Sports
Transfer rumors, news: Napoli ‘aggressively pushing’ for Man United’s Mainoo
Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo remains in Napoli‘s sights, while Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur eye Juventus forward Jonathan David. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
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TOP STORIES
– Sources: Ten Hag interest in Wolves talks
– Neymar: Santos confident of new contract
– Ex-USWNT coach Sundhage out of Switzerland job
TRENDING RUMORS
– Napoli are “aggressively” pushing to sign Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo on loan in January, as per TEAMtalk. The 20-year-old is targeting regular first-team football in a bid to make Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for next summer’s FIFA World Cup. As such, a loan is the most likely option in January, with the Serie A champions leading the race. Napoli are willing to cover Mainoo’s £45,000-a-week wages in full and could even insert a future purchase option at United’s request.
– Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur are ready to pounce if Juventus sanction Jonathan David‘s exit this winter, according to Sky Sports. The Canada international has struggled to make an impact since swapping Lille for Juve back in the summertime, having scored just once in 11 matches to date. A response is now needed from David, otherwise a “quick exit” in January could be considered by the Serie A giants — with some of Europe’s biggest clubs already circling.
– A deal is “progressing” for Real Madrid forward Endrick to join Lyon on loan in January, Fabrizio Romano reports. Endrick wants to make the move, provided no permanent options are included in the deal. Sources told ESPN last week that Lyon were leading the race to sign the Brazil international, and the Ligue 1 side remain the only club in advanced talks to sign him despite the likes of Aston Villa being linked in recent weeks. Endrick, 19, has played just once in LaLiga so far this season.
– Atalanta midfielder Éderson has been mentioned in Newcastle United recruitment meetings as a potential replacement for Joelinton, The i Paper has reported. Persistent injury issues have led Newcastle to explore future transfer options, although it remains to be seen just how serious their interest in Éderson really is. The 26-year-old is a compatriot of Joelinton, having been capped three times by Brazil’s national team since September 2024.
– Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk “fought until the last minute” to join Real Madrid last summer, Diario AS reports on the day that the two clubs meet at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League. According to the Madrid-based outlet, Van Dijk’s agents made contact with Spanish representatives to try to connect with Madrid, who weren’t interested in a deal. Van Dijk ended up renewing his Liverpool contract in April, with Madrid preferring to pursue other targets — signing Dean Huijsen.
EXPERT TAKE
2:02
How ‘one-paced’ Kobbie Mainoo can improve
Mark Ogden explains the limits to Kobbie Mainoo’s game compared to some of the midfielders higher on ESPN’s 39 best U21 players.
OTHER RUMORS
– Barcelona are keen to sign Marcus Rashford on a permanent deal provided he accepts the Spanish club’s proposed salary. A pay cut may be required for his season-long loan to be extended, as Barça have an option to sign him next summer for up to 35 million. (talkSPORT)
– Feyenoord right-back Givairo Read is high on Bayern Munich’s shortlist for the summer of 2026. The 19-year-old is viewed as a potential long-term option behind Konrad Laimer, and could be available for around €25 million. (Sky Germany)
– Augsburg striker Phillip Tietz could leave the Bundesliga club in January with a host of MLS sides keen on signing him. (Sky Germany)
– Southampton have agreed a deal to bring Oriol Romeu back to the club. Medical tests are expected to take place, with a contract until the summer of 2026 on the table. (Fabrizio Romano)
– West Ham United are stepping up their efforts to sign a striker after Niclas Füllkrug‘s agent suggested his client could leave the Premier League club in January. (TEAMtalk)
– Manchester United see “no future” for Jadon Sancho at the club after his early season struggles at Aston Villa. (Football Insider)
– AC Milan, Atalanta, Roma and Internazionale are monitoring Hellas Verona striker Giovane. (Nicolò Schira)
– Chicago Fire are finalizing a deal to sign AIK midfielder Anton Salétros in January. (Tom Bogert)
– Paris Saint-Germain have added Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder Aleksey Batrakov to their summer shortlist. (Ekrem Konur)
– Internazionale are considering a swoop for Udinese defender Oumar Solet. (Ekrem Konur)
Sports
Silver considering all remedies for rampant tanking in NBA
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday that tanking has been “worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory” and he’s considering “every possible remedy” — including taking away draft picks — to stop the type of overt behaviors he fined the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers for this week.
“In the old days, it was just sort of an understanding among partners in terms of behavior,” Silver said before Saturday’s All-Star Saturday events. “I think what we’re seeing is modern analytics where it’s so clear that the incentives are misaligned. … Are we seeing behavior that is worse this year than we’ve seen in recent memory? Yes, is my view. Which was what led to those fines, and not just those fines but to my statement that we’re going to be looking more closely at the totality of all the circumstances this season in terms of teams’ behavior, and very intentionally wanted teams to be on notice.”
Silver began his news conference by saying he had recently talked to 97-year-old Bob Cousy about the first All-Star Game in 1950, and they had both remarked at how far the game had come since then. That framed Silver’s line of thinking that after 75 years, it might be time to rethink how the league runs its draft, just as the league continues to experiment with its All-Star Game format.
Silver noted that in conversations with general managers and other members of the league’s competition committee, the incentive structure of the lottery has made it unclear that the worst teams are actually the teams with the worst records.
“If teams are manipulating their performance in order to get higher draft picks even in a lottery, then the question becomes … are they really the worst-performing teams?” Silver said. “It’s not clear to me, for example, that the 30th-performing team is that much measurably worse than the 22nd-performing team, particularly if you have incentive to perform poorly to get a better draft pick.
“It’s a bit of a conundrum. As I’ve said, the All-Star [Game] is 75 years old. The league is 80 years old. It’s time to take a fresh look at this to see to whether that’s an antiquated way of going about doing it.”
On several occasions Saturday, Silver reflected on the conundrum between the short-term incentives teams might have to lose games to improve their draft position and the long-term best interests of the league.
“It’s the whole community coming together and deciding what’s in the best interest,” Silver said. “It’s part of my job to remind everybody. … I understand what your short-term interests may be, but we’d better not lose sight of our fans here. We’d better not lose sight of the people who support this league day in and day out.”
Silver noted that last point as part of an answer to a question about the ongoing investigation into whether the LA Clippers circumvented the NBA’s salary cap in an endorsement deal between then-team sponsor Aspiration and star forward Kawhi Leonard.
Silver said he had no updates on the investigation, which is being conducted by Wachtell Lipton in New York.
“It’s enormously complex. You have a company in bankruptcy. You have thousands of documents, multiple witnesses that have been needed to be interviewed,” Silver said.
“I will say, just in case anyone is wondering, the fact that All-Star [Weekend] is here this weekend has had no impact on the timeline of the investigation. Our charge to the Wachtell law firm is to do the work and then come back and make recommendations to the league office, and that’s where things now stand.”
Silver said he had no timeline on when that investigation might conclude.
He did, however, provide an update on the NBA’s plans for expansion, noting that he expected the board of governors to discuss the issue at its next meeting in March and then start reaching out to potential expansion cities and owners to gauge interest. He noted that the league was not considering a relocation of any of its current franchises.
“I think the logical next move would be to say, ‘All right, we’ve had those discussions internally, we’ve made decisions about cities to focus on and what the opportunity is, and now, we’ve got to go out into the marketplace,'” Silver said. “I think that’s probably the most important step, to find out who is potentially interested in owning a franchise in particular cities, what’s the value of that franchise. There’s some work to do in terms of potential conference realignment. That’s the next step there.”
Sports
Big Clash in Colombo Today: PCB Chairman Meets National Team Ahead of India Match – SUCH TV
Colombo: Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, met the national cricket team and management ahead of the crucial match against India, boosting the morale of the Shaheens.
During the meeting in Colombo, the PCB chairman praised the players’ determination, commitment, and preparation, while extending his best wishes for the high-stakes encounter. He encouraged the team to play with confidence and maintain their fighting spirit on the field.
Captain Salman Agha, head coach Mike Hesson, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema, all squad members, and the coaching staff were present at the meeting. PCB Chief Operating Officer Sameer Ahmed, PSL Chief Executive Officer Salman Naseer, and Director Media Aamir Mir also attended the session.
It is worth noting that Pakistan and India are set to face each other today at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The much-anticipated clash is expected to be watched jointly by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and ICC Chairman Jay Shah.
Sports
2026 Winter Olympics: Live updates from Milan Cortina
The second Sunday of the 2026 Winter Olympics is a busy one for fans of Team USA.
Mikaela Shiffrin skis in the giant slalom — the race she won at the 2018 Olympics, and her second shot at a medal in Milan Cortina. It’s also the race where she suffered a severe injury with a puncture wound in 2024. Shiffrin has had to deal with PTSD from the crash, and competing again in Olympic giant slalom is part of her comeback. Speedskater Erin Jackson will attempt to defend her Olympic gold in the 500 meters. Pairs figure skating begins, with Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea the top American pair. They had clutch performances to help the U.S. win gold in the team event and have an outside chance of a medal. And U.S. men’s hockey will be back in action against Germany.
Key events (all times ET)
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4:00 a.m. — Women’s giant slalom
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11:03 a.m. — Women’s 500m speedskating
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1:45 p.m. — Pairs figure skating
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3:10 p.m. — Men’s hockey (USA vs. Germany)
MORE: Medal tracker | Full schedule of events | Olympics 101
Here’s a live look at the top moments from Sunday’s events.
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