Sports Newspapers: 5 things you need to know this Friday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Sports Newspapers:

1. Manchester United are close to completing a £33.7m deal to sign Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna. Man United sources say the club are set to pay a slight premium on the £33.67m release clause in order to secure an extended payment period for the 23-year-old star.
2. History-maker Biniam Girmay sprinted to his third victory at this year’s Tour de France but overall contender Primoz Roglic lost significant time after a late crash on stage 12. Eritrean Girmay became the first black African to win a Tour de France stage with his opening win on stage three and also triumphed on stage eight.
3. Rory McIlroy has expressed “disbelief” at Keegan Bradley being appointed United States captain for the Ryder Cup and says it would “absolutely not” be possible to combine the role with playing on the team. Bradley was the surprise choice to lead the Americans at Bethpage Black in September 2025 after 15-time major champion Tiger Woods turned down the captaincy.
4. Jasmine Paolini edged out a tearful Donna Vekic in a thrilling semi-final to become the first Italian to reach a Wimbledon women’s singles final. In one of the best matches of the tournament, Paolini missed two match points and was 8-7 behind in the 10-point tie-break before recovering to clinch an incredible victory.
5. Alice Capsey hit an unbeaten 67 as England clinched a tense six-wicket win over New Zealand in the third T20 international to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Sophie Ecclestone’s masterful 4-25 helped restrict the Kiwis to 141-8 while Lauren Filer (2-17) and Sarah Glenn (1-14) also bowled eye-catching spells.