Xavi has been appointed Netherlands head coach on a four-year deal, becoming the first non-Dutch manager to lead the national team since 1978. back at Real Madrid 13 years after leaving the club, a return that quickly stands out as one of the summer’s biggest managerial moves.

Tottenham’s squad is shifting too. The club have agreed to sell captain Cristian Romero to Atletico Madrid for £34.2 million, while Inter are in advanced talks to sign full-back Djed Spence. The proposed fee has been placed at at least €30 million, with one update putting it at €31.5 million plus add-ons and another saying Tottenham were still pushing for €35 million plus bonuses.

A handful of notable deals have already been completed elsewhere. Manchester City have signed Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli from Marseille, Chelsea have brought in left-back Pep Chavarria on a five-year contract, and Fenerbahce have completed the signing of Romelu Lukaku from Napoli for €6 million plus add-ons. Roma have also announced the arrival of Nahuel Molina.

On the field, Napoli rounded off preseason with a 6-2 win over Aris Thessaloniki, with Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay, and Lorenzo Lucca among the scorers. Arsenal were held 1-1 by Como at the Emirates, where Bruno Guimaraes made his debut before Arsenal took the penalty shootout. Everton, who beat Newcastle 3-1 in another friendly, also saw forward Martin Sherif charged by the Football Association over allegedly placing 61 bets on football matches.