shoot from outside the box, technically, very good, and wants to receive the ball in tight areas.

"He's a really good fit. He had a very good season last season with Leicester and he's an England international. These are the type of players that we want to attract."

While King has been "very impressed" by Postecoglou's start at Spurs, he believes it is too early to put firm targets on next season.

"First and foremost, I think we want to see the players have an identity in terms of the way we play and I think Ange brings that," King said.

"He has a certain style and the way he sees the game, which I think will suit our players, suit our club and excite the fans.

"In the Premier League, you don't know what it's going to throw at you. You start the first game with the intention to try and win every game, and you take it from there.

"The top four, of course, would be fantastic. That's where we'd love to be. But we realise how difficult that is.

"Just to have a season where players perform at their highest level, we play good style, a brand of football, and something that we can work on will be good."

Coman put the Bundesliga champions in front with a 12th-minute effort that it appeared he had intended as a cross.

Leroy Sane then netted his seventh club goal of the season in the 25th minute having been set up by Harry Kane, before a deflected second from Coman wrapped things up for Thomas Tuchel’s men with five minutes of normal time remaining.

It sees unbeaten Bayern – with 17 points from seven games – return to third place in the table, two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who assumed top spot earlier on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Cologne.

Christian Streich’s Freiburg registered an early attempt on the hosts’ goal, with Lucas Holer firing off-target in the sixth minute but otherwise it was all Bayern in the opening stages.

And shortly after Alphonso Davies had blasted into the stand from a good position, Tuchel’s men took the lead when Coman’s apparent cross from the right flew over goalkeeper Noah Atubolu and in off the far post.

Kane went close to boosting his haul of nine goals in all competitions for the German champions since his summer move from Tottenham, drilling a low shot just wide twice in quick succession.

Bayern then extended their advantage with Kane the provider, Sane exchanging passes with the England captain and finishing past Atubolu from close range.

After Atubolu had to be alert to prevent a Manuel Gulde own goal, Bayern thought their dominance had yielded another goal for Sane in the 44th minute as he got the better of Merlin Rohl in the box and rifled into the top corner, but the effort was disallowed for offside following a VAR check.

As Bayern went in search of further goals after the break, Thomas Muller tried an acrobatic effort from Kane’s tee-up but sent his attempt wide, and Kane saw a volley inadvertently blocked his team-mate Leon Goretzka.

Coman almost got his second as he curled over the bar in the 68th minute, and another shot from the Frenchman then came back off Atubolu’s legs.

Tuchel subsequently replaced Kane and Muller with Mathys Tel and Jamal Musiala, who combined for Tel to finish in the 77th minute, but the flag was up for offside.

Five minutes later Goretzka cracked a shot against the post, before a third goal did arrive for Bayern when Coman’s shot went in off Philipp Lienhart.

Freiburg had the ball in the net two minutes later as Kiliann Sildillia headed in, but there was to be no consolation, with it ruled out as another offside effort.