Thursday cannon fodder: expensive moves

Another World Cup off day today before the quarterfinals kick off tomorrow, so here’s a few links. Also: If you celebrated, how was your Fourth? We mostly laid low, because fighting through huge crowds to watch fireworks isn’t really our scene. It was nice having a mid-week day off, though; every work week should have a day off in the middle of it.

Real Madrid deny having Kylian Mbappe deal with Paris St-Germain - BBC Sport
Real Madrid publicly deny reports stating they have a deal in place to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris St-Germain.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid considering £88m Juventus bid - BBC Sport
Real Madrid are considering an offer of about 100m euros (£88m) from Juventus for Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

After the euphoria a reality check: England must offer more on Saturday | Barney Ronay | Football | The Guardian
England had plenty of heroes against Colombia but in open play they have been over-reliant on Harry Kane.

There is a cloud hanging over this World Cup and Fifa must not ignore it | Stuart James | Football | The Guardian
An otherwise brilliant World Cup has been cheapened by the kind of histrionics witnessed in England’s game with Colombia.