Midfielder is not in Rodgers first-team plans and may seek a short-term move away from Anfield in search of regular football

Swansea City are prepared to spend almost £20 million on the forward Wilfried Bony and the midfielder Tom Ince.

Tottenham are closing in on the Brazil midfielder

Steve Bruce signs the Honduras international for a second time

Hull have made their first signing since winning promotion to the Barclays Premier League, turning George Boyd's loan deal into a permanent contract.

Brian Mawhinney served as a Conservative minister in Northern Ireland for six years, during which time some 500 people on both sides of the great divide were killed. As he was leaving a Londonderry college after an official visit, a bomb was found a few yards further down the path on which he was walking; the IRA announced later that they decided not to assassinate him in case innocent bystanders were injured.

“I didn’t think I would be in this situation,” said Damien Delaney, days before the biggest game of his life, with some understatement.

Wilkommen to the 150,000 fans expected in London for Saturday’s Champion League’s final

The assumption Spurs would bury Sunderland was universally made

The Eagles play Brighton tomorrow night

Four times these teams were in and out of the bottom three as Barnsley, who knew they were down if they lost, twice went ahead and Huddersfield, who could not breathe easily unless they at least claimed a draw, twice equalised.

The Championship is yet again proving why it is one of the most competitive leagues in Europe - only three of Saturday’s fixtures are of no consequence with 12 teams realistically still having something to play for.

Both sides took single faltering steps in the right direction at The Den, but neither Crystal Palace nor Millwall looked desperately deserving of their eventual target. This tense but technically dismal derby should mean celebratory Saturdays for the two south London sides, but they are not ending the season with a flourish.

Escaping drop into League One looks unlikely