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West Ham chairman David Sullivan has confirmed captain Declan Rice will be allowed to leave this summer and he expects to start receiving bids immediately. The England midfielder said he did not know if he had played his last game for the club after leading them to Europa Conference League glory. A 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in Wednesday night’s final saw him become only the third Hammers skipper to lift a major trophy, following Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds. However, Sullivan admits a gentleman’s agreement means they will allow a player who still has two years remaining on his contract – one year plus an option – to leave. Asked whether lifting the trophy in Prague was Rice’s last action as a West Ham player, Sullivan told talkSPORT: “I think it has to be. We promised him he could go. “He set his heart on going and in due course he has to get on and we have to get a replacement. “It is not something we wanted to happen. We offered him £200,000-a-week 18 months ago and he turned it down. You can’t keep a player who doesn’t want to be there. “I think the offers will start to come today. Three or four clubs have shown interest but, out of respect to West Ham, while we’re still playing, you don’t make offers for players.” Rice said after the game that it was “not goodbye yet”. He added on BT Sport: “Look at the moment there’s a lot of speculation about my future. “There is interest from other clubs, that’s out there, but ultimately I’ve still got two years left at West Ham. “There hasn’t been nothing yet (offers). Let’s wait and see, who knows. “I love every minute of it here, you can see the smile on my face. “It’s not about that tonight, it’s about celebrating and that’s what I’m going to do now.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Women’s World Cup win would earn England’s players more than £200,000 each A World Cup-winning striker and mean defence – Inter’s strengths and weaknesses Big wins over Bayern and Real – Man City’s route to the Champions League final

Liverpool have confirmed the signing of World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton.

Zimbabwe stopped short of free-floating its currency in the battle to end weeks of exchange rate volatility that

UK property surveyors turned more positive about the outlook for house prices despite soaring interest rates that they

The Philadelphia region faced the worst air quality in the US early Thursday as the impact of Canadian

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba laid out his country’s plans to counter Russia’s influence in Africa, while saying

West Ham United players and staff will be recovering from the joy of winning their first major trophy for 43 years after beating Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final in what proved to be a dramatic night on and off the pitch in Prague. Jarrod Bowen’s 89th-minute goal gave the Hammers the most memorable of 2-1 wins, with celebrity supporters such as James Corden and Danny Dyer – whose daughter Dani is Bowen’s partner – celebrating the triumph. However, the match had earlier been marred when West Ham fans pelted Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi with objects as he went to take a corner in the first half and left him bleeding from a gash in the back of his head. Hammers supporters then later clashed with riot police in Prague after setting off flares in celebration of victory, as a scuffle broke out after police officers tried to confiscate a lit flare in the Old Town area of the city. Riot police stormed a group after they lit a second flare, with fans responding by pelting the officers with bottles and missiles. Earlier in the day, Czech police said they had detained at least 16 Fiorentina fans after they attacked West Ham supporters outside a bar, with videos shared on social media showing chairs and fireworks being thrown. Follow all the latest news and reaction from West Ham’s European adventure below: Read More West Ham fans fight riot police in Prague after Europa Conference League win West Ham end trophy drought in most dramatic style as Jarrod Bowen plays the hero West Ham fans leave Fiorentina player bleeding after being hit by objects thrown from crowd

Turkish state lenders returned to supporting the lira after a temporary halt to dollar sales on Wednesday triggered

Manchester City take on Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday. Here, the PA news agency looks at their route to the Ataturk Stadium. Group stage (Manchester City 14pts, Borussia Dortmund 9, Sevilla 5, Copenhagen 3) City dominated Group G to ease into the knockout stages for a 10th consecutive season with two matches to spare. The game that saw them clinch their spot was actually a forgettable goalless draw in Copenhagen in which Sergio Gomez was sent off, but the job had been largely done with victories in their first three games. They opened with a 4-0 victory over Sevilla, came from behind to beat Dortmund 2-1 with Erling Haaland grabbing the late winner against his former club and thrashed the Danes first time round 5-0. They were then held 0-0 in Dortmund but finished off by beating Sevilla 3-1 at home. Last 16: RB Leipzig (won 8-1 on aggregate) Pep Guardiola’s side failed to make their dominance count as they were held to a 1-1 draw by the Germans at the Red Bull Arena but any doubts after that game were swiftly put aside in the second leg. City romped to a 7-0 win in the return with the prolific Haaland helping himself to five goals. Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan also got on the scoresheet. Riyad Mahrez scored City’s goal in the first leg before Josko Gvardiol hit back. Quarter-finals: Bayern Munich (won 4-1 on aggregate) Haaland made one of many entries into the record books as City all but wrapped up their place in the last four with an impressive 3-0 win over German giants Bayern in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium. Haaland netted his 45th goal of the campaign – a record for a Premier League player across all competitions – after an earlier Rodri stunner and Bernardo Silva effort. The Norwegian missed a penalty in the return at the Allianz Arena but bounced back to make it 4-0 on aggregate before Bayern finally registered with a late Joshua Kimmich spot-kick. Semi-finals: Real Madrid (won 5-1 on aggregate) City produced arguably their greatest performance under Guardiola as they ruthlessly dethroned holders and 14-time champions Madrid to avenge their loss at the same stage last year. They dominated the first leg at the Bernabeu Stadium in terms of possession but were caught by a counter-attack and had to settle for a 1-1 draw as superb strikes from Vinicius Junior and De Bruyne cancelled each other out. They moved up a gear in the second leg and completely overran Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Silva struck twice and Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez also scored in a clinical and resounding display.

Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Italian side. Strengths Dogged defence Inter’s progression to this weekend’s showcase at the Ataturk Stadium owes a lot to a stingy defence. Simone Inzaghi’s combative team emerged from a group containing Bayern Munich and Barcelona. They have also kept a tournament-high eight clean sheets in their 12 matches, including five from six in the knockout stages, with goalkeeper Andre Onana a star performer. Lautaro Martinez Argentinian World Cup winner Martinez has once again been a potent threat up front for Inter this season. The 25-year-old, who is supported by the experienced pair of former City striker Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku, has been prolific over the past four years. Ahead of the semi-final, he urged his club-mates to harness the unity which led to his country triumphing in Qatar and that could again serve them well. Underdog status Inzaghi revealed his remit was to reach the last 16 of the Champions League when he was appointed in the summer of 2021. He satisfied that target last term before exceeding expectations this time around. He knows City will be overwhelming favourites and under greater pressure to deliver, and he has shown he can use such situations to his advantage. Weaknesses Inconsistency Despite their impressive run in Europe, Inter endured a mixed domestic campaign and the Serie A champions of 2021 were unable to keep pace with runaway winners Napoli. Their final position of third place owed a lot to a late-season charge as well as pressure being eased by Juventus’ 10-point penalty. Inzaghi’s men lost a large percentage of their games – 12 of 38 – but benefitted from keeping draws – just three – to a minimum. Unfamiliar territory As three-time winners, most recently in 2010, Inter have historical pedigree in Europe but their recent big-game experience on this stage is limited. Since Jose Mourinho carried them to glory 13 years ago, they have progressed beyond the group stage just four times. That contrasts starkly with City’s record. The English club have reached the knockout stages in each of the past 10 seasons and progressed to at least the semi-finals in the last three. They were also finalists in 2021. Lack of attacking width? Inzaghi has developed a well-balanced side operating in a 3-5-2 system, bucking modern trends by playing with two strikers. The formation allows the 47-year-old to make the most of his four forwards – Martinez, Lukaku, Joaquin Correa and Dzeko. Yet the reliance on wing-backs alone to provide width in attacking areas can lead to play becoming concentrated in the centre of the pitch and makes it difficult to break down opponents.

Manchester City bid for a trophy treble in Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan. Having seen off Manchester United at Wembley to add the FA Cup to their Premier League title, City can match the feat previously only achieved in English football by their cross-city rivals. Here, the PA news agency looks at how this season’s City side compares to United’s celebrated 1998-99 group. Team performance United lost only three games in their treble-winning season but a remarkable 21 draws in 57 games across the three competitions in question sees City overshadow them in most other statistical categories. Excluding the League Cup from both teams’ records and with their 57th and final game still to play, Pep Guardiola’s side have 41 wins (73.2 per cent) to United’s 33 (57.9 per cent), 144 goals to 121 and 25 clean sheets to 20. They have conceded only 39 goals to their predecessors’ 56, scoring an average of 2.57 per game and conceding 0.70 compared to 2.12 against 0.98 for United. City have also scored four goals or more on 16 occasions, 28.6 per cent of their matches and twice as many as that United side – and they have an unsurprising advantage when the two teams’ top scorers are compared… Player stats Erling Haaland’s extraordinary 51-goal contribution to City’s potential treble had no equivalent in a United squad that shared the burden much more equally. Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole formed a potent front two, Yorke edging his strike partner by 18 league goals to 17 and by 29 to 24 in all competitions. Super-sub Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored 12 league goals despite starting only nine games and 15 in the three competitions with just 14 starts alongside 20 appearances from the bench. Teddy Sheringham was even more sparingly used, but his four goals included the vital equaliser in Barcelona before Solskjaer’s even-later winner. Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs also hit double figures, with David Beckham on nine. Haaland won this year’s Premier League Golden Boot with a record 36 goals and will receive the same honour in the Champions League. His 12 goals – including five in a game against RB Leipzig – have him four clear of the pack and no other finalist has more than four. He has been backed up by fellow summer signing Julian Alvarez with 15 goals in the league, FA Cup and Champions League, the same as Phil Foden, plus 13 from Riyad Mahrez and double figures too for cup final hero Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne. Eight of Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad featured in 50 or more of the 57 games that led to the treble – goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, defenders Gary Neville and Jaap Stam, midfield trio David Beckham, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, and Cole and Yorke up front. Just Rodri and Bernardo Silva can boast the same figure for City this term as Guardiola’s famed rotation policy and squad depth shows its worth. Haaland and Gundogan have hit 50 in all competitions, as can Jack Grealish if he plays in Saturday’s final. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Caitlin Foord signs new Arsenal contract Man City’s holy grail and Pep’s tactics – Champions League final talking points Chelsea’s owners pledge to improve and say they are optimistic over future

Manchester City face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday. Here, the PA news agency looks at some talking points ahead of the game. City’s holy grail Winning the Champions League has been City’s top objective since their takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008 and, after a number of near-misses, it now feels tantalisingly within reach. Beating Inter Milan would complete a mission for the club’s hierarchy, as it would for Pep Guardiola, the man they hired to deliver it. Despite City’s near-dominance of the domestic scene in recent years, and the regularity with which they have reached the Champions League’s latter stages, Guardiola has admitted the club need to win it to truly underline their greatness. On a personal level too, Guardiola has been the greatest coach of his generation but it has now been 12 years since the second of his two triumphs with a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona and it is an itch he needs to scratch. Treble bid Victory would not only fulfil a long-held ambition for City, but complete a glorious treble, earning them a place in the history books alongside arch-rivals Manchester United as only the second side to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season. United achieved the feat in 1999, at a time when City were fighting for promotion from the third tier. How their fans are enjoying the change in circumstances 24 years on. Tactics and form City will head into this game against the side that finished third in Serie A as overwhelming favourites. After an inconsistent spell either side of the World Cup, they hit form in the spring to reel in Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and power into two major finals. Their level of performance has arguably been better than anything they have produced before under Guardiola, with some particularly outstanding displays in key games against the Gunners, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Guardiola has often been accused of overthinking and getting things wrong tactically in the key matches, but there seems little reason to deviate now from what has worked well this season. No injury worries City would appear to have a clean bill of health. There were concerns when Kyle Walker did not appear at an open training session on Tuesday, having been substituted late in the FA Cup final on Saturday, but the player allayed any worries, saying he would not miss the Champions League final “for anything”. Guardiola is therefore unlikely to stray much from the side which started against Arsenal and both legs against Madrid, which was: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji, Rodri, Gundogan, Grealish, Silva, De Bruyne, Haaland. Inter’s plan Inter will be determined not to make up the numbers but manager Simone Inzaghi probably recognises City are likely to dominate possession, putting his side’s notably tough defence to the test. The Italians will hope to soak up the pressure and catch City on the counter, looking to the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Edin Dzeko and Romelu Lukaku to take any chances that come their way. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Caitlin Foord signs new Arsenal contract How do the current Man City side compare to Man Utd’s treble winners of 1999? Chelsea’s owners pledge to improve and say they are optimistic over future