Ashley Williams was in Liverpool on Tuesday night as Everton closed a deal to sign the Swansea City captain for £12m, The Wales skipper – for so long the heartbeat for club and country – is expected to sign a two-year deal.

Team GB’s women’s rugby sevens assistant coach Richie Pugh hopes Jasmine Joyce can be a catalyst for the sport in Wales. Former Wales, Ospreys and Scarlets back-row Pugh, who won the Rugby World Cup Sevens with Wales in 2009, believes the sport will continue to develop after its first appearance at an Olympics.

Jazz Carlin will go for more Welsh swimming glory in Rio on Thursday night. Carlin is preparing for her heats at around 6.00pm UK time in the 800-metre freestyle just three days after taking silver in the 400m.

Jasmine Joyce has her sights set on Canada and a place in the Olympic Women’s 7s quarter-finals after making Welsh rugby history. The Wales wing is set to line-up against the Canadians on Sunday afternoon, where victory would put her team into an Olympic quarter-final.

Paul Trollope says he drew on his Euro 2016 experience with Wales to guide Cardiff City to a draw at Birmingham City. The Bluebirds boss was part of Wales’ backroom staff during their run to the semi-finals of the European Championship and successfully utilised a back five to foil a Birmingham side that are still seeking their first win at St Andrew’s since March 3.

Fernando Llorente requested to play against Stade Rennais less than 24 hours after completing his move to Swansea, manager Francesco Guidolin has revealed. The Spanish striker signed for the Swans from Sevilla on Friday and then impressed over 60 minutes in a 1-0 win against the French side on Saturday.

Geraint Thomas earned the praise of former Olympic champion Chris Boardman after the Welshman’s bid for gold at Rio ended in a roadside gutter. Thomas crashed out of the men’s road race on Saturday night, although he was able to remount and finished as the best placed British rider in 11th place in a race won by Belgium’s Greg van Avermaet.

Geraint Thomas will become the first Welsh Olympian to compete at Rio 2016 on Saturday when he rides for Great Britain in the men’s road race. Thomas is one of 23 Welsh athletes at the Games – a number only surpassed by the 30 who competed in London four years ago.

Fernando Llorente wants to become Swansea City royalty at the Liberty Stadium and emulate fellow Spaniard Michu. Llorente – nicknamed The Lion King at former club Athletic Bilbao – intends to match the impact of his countryman, who was an instant success in Wales before injuries disrupted his career.

Sean Morrison could make his first start since May when Cardiff City open their Championship season at Birmingham City on Saturday. The central defender had an ankle injury before the end of last season and underwent an operation that ruled him out of most of the club’s pre-season programme.

Wales women’s manager Jayne Ludlow is looking for progress from her team in this month’s friendly against the Republic of Ireland. Ludlow has named a squad of 21 for the fixture at Newport’s Rodney Parade on August 19.

Swansea City’s planned capture of Fernando Llorente is set to open the door for Andre Ayew to join West Ham. Spain striker Llorente, 31, has held talks with a number of clubs and Sevilla revealed on Wednesday they are close to agreeing a deal with one of them, believed to be Swansea.

Ospreys flanker Sam Underhill will miss the first half of the season after suffering a shoulder injury that requires surgery. His loss is a huge blow to the region who have already lost Wales U20s star Owen Watkin for most of the next campaign with a knee problem.

Gylfi Sigurdsson has been hailed as the man who turned Swansea City around last season as the club ponder what to do about Ashley Williams. The Swans rejected a bid of £10m for Williams from Everton on Tuesday night but are expected to be presented with an increased offer for their captain.

Hull City’s bid to make Chris Coleman their new manager has been blocked by the Football Association of Wales. The club – without a manager since Steve Bruce quit two weeks ago – made an official approach to the FAW asking to speak with Coleman.

Zach Galliford beat Wales teammate Owen Edwards to claim the Welsh Amateur at Southerndown, the biggest title of his career so far, as perfect preparation for the Home Internationals. The University of Texas student – from Borth and Ynyslas Golf Club – claimed the 17th and 18th holes in the second round with some positive play after Llanwern’s Edwards had bounced back to wipe out a five shot deficit to put the pair level on the 17th tee.

Keelan Giles – one of Welsh rugby’s most exciting young talents – has signed a first professional contract with the Ospreys. The 18-year-old burst to prominence last season with a starring role for Wales U20 as they hammered England on their way to an age-group Grand Slam.

Ashley Williams is expected to complete a £10m move from Swansea City to Everton on Wednesday – part of a central defender transfer chain Mick McCarthy has called “bonkers”. The Swans skipper is understood to be close to signing for the Merseysiders, rather than returning to the Liberty Stadium from his extended break following his efforts with Wales at Euro 2016.

Chaz Davies has ended speculation about a possible switch to MotoGP by agreeing to stay with Ducati in World Superbikes. The Powys-born rider has agreed a two-season deal that will keep him with the Italian manufacturer until at least the end of 2017.

Chaz Davies is hoping for a smoother ride when he returns to World Superbikes action in September. The Powys-born racer has just completed a two-dat test at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz which will host the German round on September 16-18.