MADRID — Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said he did not say anything to Gareth Bale before he left to sign for Tottenham Hotspur but insisted he had no personal issue with the Wales forward and praised what he did for the Spanish club.

Bale travelled to London on Friday to finalise a return to Tottenham on loan after seven years at Real which witnessed a remarkable haul of trophies and goals but ended with the player barely featuring at the end of last season.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has fired a broadside at the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) as his team prepare to play three times in a week on multiple fronts.

Spurs are having to negotiate the Europa League qualifying rounds by winning three matches to get into the group stage, with Premier League and League Cup matches also in the mix.

Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign Spanish midfielder Thiago Alcântara from Bayern Munich, the German club's CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Thursday.

British media reported the deal will cost the Premier League champions around $25.81 million with $6.5 million in add-ons. Thiago will leave the German giants a year before his contract is set to expire and is expected to sign a four-year deal with the Anfield club.

DeAndre Yedlin’s future is in a state of uncertainty with the sun setting on his time with Newcastle in the Premier League. Talks of Yedlin leaving Newcastle this transfer window were floated around earlier in the summer but now a destination seems clear. A report from CBS’ Roger Gonzalez claims the return of Yedlin to MLS looks likely.

Timo Werner said on Wednesday that he was in discussions with Liverpool over a close season transfer but eventually chose Chelsea as they were the perfect fit for his game while manager Frank Lampard also played a key role in making the decision.

Chelsea signed the German striker, 24, in a reported 50 million euros ($59.20 million) deal in June as the London club looked to rebuild their squad ahead of the new season.

Manchester United women's captain Katie Zelem has been withdrawn from England's training camp after testing positive for COVID-19, the FA said on Wednesday.

Zelem, 24, was named in coach Phil Neville's 30-player squad last week for the Lionesses' training camp at St George's Park.

The FA and the club said the midfielder will now self-isolate for 10 days as per the health protocol.