Striker Darwin Nunez has reportedly chosen the Premier League as his preferred destination in the upcoming transfer window as he prepares to leave Benfica after a breakout season.

Nunez, who turns 23 in June, burst onto the European stage with an incredible Champions League campaign, netting six goals in 10 matches – a Benfica record – including scoring in both legs against Liverpool in the knockout stages.

He was just as impressive domestically, scoring 26 goals in 28 Primeira Liga games, and now looks to be on the move.

TOP STORY – DARWIN'S THEORIES LEAD HIM TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE

Football Transfers reports that both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid had weighed up offers for Nunez, but he has his heart set on the Premier League.

Liverpool and Manchester United are reportedly in the strongest position, while Newcastle United and Tottenham are also interested and are said to have met with his representatives.

Nunez is being represented by Eugenio Lopez, who had previously represented fellow Benfica team-mate Nicolas Otamendi in his move from Valencia to Manchester City.

ROUND-UP

– United have engaged in talks with Ajax over 20-year-old Netherlands centre-back Jurrien Timber, with the price tag said to be in the range of £43million, according to the Guardian.

– According to Sky Sports, Sadio Mane has not told Liverpool he wants to leave the club as rumours swirl about a potential move to Bayern Munich.

– The Telegraph is reporting City will look to sign Brighton and Hove Albion full-back Marc Cucurella and Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, while according to the Daily Mail, they also have strong interest in Leicester City youngster Ben Nelson.

– Paris Saint-Germain have exercised their buy option on loanee Nuno Mendes, securing his services going forward for a €40m fee, per Fabrizio Romano.

– The Daily Mail is reporting Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal are all interested in making a move for Everton striker Richarlison if he decides to leave Goodison Park.

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has demanded French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera apologises for "irresponsible, unprofessional, and wholly disrespectful" comments about the conduct of the club's fans at the Champions League final.

The match at the Stade de France was delayed by over half an hour as thousands of Liverpool fans struggled to enter the stadium, with widely circulated social media footage showing supporters being targeted with tear gas by police and placed at risk of a crush.

While UEFA announced an independent investigation into the events after calls from Liverpool, a British member of parliament, and UK culture secretary Nadine Dorries, the French government has continued to blame English supporters for the events.

Having repeated UEFA's initial claims that fans using "fake tickets" had caused congestion, Oudea-Castera told French radio station RTL the Premier League club was to blame for "letting its supporters out in the wild." 

Liverpool chairman Werner has hit out at those claims in a strongly worded letter to the minister, outlining his concern over her "disrespectful" comments and seeking assurances the French authorities will cooperate with the investigation.

"I am writing to you today out of utter disbelief that a minister of the French government, a position of enormous responsibility and influence, could make a series of unproven pronouncements on a matter of such significance before a proper, formal, independent investigation process has even taken place," began the widely published letter.

"The events that occurred in and around the Stade de France on Saturday night at the UEFA Champions League final were not only incredibly dangerous for all who attended, but raised serious questions about the organisation and operation of the event. 

"This should be the focus of all interested parties today, rather than pursuing a blame game strategy via press conference.

"I have received countless emails from Liverpool supporters who were frightened to death, and subject to police harassment, pepper spray and tear gas. Moreover, the situation was no better at the end of the evening than at the beginning, with many fans robbed, and attacked by gangs.

"These fans were treated like cattle.

"How can loose data and unverified assertions presented this morning be anywhere near factual without a truly independent and transparent investigation with the right stakeholders, including our supporters, our club and others taking place? 

"Worse still, these assertions undermine the pursuit of truth and transparency which should underpin the motivations of any organisation or individual with a desire to ensure such unacceptable scenes are never repeated.

"The fact that your public position went against this objective is a concern in itself. That you did so without any recourse to ourselves or our supporters is an even greater one. All voices should count in this process, and they should count equally and fairly.

"As a club, it was already our strong feeling that any investigation should be impartial, independent, and transparent. This view has only intensified as a direct result of your public comments and the impact they have had on a narrative which runs contrary to the experiences of many. 

"Your comments were irresponsible, unprofessional, and wholly disrespectful to the thousands of fans harmed physically and emotionally.

"The UEFA Champions League final should be one of the finest spectacles in world sport, and instead it devolved into one of the worst security collapses in recent memory. 

"On behalf of all the fans who experienced this nightmare I demand an apology from you, and assurance that the French authorities and UEFA allow an independent and transparent investigation to proceed."

UEFA has announced the commissioning of an independent report into the chaos which overshadowed Saturday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris.

The start of the showpiece event at the Stade de France, which Madrid went on to win 1-0, was twice delayed as thousands of Liverpool fans struggled to enter the stadium in Saint-Denis.

Although European football's governing body initially blamed supporters for causing congestion by arriving late and using counterfeit tickets, widely circulated social media footage showed local police targeting Liverpool fans with tear gas and supporters being placed at risk of a crush.

Liverpool demanded an investigation into the unsavoury scenes on Saturday, while the UK's culture secretary Nadine Dorries followed suit on Sunday after Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne said supporters had been "treated like animals" at the match.

With the organisation of the contest facing widespread criticism, UEFA have announced an independent investigation, to be led by Portugal's former minister of education and Olympic attache Tiago Brandao Rodrigues. 

"UEFA has today announced it has commissioned an independent report into the events surrounding the UEFA Champions League final in Paris on Saturday 28 May," read a statement from European football's governing body.

"The comprehensive review will examine decision making, responsibility and behaviours of all entities involved in the final.

"The report will be independently compiled, and Dr. Tiago Brandao Rodrigues from Portugal will lead the production of this review. 

"In order to guarantee his independent status in the process, Dr. Brandao Rodrigues agreed to execute this task on a pro bono basis.  

"Evidence will be gathered from all relevant parties and the findings of the independent report will be made public once completed and upon receipt of the findings, UEFA will evaluate the next steps."

Earlier on Monday, Liverpool published an online feedback form via social media to allow match-going supporters to share their experiences, in an attempt to aid a "transparent" investigation. 

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the PFA Premier League Fans' Player of the Year.

Salah shared the Golden Boot with Tottenham's Son Heung-min after they both scored 23 top-flight goals in the 2021-22 season.

The PFA on Monday revealed the Egypt international Salah has landed another gong.

Salah had already picked up the Football Writers' Assocation player of the year and Premier League's Goal of the Season award for his brilliant solo strike in a 2-2 draw with champions Manchester City.

The former Chelsea and Roma man also provided 14 assists for the Reds as they finished just a point behind City.

Salah has 13 months left on his contract but last week revealed he will stay with Jurgen Klopp's side next season.

Liverpool won the FA Cup and EFL Cup before missing out on Champions League glory when they were beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid at Stade de France on Saturday.

The level of disorganisation at the Champions League final was unprecedented, according to the president of the local authority of Seine-Saint-Denis.

Saturday's final between Real Madrid and Liverpool was delayed twice as thousands of fans found themselves unable to gain access to the Stade de France in Paris.

UEFA initially blamed the disruption on Liverpool fans using counterfeit tickets, with the French interior minister supporting such claims, but widespread reports of police using tear gas and pepper spray on orderly supporters have led to calls for an investigation.

Merseyside Police praised the "exemplary" behaviour of most Liverpool fans in a statement released on Sunday, while Reds supporters group Spirit of Shankly hit out at the "incompetence" of organisers.

Stephane Troussel has now reinforced the claims for a thorough investigation into the incident, which he does not want to be pinned on Seine-Saint-Denis or the people who live there.

"I do not want the Seine-Saint-Denis and its inhabitants to be the scapegoats of this disorganisation," the the president of the local authority of Seine-Saint-Denis told French Info on Monday, as reported by RMC Sport.

"I have never seen such disorganisation around the Stade de France. This is not the first time that there have been major events around the Stade de France.

"The Stade de France has existed in Saint-Denis for 24 years and this is the third Champions League final to be held there, and I have never seen such a level of disorganisation.

"I am very angry, I do not want Seine-Saint-Denis and its inhabitants to be the scapegoats for this disorganisation. I demand a rapid, transparent, in-depth investigation into these dysfunctions, this disorganisation.

"There has to be transparency. What happened? What happened to the absence of pre-filtering [the crowd]."

Troussel also questioned why printed tickets were issued for the final, enhancing the possibility of counterfeit tickets.

He added: "Nobody seems surprised to find out since UEFA itself was not in favour of issuing printed tickets. If this provision had been favoured, it was because there was a risk linked to these [printed tickets] - fakes.

"Never have I seen so many spectators around the Stade de France a few minutes before kick-off. When I managed to enter, we had the feeling that the stadium was already full."

Troussel also called for the French police to clarify how many officers were in attendance and where they were stationed.

"I also ask for transparency on the police personnel who were deployed around the Stade de France," he said.

"I would like to know how they were distributed around the Stade de France. We need precise figures."

Liverpool have reiterated their demand for an independent investigation into the unsavoury scenes that marred their Champions League final loss to Real Madrid, while UK culture secretary Nadine Dorries urged UEFA to probe the "concerning" events.

Liverpool called for an investigation after reports of supporters being targeted by heavy-handed policing ahead of the contest at the Stade de France on Saturday, with the showpiece event delayed over half an hour as Reds fans struggled to enter the stadium.  

UEFA initially blamed the disruption on fans using counterfeit tickets, with the French interior minister supporting such claims, but widespread reports of police using tear gas and pepper spray on orderly supporters have led to calls for an investigation.

Merseyside Police praised the "exemplary" behaviour of most Liverpool fans in a statement released on Sunday, while Reds supporters group Spirit of Shankly hit out at the "incompetence" of the final's organisers.

The Premier League club have now repeated their demands for a "transparent" probe into the scenes, with CEO Billy Hogan telling the club's media channels it is "unacceptable" that fan safety was put at risk.

"What happened outside the stadium completely overshadowed [the match]," he said. "The stadium entry and the breakdown in security was absolutely unacceptable, and frankly, the treatment of our fans as well.

"As we discussed last night with UEFA, we are asking for a full and transparent investigation, an independent investigation that can help to establish the facts. 

"It's absolutely imperative that we understand what happened and how we got into that situation, where people's safety was put at risk. It's important that we understand what happened last night, but it's also important that we take whatever the lessons are and ensure it never happens again.

"As an example, the Merseyside Police was on the ground in an advisory capacity, and as you may have seen they put a statement out earlier today [Sunday], where they talked about the behaviour of the fans being exemplary, doing what they were asked to do and being orderly, and [discussing] the fact fans were there very early at the stadium as well.

"We're intent on ensuring there's an independent investigation, and obviously we as a club will absolutely be a part of that and will be cooperative, and we look forward to making sure that happens and it happens well."

Hogan also revealed the club will be setting up a means by which Liverpool fans can pass their experiences onto the club, adding: "The most important thing is that people are safe, it was an incredibly difficult night for a lot of people, and we understand there were a lot of different experiences. 

"It's imperative that we hear from supporters, that we get the facts, and we want to be able to provide those facts to the relevant authorities."

Meanwhile, the UK government, via culture secretary Dorries, has also demanded UEFA investigate the scenes after Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne said fans had been treated like "animals". 

"The footage and accounts from Liverpool fans and the media on their entry to the Stade de France last night are deeply concerning," a widely reported statement from Dorries said. 

"Thousands of ticket holders travelled to Paris in good time to support their team in the biggest match of their season.

"I urge UEFA to launch a formal investigation into what went wrong and why, in coordination with stadium staff, the French Police, French Football Federation, Merseyside Police and Liverpool Football Club.

"It is in the interests of everyone involved to understand what happened and to learn lessons from these events."

Liverpool great Kenny Dalglish believes media reporting of crowd problems at the delayed Champions League final has "totally exonerated" Reds fans.

The showpiece match, which Real Madrid won 1-0 at the Stade de France on Saturday, had its start twice as UEFA pushed back the kick-off time.

European football's governing body initially moved the start back by 15 minutes after citing "security reasons" for the hold-up.

The two teams returned for a second warm-up at 21:05 local time before the match finally started at 21:36 – 36 minutes later than planned – after a second delay.

Liverpool fans complained of heavy-handed policing outside the stadium, suggesting tear gas or pepper spray had been used on supporters. A number of British-based journalists reported first-hand accounts of witnessing poor organisation and inappropriate behaviour outside the stadium by French authorities.

The Premier League club subsequently requested a formal investigation, while UEFA blamed the delays on fans trying to use "fake tickets" to gain entry.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin also claimed "thousands" of Reds fans had tried to use counterfeit tickets or attempted to force entry to the stadium.

Liverpool fan group Spirit of Shankly accused UEFA of "shambolic mismanagement", and Dalglish followed suit by defending the Reds supporters.

"I think the fans are totally exonerated if you read all the press reports, and I think the French authorities should be a bit embarrassed with the way they behaved," Dalglish told Sky Sports.

"If it's normal, then fine, but our fans never behaved anything other than supportive of the football club."

Some supporters suggested the problems in the French capital were reminiscent of Hillsborough, scene of the tragedy when 97 people died after a crush developed in the Leppings Lane end at the 1989 FA Cup semi-final.

Dalglish refused to compare the events in France to the disaster at the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's home stadium, but he condemned the problems in Paris.

"If that's how bad it was, that tells you how sad it must be, but I think it's wrong to compare Hillsborough with anything else," he added.

Liverpool fans were "treated like absolute animals" by police and security forces at the Champions League final, according to the member of parliament for Liverpool West Derby Ian Byrne, who demanded a government-led inquiry into the chaos in Paris.

The start of the final, which Real Madrid went on to win 1-0, was delayed by over half an hour as chaotic scenes ensued outside the Stade de France, with UEFA initially blaming Liverpool fans in possession of "fake tickets" for causing congestion. 

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin also claimed "thousands" of Reds fans had tried to use counterfeit tickets or attempted to force entry to the stadium, although widespread reports of heavy-handed policing and poor organisation have since emerged.

Liverpool called for a formal investigation into events on Saturday, while Merseyside Police – who had a presence in Paris – have since praised the "exemplary" behaviour of most Reds fans.

Liverpool supporters group Spirit of Shankly, meanwhile, released a statement on Sunday accusing the French authorities and UEFA of "shambolic mismanagement", and condemning the local police's "indiscriminate" use of tear gas and pepper spray.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Byrne, who attended the match, demanded a government-led inquiry into the events, comparing the scenes to the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989, which resulted in the deaths of 97 Liverpool fans following a crush at an FA Cup semi-final. 

"It's really difficult, to be honest, to talk about. Seeing the scenes in this day and age, I've never witnessed anything so bad since 1989," he said.

"It was absolutely horrific. To go through that and to try and process what was actually happening, would that have happened to any others sport's fans? 

"This is the premium football event, and to be treated like absolute animals, which we were, and then for the narrative to begin, the French interior minister put a tweet out, which was completely untrue, and that narrative aligns with that which we all know so well from 1989.

"I can't thank you [the media] enough, for what you've done and what you put out, telling the truth. The journalists from the UK have been absolutely magnificent, people have seen what actually happened last night.

"I'm going to be calling tomorrow on the foreign secretary [Liz Truss] to ask her counterpart in France for a full inquiry, to get to the truth about what actually happened, because it was absolutely horrific.

"I've never ever seen a more hostile environment for a football fan to go into. From the outset, the police, the security, everything about it was absolutely awful. 

"I got in about an hour before [kick-off]. There were 13 turnstiles, they had two open, funnelling people through. I literally begged the security guard to open the other gates, to just let people in. People just wanted to go to the game. There were people there two and a half hours before [kick-off] who were kettled into that situation.

"It was an absolute disgrace. It's important Liverpool Football Club – and I'm sure they will do – and also our government, stand up for Liverpool fans, because that could've happened to any other football team. It's not about Liverpool fans, it's about football fans.

"It should be football fans in this country coming together and saying, 'enough is enough, we're not going to accept that'." 

Asked whether he saw any Liverpool fans using fake tickets or forcing entry to the stadium, he replied: "I didn't, and I can only speak from personal experience. I saw hundreds, if not thousands, of local fans jumping the fences, scaling the walls to get in. 

"That was my personal experience. Again, it's so easy, isn't it? To put the blame on Liverpool fans, to put the blame on football fans. We need a full investigation into what happened, because this should never ever be repeated."

Eduardo Camavinga described Real Madrid's Champions League final triumph as a "dream come true" as he reflected on a glorious first season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Camavinga came on as an 85th-minute substitute at the Stade de France as Madrid claimed their 14th European crown courtesy of Vinicius Junior's goal, meaning the French midfielder ends his first campaign in Spain with LaLiga and Champions League winner's medals.

Despite finding himself behind experienced midfield trio Casemiro, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos in the pecking order, Camavinga has made 44 appearances in all competitions since joining from Rennes last August.

The 19-year-old, who has been tipped as a future star for both Los Blancos and France, made a series of valuable contributions to Madrid's Champions League run from the bench, producing a particularly lively performance as Carlo Ancelotti's team recovered from a 5-3 aggregate deficit to eliminate Manchester City in the semi-finals earlier this month.

Speaking to Canal+ after Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0, Camavinga was delighted with the "dream" victory, saying experiencing such occasions was the reason he joined the Spanish giants.

"It's a crazy thing, it's a childhood dream come true. Touching the cup, experiencing matches like that, it's crazy... That's why I came here," he said.

"From the moment we come here, we know that we are in the best club in the world, we only play big matches. I am very happy to have played in the final and to have won it."

Camavinga has some way to go to match the honours of some of his Madrid team-mates, with Karim Benzema, Dani Carvajal and Modric all winning their fifth European titles in Paris. No one has won more.

Touching on the illustrious careers of his colleagues, Camavinga laughed: "Some have five Champions Leagues here, but I already have one, I still have four left [to win]. We're going to enjoy it. Next year, we'll see."

With his late introduction, Camavinga, aged 19 years and 199 days old, became the youngest player to appear in a Champions League final since Kingsley Coman for Juventus against Barcelona in 2015 (18 years, 358 days).

Coman is also the only Frenchman to have played in a European Cup/Champions League final at a younger age than Camavinga.

And the midfielder believes he has improved as a player after making 16 starts in his first season with the club, though he insists his playing time is of secondary importance compared to the team's performances.

"It's been an incredible season, an extraordinary accomplishment, very positive," he said in comments reported by Marca.

"I've learned a lot in this first year from the players here, from my coaches too, so I think I'm a better player than I was a year ago.

"The first thing to remember is this victory, the work of the team and [only] after that, whether I've played more or less is important."

Liverpool supporters' group Spirit of Shankly has slammed organisers for the chaos that engulfed the Champions League final in Paris.

The start of the match, in which Real Madrid went on to win 1-0, was twice delayed as Liverpool fans struggled to enter the Stade de France, with UEFA blaming congestion outside the stadium on supporters attempting to use fake tickets.

France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin also accused "thousands of British 'supporters', without tickets or with counterfeit tickets" for causing the disruption by attempting to force their way into the stadium.

But British broadcaster BT Sport reported that fans had been tear-gassed outside the stadium, while Merseyside Police have since claimed the "vast majority" of Liverpool supporters behaved in an "exemplary manner".

The force has also pledged to support Liverpool's request for a formal investigation into the "unacceptable issues" which fans faced prior to the match.

Members of the media at the Stade de France reported that Liverpool fans were funnelled through a small gap between police vans under a flyover en route to the stadium, while videos shared on social media show police using pepper spray on some supporters who merely appeared to be attempting to scan their tickets.

Spirit of Shankly on Sunday hit out at organisers' "shambolic mismanagement" of the final, refuting UEFA's initial suggestions that late-arriving fans had contributed to the disturbing scenes.

In a statement on their website, the group also accused organisers of "incompetence" and backed up claims of "indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper spray" by the French police.

"Once again Liverpool supporters, and we are hearing, Real Madrid supporters, have felt the disorganisation and shambolic mismanagement of a major final by UEFA," the statement began.

"Their comments may have changed before the match, but what remained consistent was their narrative that fans were to blame.

"Fans were not late. Many began arriving more than two-and-a-half hours before the scheduled kick-off time. They had legitimate tickets but failed to gain entry. 

"The failure rests with UEFA, the French authorities and police.

"The consequence of such incompetence was the not-unusual heavy-handed response from the police and their indiscriminate use of tear gas and pepper spray."

The statement also claims that fans were subsequently left vulnerable after the match had finished.

"The French authorities and police also failed to control gangs of local youths before and after the match. Innocent fans were left distraught after they were assaulted, bags pick pocketed and match tickets stolen," the statement continued.

"The safety and well-being of our fans is paramount and in the weeks leading up to the game, Spirit of Shankly worked closely with Liverpool FC, Football Supporters Europe, and Merseyside Police to ensure all that could be done would be done to secure this. It was not. And that collective work was ignored by UEFA and the relevant French authorities.

"We will now work with those same organisations to gather evidence of all affected by the events in Paris. It is incumbent on UEFA, the French authorities and police to take responsibility.

"They need to send representatives to Liverpool to meet with LFC and Spirit of Shankly. Lessons need to be learned so that this never happens again."

Karim Benzema would have loved to play alongside Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid, but insists the forwards' decision to stay at Paris Saint-Germain will not affect their friendship.

Mbappe was widely expected to move to the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of his contract in Paris, but he conducted a late U-turn last week and chose to sign a new three-year contract with the Ligue 1 champions.

But Madrid showed they have the firepower to cope without the 2018 World Cup winner as they beat Liverpool 1-0 in Saturday's Champions League final, with Vinicius Junior scoring the only goal of the game.

Benzema played a key role during Madrid's 14th European triumph, scoring 15 Champions League goals this season to fall just two strikes short of Cristiano Ronaldo's single-season record (17 for Madrid in 2013-14).

The striker, who has been tipped to win the Ballon d'Or later this year, also became just the second French player to win a European Cup/Champions League final as captain after Didier Deschamps with Marseille in 1993.

Mbappe, meanwhile, scored 39 goals and added 21 assists in all competitions in a fine individual campaign.

Although Benzema admits he would have been delighted to see Mbappe join Los Blancos, he respects the 23-year-old's decision and is looking forward to teaming up with him for France's upcoming Nations League fixtures.

"I would have liked him to be able to realise his dream of playing at Real Madrid, together," Benzema told Telefoot.

"He chose PSG, you have to respect [his decision]. He is young, he has a lot of responsibilities on him.

"It's his choice, he's a PSG player, so we will enjoy playing together in the [national] selection. 

"Everyone makes their choices. "I'm not disappointed, I'm happy and I hope he does good things. We're good friends, it won't affect our relationship."

France will play four Nations League fixtures next month, including a double-header against Croatia, who they beat in the 2018 World Cup final in Moscow.

Mohamed Salah has won the Premier League's Goal of the Season award for his fine solo strike in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with eventual champions Manchester City.

Salah beat several City defenders to put Jurgen Klopp's team 2-1 up at Anfield last October, before Kevin de Bruyne's equaliser for Pep Guardiola's side, who went on the win the title by a single point.

Salah picked up the ball to the right of the visitors' area in the 76th minute before weaving his way past Joao Cancelo, Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte, eventually firing a fierce right-footed finish across Ederson and into the far corner.

Liverpool ended up second in the league after a dramatic final day and lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid, leaving them with only the EFL Cup and FA Cup triumphs to their name.

While the Reds may have felt disappointed with that haul after a quadruple was on the cards, Salah has enjoyed an incredible individual campaign, scoring 31 goals and adding 15 assists in all competitions.

The Egypt international's latest award is the latest in a succession of individual gongs, after he shared the Premier League Golden Boot with Tottenham's Son Heung-min (both 23 goals) and edged out team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold to register the most assists in the league (13).

Salah fended off nine other shortlisted goals, from the likes of Son, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mateo Kovacic, and Rodri, to scoop the award.

Merseyside Police say the "vast majority" of Liverpool fans behaved in an "exemplary manner" in Paris and the force will fully support an investigation into chaos ahead of the Champions League final.

The kick-off for the showpiece at the Stade de France on Saturday was delayed by over half an hour due to concerning scenes outside the ground.

UEFA put the delay down to turnstiles being blocked at the Liverpool end of the stadium by thousands of fans who had purchased fake tickets, while a message on the big screen inside the stadium stated that the game was unable to start on time due to "the late arrival of fans".

Police used tear gas to try and disperse the crowds outside the stadium before a final that ended in a 1-0 victory for Real Madrid courtesy of Vinicius Junior's second-half goal.

Liverpool officially requested a formal investigation into the causes of the "unacceptable issues".

Governing body UEFA vowed to review these matters urgently, together with the French authorities and the French Football Federation.

Merseyside Police on Sunday released a statement passing on the observations from their officers who were in attendance in Paris.

Assistant chief constable Chris Green said: "We are aware of a number of reports relating to incidents both before and after last night's Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris.

"We are also aware that Liverpool FC have requested a formal investigation from UEFA and we will be linking in with the club, UEFA and the UK Football Policing Unit to pass on the observations of our officers who attended the game and took part in the pre-match meetings with the relevant authorities.

"As with all European matches officers from Merseyside were deployed in France to work in an observatory and advisory capacity with local officers, and they reported that the vast majority of fans behaved in an exemplary manner, arriving at turnstiles early and queueing as directed and their observations will be passed on to the relevant authorities as part of the debrief for the game.

"Many thousands of fans have travelled throughout the season to matches across Europe and we have worked closely with our supporter groups, the club and European hosts to ensure the matches passed without incident and fans were kept safe.

"Our officers returning today will conduct a formal debrief to ensure that we can fully support any subsequent investigation following last night's game.

"We know that people would have witnessed a lot of distressing scenes last night and we wish everyone returning home from Paris a safe journey."

Thierry Henry declared the race for the Ballon d'Or over after Karim Benzema lifted the Champions League with Real Madrid on Saturday.

Benzema became just the second French captain to lift the trophy, after Didier Deschamps with Marseille in 1993, following a 1-0 win over Liverpool at the Stade de France.

Carlo Ancelotti's side were largely indebted to the heroics of Thibaut Courtois after the goalkeeper produced nine saves – a Champions League final record since Opta began recording data in 2003-04.

Vinicius Junior may have scored the winner in Paris but a 14th European Cup for Madrid, which is double the tally of second-best Milan (seven), came down to Benzema's efforts throughout the knockout stages.

The 34-year-old netted a hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain, four goals across two legs with Chelsea and three in the tie with Manchester City, including an extra-time penalty to win the semi-final.

Benzema has been involved in 59 goals this season (45 goals, 15 assists) in all competitions, with only France team-mate Kylian Mbappe (60) bettering that total across Europe's top five leagues.

And Arsenal great Henry believes Benzema ended the debate for who should win the Ballon d'Or this year with his success in Paris.

"I just wanted to say something for France Football or whoever is voting. Close the votes, Benzema won it. Bye," Henry said to CBS Sports after the final.

France coach Didier Deschamps will hope Benzema can lead Les Bleus to more World Cup glory in November, and he echoed Henry's sentiments by suggesting the Madrid talisman should win the award.

"The answer is simple: yes. This new title and the sporting season achieved with his team, and what he was able to do, he was so decisive," Deschamps told Telefoot.

"Obviously, he was already one of the favourites and he deserves this reward."

The Ballon d'Or has been won by Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi in 13 of the past 14 seasons, barring when Benzema's team-mate Luka Modric was named the winner in 2018.

While Benzema may believe his achievements on a personal and team level are enough to stave off Liverpool's Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, the Madrid forward insisted he will be satisfied either way.

"Obviously, I finished my season, now I will join up with the national team," Benzema told Canal Plus.

"I think at club level I can't do better. We'll see what happens but in any case I'm proud of what I've achieved."