By Tim Stannard

1) “New Clasico” ramps up as Mou and Pep start spending spree

Flush with cash – check. Insane spending spree underway – check. Superstar managers in place – check. Check, check, check. The city of Manchester arms race is well underway. After the recruitment of King Zlatan last week and then Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund over the weekend. Manchester City have now flexed a few muscles on Monday.

On Sunday, Pep Guardiola said that he was going to bring the fun back to the Etihad – and kick his players’ bums in the process – and a day later Man City have moved to bring in 19-year-old Ukraine midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko who starred in his country’s somewhat short-lived Euro 2016 campaign. Tune into the XTRA at 7PM ET to get all the latest transfer deals and iffy rumors from both Manchester and the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, across the city, a tremendous summer for Manchester United and England centerback, Chris Smalling, continues. The stopper has been hospitalized whilst on vacation in Bali after fainting, due to a bout of food poisoning, apparently. Mmm.

2) Fernando Torres stays on at Atletico as Barca bring back Dynamite Denis

La Liga has been up to its own transfer business on Monday. Atletico have announced that Fernando Torres will be staying on for another season after a solid campaign up front last year. Meanwhile, Barcelona have just announced the recruitment of midfielder, Denis Suarez, who returns to the Camp Nou after two years away.

Vicente del Bosque and Iker Casillas have used the wonderful world of social media to heal an apparent rift. The soon-to-be-departing Spain coach had said that the only player in the Spain squad he did not bid farewell to was Casillas after some rather sulky behavior after being relegated to the bench for Euro 2016.

BREAKING NEWS! The Spanish FA have just confirmed that Del Bosque will no longer be the national team coach, after the Spaniard announced his own plans to step down last week.

Neymar has declared his innocence over the legal debacle over the forward’s 2013 move to Barcelona from Santos. "I am not a criminal and neither is my father," boomed Neymar days after a signing a new deal with the Camp Nou club up to 2021.

3) Germany suffer another injury blow ahead of France clash

There are two more bleak days of emptiness before Euro 2016 gets underway – at least there will be some fireworks to look at on Monday evening. France have been boosted by the fact that Germany will be without at least three key players for Thursday’s semifinal. Mario Gomez is out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Mats Hummels is suspended, and now Sami Khedira will be missing out due to an iffy groin.

Meanwhile, Oliver Giroud has said that there is no rivalry with Karim Benzema, with the exiled Real Madrid man currently watching Euro 2016 from wherever the striker might be in the world. "I'm not really thinking about Karim. I'm just thinking about the French team,” claims the Arsenal man who bagged a brace in Sunday’s 5-2 win over Iceland.

4) Manic Monday at Wimbledon sees Sam the Man back in action

Let’s now forget soccer and all those commie Europeans with their hair in buns, throwing themselves around the turf like Little Miss Muffet. It’s July 4th, so time for the USA to lead the way. And that’s what is happening in the tennis in what is being seen as a mini resurgence in a sport that has seen Serena Williams dominating for the past few years, but not much else from American shores.

After rain imposed a “People’s Sunday” on Wimbledon – a day where the organizing toffs allow the riff raff onto center court – it is “Manic Monday” at Wimbledon with all 32 players in the women’s and men’s brackets set to be in action. “Largely dry” is the beIN SPORTS official weather-cast. There are two US survivor in the men’s bracket, Sam Querrey – the Novak slayer – is in action against Nicolas Mahut whilst Steve Johnson is currently taking on Roger Federer. But losing heavily. Canada’s Milos Raonic faces number 11 seed, David Goffin. But the Canadians had their day on Friday.

The women’s bracket at the last 16 stages is bursting with US of A talent lead by the Williams sisters who are both in action on Monday. Madison Keys will also be out and about although the clean sweep for the USA is now off-line after Coco Vandeweghe lost out to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Another early result of the day sees Angelica Kerber making her way to the quarterfinal stages. The fourth seed and Australian Open finalist beat Misaki Doi in straight sets.

5) Cyclists head south as Sagan leads Tour de France

Monday also sees stage three of the Tour de France. Alberto Contador, for one, will be hoping that it ends without a crash with the Spaniard having hit the tarmac on the first two tour stages, injuring his thigh in the process.

It is the second longest of the Tour as the race blasts south towards the Pyrenees with a 138-mile stage between Granville to Angers. Peter Sagan is currently wearing the Yellow Jersey after the stage 2 win for the Slovak but says that le Tour is not a pleasant experience at all. “Now everyone rides as if they don't care about life,” claimed Sagan on some dangerous riding by some slightly mad cyclists.

Overnight news in track-and-field and sprinter, Justin Gatlin, made the Rio Olympics after storming the 100m in the fastest time in the world this year at 9.80 ahead of new sprinting sensation, Trayvon Bromell. Remember that beIN SPORTS is the home of the Diamond League where seeing Justin Gatlin in action is an everyday occurrence. Well, about every two weeks.

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The life philosophy of sports burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. sb is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. hopefully at the same time.