Football news live updates: Champions League, latest on Liverpool, Man Utd and more

Leicester City have won the Championship title after their 3-0 victory over Preston North End at Deepdale.

The away side took the lead through Jamie Vardy’s scuffed effort in the 36th minute. The 37-year-old scored his second of the night and 20th goal of the season after getting on the rebound of Wout Faes’ strike which came off the post and firing home from close range.

Kasey McAteer sealed the victory in the 67th minute after heading from 20-year-old winger Abdul Fatawu’s cross.

Leicester’s promotion back to the Premier League was confirmed last week after Queens Park Rangers' 4-0 victory over Leeds United last Friday.

The champions conclude their league season against Blackburn Rovers at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

More on Leicester's title victory below

Liverpool have signed a new five-year deal with AXA.

The global insurance company, which first began its partnership with the Merseyside club in 2018, will continue as the training kit sponsor and have the naming rights to the club’s training facilities until 2029. The previous contract was due to expire in 2025.

Liverpool’s commercial director Ben Latty, said: “Partnering with global brands and developing long-term, meaningful relationships is a vital part of our commercial strategy.

“The naming rights of our training facilities and AXA's presence on our training kits have been instrumental in our success, and this renewal reaffirms AXA’s commitment to our men’s and women’s teams, our fans, and our communities.

“We are excited to see how this partnership will continue to grow and evolve.”

Manchester United would consider selling Marcus Rashford if a substantial offer arrives and he tells the club he wants to leave.

However, the Premier League club are not proactively looking to sell the England international, who has more than four years remaining on his contract at Old Trafford.

United’s preference is to keep the 26-year-old and work with him to get him back to his best and help him return to the form of previous years.

Full story below

Premier League clubs have agreed to push ahead with plans for a hard spending cap as part of the “squad cost” rules that will come into effect at the start of the 2025-26 season.

The measure was discussed at a Premier League shareholders’ meeting at The Churchill hotel in London on Monday and is now set to be voted on at the league’s annual general meeting in June.

As revealed by The Athletic last week, the de facto salary cap will “anchor” the maximum permitted spending of any club to a multiple of what the lowest earning side receives via the Premier League’s centralised broadcast and commercial deals.

Full story below

Leicester City have won the Championship title after their 3-0 victory over Preston North End at Deepdale.

The away side took the lead through Jamie Vardy’s scuffed effort in the 36th minute. The 37-year-old scored his second of the night and 20th goal of the season after getting on the rebound of Wout Faes’ strike which came off the post and firing home from close range.

Kasey McAteer sealed the victory in the 67th minute after heading from 20-year-old winger Abdul Fatawu’s cross.

Leicester’s promotion back to the Premier League was confirmed last week after Queens Park Rangers' 4-0 victory over Leeds United last Friday.

The champions conclude their league season against Blackburn Rovers at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.

More on Leicester's title victory below

It's half-time at Deepdale Stadium between Preston North End and Leicester City.

Leicester, who achieved promotion last week, are 1-0 up thanks to a goal from Jamie Vardy in the 35th minute. It is the 37-year-old's 19th goal in all competitions this season.

Can the away side hold on for a victory that will see them clinch the Championship title?

Second-half coming soon...,

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay says the injury that he sustained during his side’s 1-1 draw with Burnley on Saturday is “nothing serious.”

The 27-year-old was substituted in the 90th minute after picking up an injury at Old Trafford. He was seen slamming the ground in frustration and shouting before being replaced by Mason Mount.

However, the Scotland international took to social media to dispel fears that the issue may have been more serious than first feared.

He said: “I slipped and fell awkwardly on my knee. Nothing serious, just a hyperextension but I was angry and upset that I thought it was worse than it was.

“I’m hoping to be back on the pitch very soon to help the team as much as I can.”

Full story below

Nigeria have appointed Finidi George as their new head coach.

The 53-year-old, who played for Ajax, Ipswich Town, Real Mallorca and Real Betis during his playing career, was announced as Jose Peseiro’s replacement by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday.

Peseiro was in charge of Nigeria at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) where they reached the final but lost 2-1 to the hosts Ivory Coast. Peseiro managed the side for 22 months in total and left in February when his contract expired.

Full story below

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Bayern Munich's proud history in the Champions League "counts for a lot" as the two sides prepare to meet in the last four of the competition.

14-time winners Madrid are the most successful team in Champions League history, while AC Milan (7) are the only other side to have won the competition more times than Bayern (6).

Speaking at his press conference on Monday, Ancelotti — who was sacked as Bayern manager in 2017 after 15 months in charge — praised his former side after they eliminated a "very strong" Arsenal in the previous round.

"We have a lot of respect for Bayern, who haven't had a good Bundesliga but did spectacularly against Arsenal, and that's what we look at," said Ancelotti.

"Arsenal are a very strong team in Europe and Bayern played two spectacular games. We have to take into account the quality of the team and the history, which is similar to ours and that in this tournament weighs a lot."

Real Madrid and Bayern met at this stage of the competition 10 years ago.

Ancelotti, then in his first spell as Real Madrid manager, oversaw a 4-0 second-leg win at the Allianz Arena to book their place in the Champions League final for the first time since 2002.

"It remains a good memory, but tomorrow is another story, different," Ancelotti said when asked for his recollection of that game. "It's the first leg, not the return leg. We're playing against an opponent that has tools, quality and very strong individuals."

Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde says he is “very calm” ahead of facing Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane in the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old started both legs of Real’s quarter-finals against Manchester City where the Spanish side’s defence were able to prevent Norway international Erling Haaland from getting on the scoresheet on either occasion.

Before Tuesday’s meeting with Kane, one of the world’s most deadly strikers, Valverde heaped praise on Real’s strong defence.

The Uruguay international said: "We have world-class defenders, who have been through every moment at this club and have been through Champions League finals everywhere.

“So we have to respect them first and then look at the strikers we have in front of us. I'm very calm thanks to the defenders we have".

Kane has scored seven goals in ten Champions League games this season, including a goal against Arsenal in the first-leg of his side’s quarter-final against Arsenal.

The England international scored two goals during Bayern's 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. The brace increased Kane’s tally to 42 goals in 42 games in all competitions this season.

Premier League clubs have agreed to push ahead with plans for a hard spending cap as part of the “squad cost” rules that will come into effect at the start of the 2025-26 season.

The measure was discussed at a Premier League shareholders’ meeting at The Churchill hotel in London on Monday and is now set to be voted on at the league’s annual general meeting in June.

As revealed by The Athletic last week, the de facto salary cap will “anchor” the maximum permitted spending of any club to a multiple of what the lowest earning side receives via the Premier League’s centralised broadcast and commercial deals.

The concept was first brought up last year, with a multiple of 4.5 in mind, but after several clubs strongly opposed the idea, a multiple of five is expected to be implemented if the proposal passes.

The introduction of the squad cost rule from 2025-26 was unanimously approved at a Premier League shareholder's meeting earlier this month and is expected to be finalised during June's AGM.

The spending cap is intended to function as a backstop to the squad cost rule, which will see clubs' spending tied to a percentage of their revenue.

Manchester United would consider selling Marcus Rashford if a substantial offer arrives and he tells the club he wants to leave.

However, the Premier League club are not proactively looking to sell the England international, who has more than four years remaining on his contract at Old Trafford.

United’s preference is to keep the 26-year-old and work with him to get him back to his best and help him return to the form of previous years.

Rashford signed a new five-year contract at United last July which runs until June 2028.

That followed his most successful scoring season as a professional, with the striker registering 30 goals in 56 matches across all competitions.

This season, Rashford has played 40 times for United, scoring eight goals and providing five assists.

Thomas Tuchel says Jamal Musiala's availability for Bayern Munich's Champions League semi-final first leg will be a "last-minute decision".

Bayern host 14-time winners Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night having beaten Arsenal over two legs in the last eight.

The 21-year-old — who has scored two and provided one assist in his nine appearances so far in Europe — was a full participant in training on Monday afternoon.

Musiala missed Bayern's two most recent Bundesliga outings against Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt after picking up a knock.

Tuchel gave an update on Bayern's injury list in his press conference on Monday afternoon.

"As things stand, I don't know 100 percent," said Tuchel.

"Konrad Laimer, Matthijs de Ligt and Dayot Upamecano are being checked right now. Things look best for Konny in terms of training. We also need to see with Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane.

He added: "It's maybe a bit too early for Matthijs and Upa. There will be some last-minute decisions."

Bayern are yet to identify Tuchel's successor after the former Chelsea manager announced in February that he would be stepping down at the end of the season.

Premier League clubs have agreed to push ahead with plans for a hard spending cap as part of the “squad cost” rules that will come into effect at the start of the 2025-26 season.

The measure was discussed at a Premier League shareholders’ meeting at The Churchill hotel in London on Monday and is now set to be voted on at the league’s annual general meeting in June.

As revealed by The Athletic last week, the de facto salary cap will “anchor” the maximum permitted spending of any club to a multiple of what the lowest earning side receives via the Premier League’s centralised broadcast and commercial deals.

More details below