After much speculation over her future, Lionesses keeper Mary Earps is reportedly set to leave Manchester United and join French giants PSG on a free transfer this summer.
The 31-year-old has been at Man United for nearly five years after joining from German side VfL Wolfsburg back in 2019 and has gone on to become not only the Red Devils’ number one but England’s too, emerging as one of the national team’s biggest leaders over the past few years.
Having picked up the 2023 Sports Personality of the Year among multiple other awards following her heroics at the Euros and World Cup, along with her campaigning on behalf of women’s sport, her stock has never been higher, but deliberations surrounding a new contract have dragged on for months.
Unfortunately for Man United Women fans, it looks as though the two parties have in the end failed to reach an agreement and they’ll have to big goodbye to Mary ‘Queen of Stops’.
Mary Earps will leave Manchester United at the end of her contract to join Paris Saint-Germain 📝 pic.twitter.com/82k5qAAwbq
As per multiple outlets, there has been no resolution between Earps and the WSL club despite lengthy negotiations and the fan-favourite player is now expected to leave Manchester when her contract expires at the end of the month.
According to the Evening Standard‘s Simon Collings, United are “understood to have made the goalkeeper a strong offer to stay, but she is keen for a new challenge elsewhere”, though Earps herself said the decision would ultimately be “up to the club” – the suggestion being it wasn’t a big enough deal.
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It’s fair to say this will be a big loss for the club and not the only instance in which they won’t receive any kickback from the move, having similarly let a first-team star and fellow Lioness Alessia Russo go for free and join title rivals Arsenal at the end of her contract last summer.
But it isn’t just money the supporters fear has influenced the decision.
Not forgetting the top scorer Parris, & FA Cup final goalscorers Williams and Garcia. It is just a HUGE mess.
As you can see, there is now fear that other members of Marc Skinner’s squad could also be on their way out because of the other decisions made by higher-ups, with Spaniard Lucía García having also confirmed her exit on Wednesday, 26 June.
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The club has faced huge backlash following their decision to move the female players into portable facilities for the benefit of the men’s team whilst the Carrington Training Complex undergoes a reported £50 million revamp. Admittedly not a great look for parity throughout the club.
Kick Off podcast host and producer, Bruno Quinney, reacted to the news by calling it “unbelievable” and claiming that the women’s team “is going backwards” since Sir Jim Ratcliffe came in as co-owner.
“So much for a world-class sporting operation”, he added, posing the valid question: “Why can’t the serially underperforming men’s team move into portable buildings?
Earps is yet to issue a statement on her imminent departure but she’ll certainly be sorely missed by the United faithful.
Salford City FC have been bought out by a new consortium
Danny Jones
Another era beckons for Salford City as a buyout of the Greater Manchester football club by a new consortiumhas been announced.
Well, sort of.
Salford City FC were famously the subject of a joint takeover by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim and members of Manchester United’s Class of ’92 over a decade ago, and now 11 years on from that last milestone moment in their history, the local side has a new administration once again.
It is a fresh chapter for the club, but supporters will be glad to hear that there will also be some continuity and key throughline of consistency among some of those at the top.
Salford City announces that the Club has been acquired by a new ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville, and includes US-based businessman Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies who will both serve as new Co-Chairs of the Club’s board.
Led by Man United legends Gary Neville and David Beckham, who have been involved with Salford since 2014, the new nine-member consortium consists of the Dream Sports Group – a leading sports technology company based in India – along with a number of other key figures.
One of those is Lord Mervyn Davies, a former Labour MP and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, who still serves as a trade envoy between the UK and Sri Lanka.
Another is Irish-American entrepreneur Declan Kelly, who is Chairman and CEO of The Consello Group, a global advisory and investing firm.
While the previous co-owners and fellow Class of ’92 United graduates are no longer shareholders at Moor Lane, it is said they will still play important roles at the club.
As the official statement reads, “The acquisition includes a commitment by the new shareholders to invest significantly in the Club, the team and its facilities”, meaning there will funds will likely be sweet aside not only for some healthy transfer business but more updates to the Peninsula Stadium.
Commenting on the announcement, Neville said: “I’m passionate about Salford City. This is a unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.
“Football will come first, however, it’s critical that we drive the Club towards sustainability in the next 4-5 years. I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Meanwhile, Beckham went on to add in the excitable Instagram post seen above: “Salford played such an important role in my life growing up… It’s where I trained with United alongside my best mates every day, it’s where I bought my first house and where me and Victoria lived.
“I’m so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate [Neville] as we begin the next chapter of Salford’s journey. Football is at the heart of this community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Ammies.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run returns this summer with three new routes
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this summer, and this year, there’s three new routes to run.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo saw success with similar sold-out events in 2023 and 2024, and is now looking for 2,500 runners to sign up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences when it returns later this year – with all funds raised from the popular event going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
Participants will this year take on a brand-new route winding through more of the zoo than ever before, and enjoying glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Chester Zoo is inviting runners of all abilities to take part this year, as there’s a new 5km run added to the usual 10km route, and even a one-mile ‘Zoom’ fun run for kids aged four-15.
With only 2,500 places up for grabs, organisers say the event is expected to sell out quickly, just like it has the past two years, as runners race to support a very special cause.
All proceeds from this year’s Run For Nature in September will go directly towards protecting Nubian giraffes in East Africa – a species which has seen drastic population declines in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run is returning this summer with three new routes / Credit: Chester Zoo
Runners will receive a wooden medal at the finish line and free entry to the zoo for the remainder of the day, so they can relax and celebrate their achievement among 30,000 amazing animals.
If that didn’t all sound brilliant enough as it is, top fundraisers from the day will also be in with a chance of winning some exciting prizes too, including annual zoo memberships, animal adoptions, and even special behind-the-scenes zoo experiences.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing back Run For Nature for a third incredible year,” explained Sarah Jones, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo.
“We’ve now doubled the distance runners spend inside the zoo, so they’ll pass by even more iconic animals, [making it] a really special experience you won’t get anywhere else.”
Run For Nature is back at Chester Zoo this Sunday 21 September, and you can find out more and sign up to take part here.
Danny Jones -
26th June 2024 
