Real Madrid want the six Premier League clubs that signed up to the European Super League (ESL) to pay a share of the initial costs of the abandoned project. Multiple sources with a close understanding of the situation — speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to comment publicly — said the Spanish club believe Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur should still be liable for the setup costs of the plan, despite subsequently pulling out. Exclusive story from @JamesHorncastle and @GuillermoRai_ ⬇️ 🔗 nyti.ms/4sfkWVy

Perhaps it was always going to be this way between Cristiano Ronaldo, a man whose fame and ego are their own kinds of lighter fluid, and the spiky, self-important Jorge Jesus. Still, even taking it as read that Ronaldo falling out with his Portugal coach would have the look of an international incident, the events of the last two weeks have been remarkable. So much of what has happened has played out in public since the tinderbox match against Norway on September 27. There have been accusations of duplicity, late-night meetings, private jets, phone calls from politicians, murmurs about malign external influence… and the aftershocks are reverberating around the game. @jacklang, @MarioCortegana and @GuillermoRai_ tell the story of the 10 days that cleaved Portuguese football in two. 🔗 nyti.ms/4jOn2t7