Sportsday - Thursday 19 July as it happened

That is all for today's Sportsday. Be sure to keep following the action from Royal Lytham and St Annes and The Oval. Sportsday will return tomorrow at 08:00 BST.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that talks are ongoing with striker Danny Welbeck over a new contract. "We are negotiating with Danny's brothers," stated Sir Alex. "They represent him. It's difficult to say where we are with that at this moment in time."

Manager Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal can still win the Barclays Premier League despite not being able to match the outlay of some rivals. The Gunners are without a trophy in seven years and have been criticised by their supporters for not spending to try and compete with big-spending rivals such as Manchester City and Chelsea.

But Wenger told Time Out Hong Kong: "I must say that not being able to match the spending of the richest clubs does not mean that you can't compete with them on the pitch. We have always spent money because we are ambitious for top-class players and if you look at the history of our last 15 years, we have always had top-class players. It does not mean you can't win the title if you can't compete financially."

Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp believes retiring Spurs skipper Ledley King was one of the best defenders in the world on his day.

"When he was at his best he was definitely one of the best centre halves in the world, no doubt about that," Redknapp told Sky Sports. "At the end of the season he was struggling, we were struggling at centre half, we had injuries, and maybe he played one or two games too many. It was difficult for him at the end and he wasn't the player we had at the start of the season even. It is only right he decided to retire now otherwise he would have ended up crippled and we don't want to see that."

The day began terribly for England's cricketers as Andrew Strauss was out in the fourth ball of the innings, but it is looking pretty good now, especially for Strauss' fellow opener Alastair Cook. He has just reached his century to take England to 220-2 in the first innings of the first Test against South Africa at The Oval.

Cook now has 20 100s to his name for England, just two behind the record held by Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoffrey Boycott.

Javier Mascherano is on the verge of extending his contract with Barcelona until 2016. The former Liverpool man, who has played in both midfield and defence for Barca, has a deal that runs until 2014 but he is keen to extend his stay in the Catalan capital.

He told Mundo Deportivo, "[The new deal] is on the right track and I hope it will be closed shortly. I am happy, I feel valued and I want to continue for many years. Signing for Barca was the best decision of my life. I have won people's confidence and now I want to maintain it."

The News is reporting that Portsmouth are set to sign Reading keeper Mikkel Andersen on loan. According to the local newspaper, the Dane has been earmarked to arrive at Fratton Park to boost Michael Appleton's threadbare goalkeeping options.

Sir Alex Ferguson has challenged Danny Welbeck to break the 20-goal barrier to prove he can be a top-class striker for Manchester United.

The United boss said: "Danny can be a top player but obviously he will have to improve his goalscoring. He got nine goals last season but if you are going to be a top striker you have to get 20 or above."

Jason Kenny has been selected to ride the individual sprint for Team GB at the London 2012 track cycling, ahead of Sir Chris Hoy. Hoy will ride the keirin, both will ride the team sprint.

Hoy can now no longer defend all three Olympic titles won at Beijing 2008.

James McFadden has targeted a return to Scotland duty for the start of the World Cup qualifiers - once he finds himself a club.

The 29-year-old, who was released by Everton at the end of last season, has been linked with a move to Celtic.

He said: "It is something that would appeal to me but whether it is a possibility, I don't know, you would need to ask somebody at Celtic."

The Open Championship continues at Royal Lytham and St Annes as Luke Donald negotiates his way out of a monster bunker on the seventh and delightfully chips in a few feet from the pot.

Padraig Harrington has failed to find the green on the hole eight and it's not looking good for the Dubliner, while there's a grimace from Rory McIlroy as he fails with a birdie attempt, but it's a solid two under for the 2011 US Open champion on the front nine.

You can follow our live text commentary on this website.

Former Great Britain scrum-half Sean Long is ready to make a Super League comeback for Salford. The 35-year-old ex-St Helens half-back officially retired from playing at the end of last season after being appointed as assistant coach of the Reds.

However, he has been playing rugby union part-time for Preston Grasshoppers and today made himself available for the Reds after being registered on their books.

Sky Sports are reporting that Bristol City are leading the race to sign former Queens Park Rangers midfielder Akos Buzsaky. The 30-year-old is available on a free transfer after turning down a new contract at Loftus Road.

Alejandro Valverde wins stage 17 of the Tour de France with British pair Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins coming second and third with the latter closing in on overall victory as he extends his lead over Italian Vincenzo Nibali by 18 seconds. You can get all the reaction on this website.

Team GB football boss Stuart Pearce will make a final call on the fitness of Daniel Sturridge after his team's friendly against Brazil on Friday as the Chelsea striker continues to recover from viral meningitis.

Pearce said: "Obviously, we hope he plays some part of the game on Friday, and we will make a final judgement call at that stage.

"He has done everything we have asked of him okay, but he has been blowing a bit at times."

Sky Sports are reporting that Athletico Madrid have received no offers for striker Adrian Lopez. According to Sky, Arsenal and Tottenham are reportedly interested in the forward.

Formula One driver Fernando Alonso gives his view on current Tour de France yellow jersey holder Bradley Wiggins: "(He has been) impressive. The time trial, we knew he is probably the best but in the mountains he is showing why he deserves so far this Tour de France.

"I'm very pleased and happy for him. He has a very strong team as well. It has been a sad Tour de France for us, the Spaniards, because we miss Alberto. I hope Bradley can win this one because next year it will be more difficult (smiles)."

Defending Olympic champion Rafael Nadal pulls out of London 2012, saying he is "not in condition" to compete.

Sky Sports are reporting that Leeds boss Neil Warnock is expecting Michael Brown to sign a new deal at Elland Road. According to Sky, Brown was offered a new one-year contract at the end of last season but returned to pre-season training without signing the 12-month agreement.

Cardiff City have turned down a bid from a rival Championship club for centre-back Anthony Gerrard. The 26-year-old has been linked with a move to Championship new boys Huddersfield Town while Bristol City, Blackburn and Derby are interested.

Wimbledon will start a week later from 2015 to allow players a three-week rest period after the French Open.

Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has told Chelsea to pay £10m for Victor Moses or end their pursuit of the Latics player.

"They need to pay the brass up front, we don't want any part exchange deals they have offered," Whelan told ESPN.

Phil Mickelson on the third fairway and this is his third after hacking out of the rough. No bother for Lefty though and he knocks that to five feet. Tony Jacklin is back in the BBC Two commentary booth and he tells us that the wind is getting up, helping the players on the way out, bit more in yer face on the way home. Follow our live text commentary on this website.

Alejandro Valverde is the first to go over the top of Port de Bales, and he has just begun what looks like being a dramatic descent. Behind him is his team-mate Rui Costa, about 35 seconds down. Follow our live text commentary on this website.

George Groves wants to punch Kenny Anderson "on the throat" after accusing the Scot of being more annoying than James DeGale. The rematch of their 2010 showdown, when Groves climbed off the canvas to stop Anderson in the sixth round, looks set to be staged at Wembley Arena on 14 September.

"I'd like to punch Kenny Anderson on the throat because he's been bad-mouthing me. He can't help himself," the British and Commonwealth champion said.

School Reporters from the Bridge Academy in Hackney were given exclusive access to the BBC's Olympic Park studio. You can see the pictures on our News School Report Website.

Sky Sports are reporting that Manchester City are on the verge of signing 13-year-old Foday Nabay. According to Sky, the Sierra Leone-born youngster, who turns 14 next month, is now de-registered as a Birmingham City player.

Scotland full-back Gary Naysmith has joined Aberdeen for their pre-season tour of Germany as part of his trial with the club. The 33-year-old is a free agent, having been released by Huddersfield at the end of last season.

Drama as Mark Cavendish crashes, but the good news is that he is back on his bike and looks completely unscathed. One of his team-mates Richie Porte waited for him, but Cav is in the slipstream of the BMC car as he looks to rejoin the main bunch. Live text commentary on this website.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy has just begun his first round at the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes. Meanwhile, the day is done for Tiger Woods, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia as they have finished the 18th. Follow our live text commentary on this website.

Hull have completed the signing of striker Nick Proschwitz from German side SC Paderborn. The 25-year-old joins on a three-year deal after the two clubs agreed a fee in the region of £2.5m.

Mark Boucher underwent a second operation on his damaged left eye today, and surgeons are encouraged by the outcome. The former South Africa wicketkeeper had to leave the Test tour of England following the career-ending injury he suffered when a bail hit him in the eye at Taunton 10 days ago.

Former 800m world champion Caster Semenya will be South Africa's flag bearer at the Olympics in London. The 21-year-old landed in the spotlight in 2009 after she was forced to undergo drug tests followed by gender tests after her world win in Berlin. She was barred from the track for almost a year before being cleared to run again.

"Getting too nervous can ruin a race and that's happened to me," Rebecca Adlington tells BBC Sport as British swimming's double Beijing gold medallist features on #olympicthursday. "I realised I had to just chill out and enjoy the experience."

Team GB football squad members Kim Little, Kelly Smith and Ellen White reveal their pastimes, pre-match rituals and superstitions ahead of taking on Sweden in a pre-Games friendly on Friday, live on BBC One at 1545 BST. Roller discos are involved.

In case you missed it last night, the stunning BBC One documentary Victoria Pendleton: Cycling's Golden Girl is on iPlayer for UK users. "It's one of my biggest flaws, caring what other people think of me," says the Beijing gold medallist. "I don't want to be a let-down."

Australian Adam Scott equals the lowest Open round at Royal Lytham and St Annes - the same as that shot by Tom Lehman on his way to victory in 1996 - with a six-under 64. Scott leads by a shot from Scot Paul Lawrie and American Zach Johnson.

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is interested in the vacant manager's job at Nottingham Forest, BBC Sport reports.

Adam Scott remains at the top of the leaderboard at the 141st Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes. The Australian is seven under after 17 holes, with American Zach Johnson a shot further back. Scot Paul Lawrie is five under, while Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell are both minus four. Live text commentary on this website.

Sky Sports reports that Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has received offers from other clubs and has given no guarantees about his future at Anfield. However, he added: "I am a player of Liverpool because I have a valid contract here. There exist a number of offers but without the permission of Liverpool nothing can move forward."

Chelsea are set to give up on a deal to sign Brazil right-back Maicon - and move quickly for Marseille's 22-year-old Spaniard Cesar Azpilicueta instead, according to talkSPORT.

Former Great Britain and St Helens half-back Sean Long confirms to BBC Radio Manchester that he is coming out of retirement to play for Salford City Reds. He has been coaching at the club since retiring at the end of last season and has been playing rugby union for Preston Grasshoppers.

It is lunch on the first day of the first Test between England and South Africa. The home side are 70-1, with captain Andrew Strauss the only wicket to fall in the fourth ball of the innings. Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have since steadied the ship.

Sky Sports are reporting that Fulham and West Ham United have both made offers for FC Twente defender Douglas. According to Sky, the 24-year-old has already been the subject of a £4m bid from Newcastle.

Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport are reporting that Serie A side AC Milan are ready to join the race for Arsenal striker Robin van Persie following the £31m sale of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris St Germain.

It is stage 17 of the Tour today - and the final day in the Pyrenees - with Britain's Bradley Wiggins still holding the leader's yellow jersey. If you want to follow the action you can do so via our live text commentary.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers confirms his interest in Swansea midfielder Joe Allen but claims no negotiations are currently taking place, reports Sky Sports News.

"I have a great relationship with Swansea but if there is a market for any of the players, I would like to be in that market," said Rodgers. "They respect that. He is a very talented player, which everyone knows but there is nothing more at the moment. When players come to a club such as Liverpool, it's never straightforward."

New Tottenham recruit Gylfi Sigurdsson says Spurs will flourish even if fellow midfielder Luka Modric leaves this summer. "Will Tottenham still compete and do well even if Modric leaves? Yes," said Sigurdsson, an £8m signing from Hoffenheim. "He is a world-class player and when you are a top-class player you will be linked with other clubs and [in Madrid] he is probably going to the biggest club in the world. "But Tottenham is such a big club that I think even though a top player like Luka might leave they will probably bring someone in."

England respond well to the loss of captain Andrew Strauss in the first over of the first Test against South Africa at The Oval. Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott have taken the home side to 41-1. Live text commentary available on this site.

Meanwhile, Cricket Scotland announce that the one-day international between Scotland and England, due to be held at the Citylets Grange on Sunday 12 August, has been cancelled after flooding left much of the ground under water and caused further damage.

Swansea City have a £2m bid for midfielder Michu accepted by Spanish club Rayo Vallecano as Michael Laudrup closes in on his third signing. Swans boss Laudrup hopes the 26-year-old will sign before they leave for their United States tour on Sunday.

The Express also claim that Tottenham are lining up Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla as a potential replacement for Luka Modric. Cazorla could be heading to White Hart Lane after allegedly falling out with his bosses at Malaga over unpaid wages. The 27-year-old was a member of Spain's successful Euro 2012 squad.

The Daily Express suggests that Manchester City will make a formal approach to sign striker Robin van Persie from Arsenal this week. City boss Roberto Mancini has been told that he will not be able to make a move for Van Persie till he has offloaded some of his more expensive strikers. Emmanuel Adebayor's move to Tottenham should help in this regard.

Striker James McFadden is still interested in signing for Celtic despite a proposed move to his boyhood heroes falling through last year. The 30-year-old, freed by Everton at the end of last season, has been training with former club Motherwell and will play in Stevie Hammell's testimonial match against the Goodison Park side at Fir Park on Saturday.

On a potential move to Celtic, he said: "It is something that would appeal to me but whether it is a possibility, I don't know, you would need to ask somebody at Celtic."

The Sun claims that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is now the world's best paid footballer after signing a £220,000-a-week after tax deal with Paris St Germain. The Swede moved to the French club from Italian side AC Milan on Wednesday.

The Birmingham Mail reports that West Brom boss Steve Clarke intends to keep hold of Peter Odemwingie and that he has insisted there is no bad feeling between him and the 30-year-old. The Baggies have rejected an undisclosed bid from Qatar club Al-Gharrafa for the striker, with speculation suggesting he and the Baggies manager had fallen out.

As mentioned earlier, Mohamed Bin Hammam's lifetime FIFA ban imposed for allegedly paying bribes has been annulled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The 63-year-old Qatari has been not proven innocent by CAS but the appeal has been upheld on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Bin Hammam was found guilty by Fifa's ethics committee last year of paying bribes to Caribbean Football Union officials at a meeting in Trinidad last year while campaigning against Blatter for the FIFA presidency.

England lose a wicket in the first over of the first Test against South Africa. Captain Andrew Strauss has gone for 0, lbw to Morne Morkel following an SA review. This brings Jonathan Trott to the crease. You can follow live text commentary of the match from The Oval on this very website.

Chelsea are expected to complete a deal for Internacional and Brazil playmaker Oscar in the next 48 hours after agreeing a £25m fee for the 20-year-old. Dubbed "the new Kaka", Oscar underwent a medical in London on Wednesday and will complete his move to Chelsea before joining up with the Brazil Olympic squad.

Ledley King, following his retirement: "I have been here [at Tottenham] since I was a boy, I have always considered it my club and have always found it hard to imagine wearing the shirt of another team.

"I know that being a one-club man is a rarity these days, but I have always enjoyed being part of the set-up here and the challenge of putting this club up with the elite where it should be.

"I would like to say thank-you to everyone at the club and to the fans. I have missed a lot of football over the years, but the Spurs fans have always been patient and incredibly supportive with me during difficult periods. Sadly my injuries and inability to train have now finally brought an end to my career."

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy on Ledley King, following the defender's retirement: "Ledley has made a magnificent contribution to this club - as a wonderful player, captain and ambassador. It has been well documented how he has battled against injury over the years and it is testament to the character of the man how he managed to sustain such high standards of performance on the pitch, while providing such fine leadership.

"It is in an ambassadorial capacity that Ledley will continue, playing a crucial role in supporting the club's work in the community and the ongoing regeneration of the Tottenham area, whilst also being a hugely positive role model for our younger players."

South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Mark Boucher ahead of the first Test against England: "Mark's having surgery today and he's very much in our thoughts."

Boucher retired from international cricket earlier this month after sustaining an eye injury during the tour of England.

England win the toss and bat first against South Africa in the first Test at The Oval.

The toss has been delayed in the first Test between England and South Africa at The Oval.

"It's hammering down. The captains run for cover and more sheets come on to the square," says BBC Sport's Stephan Shemilt.

Japan unveils its slogan for the country's bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics as "Discover Tomorrow", as it battles Madrid and Istanbul for the global event.

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo confirms the Blues' interest in Wigan striker Victor Moses, but admits a deal is yet to be agreed.

"[It's] something that the clubs are discussing but at the moment he is a Wigan player," Di Matteo tells Sky Sports.

"He had a good season last season, he is young and an interesting prospect."

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas warns clubs chasing Luka Modric the midfielder will only be sold if their asking price of about £35m is met.

"The early morning sunshine has been replaced by some cloud cover at The Oval, but it doesn't look like rain is threatening - not yet anyway. England have been netting on the square, with South Africa loosening up with the aid of cones and skipping ropes. The flags at the top of the pavilion are fluttering energetically - there's a bit of a breeze."

Follow BBC Sport's Stephan Shemilt.

Mohamed Bin Hammam has had his lifetime Fifa ban annulled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Bin Hammam was found guilty by Fifa's ethics committee last year of paying bribes to Caribbean officials while campaigning against Sepp Blatter for the Fifa presidency.

Iwan Thomas believes Dai Greene can hold his nerve to win Olympic 400m hurdles gold in London.

"It's a club with a lot of ambition, the manager told me that they would want to be pushing for European football," says new Southampton signing Nathaniel Clyne after signing a four-year deal.

Manager Nigel Adkins adds: "For the last three years Nathaniel has been a very attack minded full-back who bombs on - he's got pace and he's a good one-on-one defender."

Lucas Leiva is set to make his long-awaited injury comeback - two months ahead of schedule - during Liverpool's North America tour, according to the club's official website. The Brazilian midfielder has not featured since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his knee last November.

"He'll have some involvement," says manager Brendan Rodgers. "He's still got some way to go to get back to where he was before the injury but he's back two months early."

Liverpool face Toronto, Roma and Tottenham over the next 10 days.

Summer signing Gregory Tade and St Johnstone captain Dave Mackay miss tonight's Europa League second qualifying round first leg tie against Eskisehirspor.

Striker Tade has failed to recover sufficiently from a hamstring strain while defender Mackay also has an injury problem.

Fernando Alonso's race engineer says he expects Ferrari to be able to fight for victory at this weekend's German Grand Prix.

"The car was good in Valencia, it was also good in Silverstone," Andrea Stella says. "And as Hockenheim is a mix of the slow speed of Valencia and high speed of Silverstone, I would expect Ferrari to be competitive in Germany."

Alonso has a 13-point lead at the top of the drivers' championship.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have started their pre-season preparations on a busy night of friendly action.

European champions Chelsea recorded a 4-2 win over the Seattle Sounders, with newcomers Marko Marin and Eden Hazard among the scorers.

United defeated AmaZulu in Durban thanks to Federico Macheda's goal, while new signing Gylfi Sigurdsson scored on his Tottenham debut as Andre Villas-Boas's side beat Stevenage 2-0 at Broadhall Way.

Luol Deng and his Great Britain basketball team-mates face a huge when they line up against the United States at the MEN Arena in Manchester

The two nations could meet again in the Olympic quarter-finals - if Britain finish fourth in their group.

You can watch tonight's action on the BBC. Coverage: BBC3/BBC Sport website (UK only), 1900-2130.

England captain Andrew Strauss says the three Tests against South Africa will be as keenly-fought as an Ashes series against Australia.

The first Test starts at 1100 BST. Coverage: Test Match Special on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, live text commentary on BBC Sport website and updates on BBC Radio 5 live.

Gary Neville says he understands Team GB football coach Stuart Pearce's decision to leave David Beckham out of his squad for the Olympics.

"The manager has to select the squad he wants - and he didn't want David in. A manager has to make tough decisions. You have to respect that," says Neville in the Daily Star.

Britain's Heather Watson loses 6-3 7-6 (7-2) to Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan in the Mercury Insurance Open in California.

As ever, though, we start with a taste of today's football gossip from the newspapers.

Sir Alex Ferguson tells friends that Manchester United will beat City and Juventus in the race to sign Arsenal captain Robin van Persie in a £20m deal. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea reopen talks with Marseille over Spanish right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, 22, who would cost £7m. (Daily Mail)

Emmanuel Adebayor's £6m move from Manchester City to Tottenham stalls because of the striker's wage demands. (Daily Mail)

Good morning and welcome to Thursday's edition of Sportsday Live.

An action-packed day of action includes the first day of the Open Championship from Royal Lytham & St Annes, the opening day of the first Test between England and South Africa from The Oval and the 17th stage of the Tour de France, where Bradley Wiggins is edging closer to becoming the first Briton to win the gruelling event.