
Celtics big investment already looking quite problematic
The Boston Celtics paid top dollar to acquire Kristaps Porzingis. Now, injury concerns are already creeping in.The Boston Celtics underwent significant offseason changes, primarily with their decision to trade Marcus Smart (and stuff) for Kristaps Porzingis (and stuff). On the surface, that'...
2023-08-10 06:54

Chelsea make Moises Caicedo breakthrough over structure of Brighton transfer
Chelsea have made progress in talks to sign Moises Caicedo but Brighton are now holding the London club to a demand of £90m basic fee. The Blues would then have to add a further £10m to be made up in bonuses and expected clauses. The saga has continued with little movement throughout the summer, as Chelsea have proven reluctant to go beyond £80m. While Brighton, who rarely deviate from their initial asking price, have seen the nature of the talks revolve around pushing Chelsea to go closer to their valuation. There has now been some breakthrough on the structure of a potential deal though, but the expectation is that the Stamford Bridge hierarchy will eventually have to go further and make a £90m-plus offer. Chelsea are hoping to get it done before Sunday's season opener at home to Liverpool, as Mauricio Pochettino is eager to add more energy to his midfield. Chelsea have meanwhile made a £48m bid for Romeo Lavia, as they hope to beat Liverpool in the race for the the 19-year-old Southampton midfielder. Pochettino may look to partner Enzo Fernandez with Conor Gallagher to take on Jurgen Klopp’s side following a string of departures this summer. The Blues lost N'Golo Kante on a free transfer, Mateo Kovacic joined Manchester City and Ruben Loftus-Cheek signed for AC Milan. Mason Mount, who would ideally not have played so deep for the Blues anyway, joined Manchester United, while Denis Zakaria departed after his loan expired, returning to Juventus. Nonetheless, the Blues have a number of youthful options, with Lesley Ugochukwu signed from Rennes, Carney Chukwuemeka and Andrey Santos, who arrived this summer after returning to Vasco da Gama on loan following a deal to sign the Brazilian in January. Caicedo’s arrival would also allow Fernandez to push further forward and influence the game in the final third. The Argentine World Cup winner swapped the No.5 jersey for the coveted No.8, previously worn by Frank Lampard, this summer. Read More Chelsea make Romeo Lavia bid in attempt to beat Liverpool in transfer race West Ham enter race for Folarin Balogun as Arsenal set transfer price Barcelona explore sensational Neymar return as PSG set price for Brazilian superstar Chelsea make Romeo Lavia bid in attempt to beat Liverpool in transfer race Chelsea confirm Axel Disasi signing to cure defensive woes Chelsea agree deal with Brighton to sign goalkeeper Robert Sanchez
2023-08-10 06:22

Erik Karlsson's uncertain summer is over. The defenseman is eager to get to work with the Penguins
Three-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Erik Karlsson is eager to get to work in Pittsburgh
2023-08-10 06:18

Chelsea make Romeo Lavia bid in attempt to beat Liverpool in transfer race
Chelsea have made a £48m bid for Romeo Lavia, going closer to Southampton’s £50m valuation and hoping to trump Liverpool. The last few weeks have seen the Anfield club make a series of incrementally improving offers, but they are still at least £4m off a deal. With Mauricio Pochettino seeking to re-energise Chelsea’s midfield, he has long wanted to bring in two midfielders, and the hope is that Lavia will join Brighton’s Moises Caicedo at Stamford Bridge. There is also a personal connection since the 18-year-old has a great relationship with Joe Shields, the recruitment executive who brought Lavia to Southampton and is now at Chelsea. Liverpool, who travel to Chelsea in their Premier League opener on Sunday, have been frustrated in their attempts to sign the 19-year-old midfielder and have seen three bids rejected for a player who has made just 29 top-flight appearances. After their initial two offers of £34m plus £4m and £42m were turned down, the Reds returned with a proposal worth £46m but that too was rejected by the Championship club. Lavia joined Saints from Manchester City last summer as an 18-year-old for an initial £10.5m. The Belgian made his international debut earlier this year when he was called up by the Red Devils for the Euro 2024 qualifier against Sweden and a friendly against Germany. Lavia shone throughout last season, despite Saints' relegation, featuring 29 times and scoring once. Liverpool are in the market for a midfielder after the sales of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, with Jurgen Klopp underlining the need to further protect his defence. “That would be not a bad idea," Klopp said last month when asked about midfield reinforcements. "We know that we have to do something there, it is absolutely clear. We are obviously working on solutions.” Chelsea have meanwhile made progress in talks to sign Caicedo but Brighton are now holding the London club to a demand of £90m basic fee. The Blues would then have to add a further £10m to be made up in bonuses and expected clauses. The saga has continued with little movement throughout the summer, as Chelsea have proven reluctant to go beyond £80m. While Brighton, who rarely deviate from their initial asking price, have seen the nature of the talks revolve around pushing Chelsea to go closer to their valuation. There has now been some breakthrough on the structure of a potential deal though, but the expectation is that the Stamford Bridge hierarchy will eventually have to go further and make a £90m-plus offer. Chelsea are hoping to get it done before Sunday’s season opener at home to Liverpool, as Mauricio Pochettino is eager to add more energy to his midfield. Read More Chelsea make Moises Caicedo breakthrough over structure of Brighton transfer West Ham enter race for Folarin Balogun as Arsenal set transfer price Barcelona explore sensational Neymar return as PSG set price for Brazilian superstar
2023-08-10 06:16

Chargers' Alohi Gilman keeps same level-headed approach despite raised expectations
Alohi Gilman is expected to start at safety with Derwin James when the Los Angeles Chargers open the season on Sept. 10 against the Miami Dolphins
2023-08-10 05:49

Michael Beale frustrated as ‘wasteful’ Rangers fail to put Servette away
Michael Beale was left frustrated by his “wasteful” Rangers side in their narrow 2-1 win over 10-man Servette in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round at Ibrox. Skipper James Tavernier scored a penalty in the sixth minute before striker Cyriel Dessers knocked in a second eight minutes later with his first Gers goal. Sam Lammers missed a great chance to make it 3-0 and, just before the break, Servette attacker Chris Bedia reduced the deficit from the spot after the VAR intervened to flag up a Dessers handball. Servette were reduced to 10 men in the 59th minute after David Douline was sent off for picking up the second of two yellow cards for a foul on Todd Cantwell. But the visitors defended resolutely and will fancy their chances of turning the tie around in Switzerland next Tuesday night. Beale said: “We started really well and I thought the energy from the team was really good in and out of possession. “The desire shown by Nico and Todd before the first goal to go chase a couple of lost causes down was fantastic. “I felt Borna Barisic had a good night and put some great crosses in. “Playing with the two nine’s gives you that opportunity that we got when Danilo went across the first post and Cyriel scores. “At that moment we were in a great place. But after that I thought we were wasteful. “Then comes the VAR decision for the penalty. I thought it was harsh but that’s the ruling. “The second half, their keeper made a fantastic save from Sam and Cyriel and we had other moments again where we were wasteful on a night when we played well in my opinion for a long period of time. “What it does is keep our wits about us. We know it will be difficult going to Geneva. It’s going to be a full house and we’ll see a different game like we always do in Europe. “I’ll never knock a win in European competition because I know they’re so difficult to come by. “But as a team, we do a lot of good things and create enormous opportunities and we have to be more decisive. “I’ll give our forwards [a break] at the moment because they’re new coming into the club and it’s early in the season. “But if we keep creating chances like that then we have to take them if we’re to put teams away.” Beale believes there is still more to come from his revamped squad. He said: “We are not using it as an excuse but 13 players left and nine came in. “Danilo has trained with his team-mates for four days and has had a pre-season which was all over the shop at Feyenoord. “We are not the sum of our parts right now but I thought we had more forward running and more energy. “I thought the front three were exciting and they will get better with each game.” Servette boss Rene Weiler is relishing the return game. He said: “The result leaves the door open for the second leg next week. “It was a tough start for us when we went 2-0 down and they played at a high level but we got a bit of luck with the penalty. “But overall the first half was balanced. We tried to attack but when we got a red card it was tough but it leaves us with the possibility for next week.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live James Trafford tipped to star for Burnley by Joleon Lescott Premier League looking into ‘historic’ financial issues at Chelsea Premier League may have to scrap mid-season break due to demands of calendar
2023-08-10 05:46

Barcelona explore sensational Neymar return as PSG set price for Brazilian superstar
Barcelona are looking at a sensational loan with an option to buy for Neymar, as the Brazilian's fractious time at Paris Saint-Germain is coming to a close. The French club’s new manager Luis Enrique and football advisor Luis Campos have been working on a vision for the team that involves hard running and young players. And the Ligue 1 champions have told the 31-year-old he can leave six years after his world-record €222 million (£200m) transfer. Neymar's main preference is to return to Barcelona, and the club are investigating the possibility despite some internal debate. Although a primary issue is that they would likely need to offload a series of players to make Neymar’s return financially viable. This is also why an initial loan is being looked at, as PSG are looking to bring in around £60m (£51.8m) for Neymar. The Camp Nou executive feels that they can make it work due to his huge commercial profile. That is one reason he hasn't yet accepted a huge offer from the Saudi Pro League, since he wants to be in peak condition for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Neymar is said to be obsessed with becoming a star in America. As such, he wants to continue playing Champions League football until then. The negotiations may be smoothed over by the fact PSG are poised to sell Marco Verratti to Al Hilal for €50 million, with that deal going down to the final details. The Saudi Pro League may end up being Neymar's most viable destination, but he is intent on staying in the Champions League. The main issue is that Luis Enrique is now preparing a team without him. Read More First golf, now football? Saudi Arabia’s grand plan and the 72 hours that changed everything Saudi transfers reveal difference between Premier League and European rivals Neymar incident could see F1 clampdown on grid access
2023-08-10 05:24

America's most decorated track cyclist claims more gold at world championships
Jennifer Valente of the U.S. defended her omnium world title at the cycling world championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on Wednesday
2023-08-10 05:15

Edwards fined $50,000 by the NBA for his chair chuck after the Timberwolves' ouster in Denver
Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards has been fined $50,000 by the NBA for a postgame outburst following the team’s ouster from the playoffs in Denver
2023-08-10 04:19

Disney reports lower-than-expected revenue for its fiscal third quarter
The Walt Disney Company reported slightly lower than expected revenue for its fiscal third quarter on Wednesday.
2023-08-10 04:17

Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm secure places on European team for the Ryder Cup
Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm have had their spots on the European team for the Ryder Cup confirmed
2023-08-10 03:57

Northwestern football staffers wear shirts in support of fired coach Pat Fitzgerald at practice
Pat Fitzgerald’s presence was hard to miss even if he was nowhere near the field on Wednesday
2023-08-10 03:54