Manchester United are understood to have had sponsorship discussions with online dating service Tinder.

The Silicon Valley company are said to be interested in becoming United's sleeve sponsor - a new commercial opportunity for Premier League clubs from the upcoming season.

Nine clubs, including United's big six rivals Chelsea and Manchester City, have signed sleeve deals but none for any amount near the £12million a year that Tinder are said to be offering.

Manchester United could have Tinder as their shirt-sleeve sponsor for the upcoming season

Tinder are willing to pay £12million-a-year to have their logo on United's left sleeve

Manchester City have a £10million sleeve-patch sponsorship deal with Nexen of South Korea

The advertising space on the left sleeve - with the Premier League logo on the right - is being valued by the industry at 20 per cent of the main shirt sponsor. So Tinder paying £12m fits in with the £50m a year United are paid by Chevrolet.

The claimed Tinder talks with United come as the dating app, which has 50m users making 1 billion swipes per day, is looking for a more mainstream image and a global following.

The partnership could open up new ways to connect with fans. Tinder already have a deal with Italian club Napoli, which includes special interaction with Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik, who was given a dating profile on the app.

A United spokesman declined to comment.

Napoli and their striker Arkadiusz Milik teamed up with the online dating app in May

Milik picked his four favourite replies before offering them the chance to meet him in person

Sky Sports have won the UK rights for the Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather super fight after specialist boxing channel BoxNation withdrew from the bidding.

It is understood Mayweather wants Sky to charge the same pay-per-view price of $99 that was a record in the US for his fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2015. More sensibly, Sky are looking at a £19.95 charge.

Floyd Mayweather's fight with Conor McGregor will be shown live on Sky Sports Box Office

The Oval may have the worst press box of any English ground hosting international cricket, but Surrey set an example to other counties with the way they decorate every part of the ground with pictures, facts and figures of their storied history that now includes staging 100 men's Tests.

Extraordinary feats down the years are being celebrated with brown plaques dotted around the concourse, but they are reserved for Surrey players. However, it won't be long before Moeen Ali's first Test hat-trick at The Oval is commemorated in some way, and England's victory was already inscribed on the new Test honours board within five minutes of the last wicket falling.

Moeen Ali celebrates his hat-trick and the confirmation of England's win over South Africa

Popular British 400 metres runner Martyn Rooney missed the birth of his son Jack because he was competing in the World Championships in Beijing in 2015.

Two years on, Rooney's wife Kate is due to give birth to their second child during the World Championships in London. British Athletics are making plans to get Rooney home to Loughborough as quickly as possible so he doesn't miss this birth as well.

Martyn Rooney is set to become a dad for the second time during the World Championships

Stokes is a ladies man

Some of Ben Stokes's 260,000 Twitter followers might have thought the England all-rounder was being very much 'on message' with his strong support for the World Cup-winning women cricketers on social media.

But Stokes was backing the women's game long before their Lord's triumph. His mum Deborah was the cricketer in his family, even playing while pregnant with Ben back in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, the County Durham mansion that Stokes has bought with his £1.7million Indian Premier League earnings belonged to disgraced Sunderland and England footballer Adam Johnson, who is serving a six-year jail sentence for underage sex offences.

Ben Stokes has long been an advocate of women's cricket - with his mum a former cricketer

Old Trafford has suffered a major commercial setback for the fourth Test against South Africa. The on-site Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, with 85 pitch-facing rooms, was aiming to be ready for the match, which starts on Friday, but will not be open until later in August.

A Lancashire spokesman said the delay was caused by the main contractor having an issue over Hilton brand compliance. He added: 'Our focus has always been on getting it right for the long term.'