Inter Miami CF has expressed interest in signing Rayados de Monterrey and Mexico national team forward Germán Berterame, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday, with both clubs confirming a deal was in the works.

The MLS team would be willing to pay the player’s release clause to complete the transfer, sources revealed. Mexican outlets reported Berterame’s release clause to be valued at $15 million.

A deal between Inter Miami and Rayados for Berterame has not been finalized yet, but both Monterrey sporting director Jose Antonio Noreiga and Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas have confirmed ESPN’s story.

“I can tell you and confirm that there has been an approach [from Inter Miami] and a proposal that is interesting to Berterame,” Noreiga said.

“It interests Germán, and it could be interesting for us. If we decide that the offer is interesting and that Germán leaves, we will do everything possible and we are already working on it to replace him.”

Berterame started for Rayados on Friday night and scored a goal in his team’s 5-1 thrashing of Mazatlán FC.

“Well, first of all, Germán Berterame is a great player,” Inter Miami co-owner Mas said. “He’s a great player, and we’re aiming to have a great squad

“I know I confirmed this morning that there’s an offer from Inter Miami. There is an offer from Inter Miami for Germán Berterame, we’ll see how that develops in the next 24 to 36 hours. But once again, I say, we’re aiming to have an extraordinary squad, to give [Javier] Mascherano the tools to attack technically as he sees fit, a lineup that can be strong, and that’s the kind of quality player who deserves to be part of the Inter Miami squad.”

Mas also commented on Miami’s interest in Vancouver Whitecaps and United States defender Tristan Blackmon, confirming that Miami made a bid for the reigning MLS Defender of the Year but that “for now we consider that matter closed.”

ESPN reported that Blackmon failed to show up for a scheduled physical with the Whitecaps on Wednesday in the wake of Vancouver rejecting a cash transfer offer worth $3 million from Miami. However, the 29-year-old subsequently reported to the Whitecaps camp the following day.

Negotiations appear to be progressing smoother for Berterame.

Before Rayados, Berterame featured for Argentine sides San Lorenzo and Patronato before making his Liga MX debut with Atletico San Luis in 2019. While playing for Atletico San Luis, the forward scored 31 goals in 93 games in all competitions and earned the Golden Boot for the 2021 Apertura tournament.

Berterame then joined Rayados in 2022, where he has recorded 67 goals and 15 assists in 152 games across all competitions.

His efforts in Liga MX earned him recognition from the Mexican national team, after becoming eligible to feature for El Tricolor by completing the country’s naturalization process.

Though Berterame previously featured for the Argentina youth national team, his lack of appearances with the senior squad allowed for the forward to represent Mexico without needing to file a FIFA one time switch.

Other MLS teams previously expressed interest in Berterame. FC Cincinnati attempted to trigger the player’s previous release clause, but the two parties failed to come to an agreement to complete the transfer.

Information from ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle contributed to this report.

San Francisco 49ers fans suffered a devastating blow when George Kittle went down with a torn Achilles on Sunday, but the star tight end’s wife may have taken it the hardest.

Claire Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk’s wife, Kristin, have shared their game-day memories on an Instagram page called “Wifed Up Mic’d Up,” and the page caught Claire’s live reaction to her husband’s injury.

“Get up. Get up,” Claire begged as her husband lay on the grass at Lincoln Financial Field.

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Someone else in their suite said to Claire that it was likely an Achilles injury after seeing a replay. She then let out an emphatic, “F—,” and watched in shock as her husband was carted off the field.

“It’s all f—ing f—ed up. What’s that, a year?” Claire asked. “All next year, too. Doesn’t make any f—ing sense.”

The video then told viewers that the Kittles spent the rest of the game in the locker room together.

Despite the injury, Kittle was in “good spirits,” probably because of the Niners’ 23-19 victory to advance to the divisional round. He was then seen on camera belting out “Linger” by The Cranberries and “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers on a bus to the airport.

“See you next year,” Kittle told the cameras.

George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is carted off the field during the second quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Jan. 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Elsa/Getty Images)

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“Disbelief and stillness were all I felt as I yelled, get up, get up, over and over again. He always gets up. He’s George — he can do all things. He just does it. It hurts. There’s no preparing for it. I love this man with everything I have in me. He is a unicorn in this world, and he will be back stronger and better than ever before,” Claire captioned an Instagram post showing her and the 49ers star in the training room and on the sidelines at Lincoln Financial Field.

“The mind of a heartbroken athlete is a determined one. He is un-(expletive)-able, as is this entire team. I’m proud of these guys and the rally-together grit they fight with each week. It’s a special year, you can feel that and we’re not done yet. Thank you for loving G and carrying some of this pain for us,” she wrote.

Kittle responded to his wife’s post with his own message of gratitude, commenting, “You’re the best teammate for this journey.”

Kittle dealt with injuries during the regular season, which limited him to 11 games. He still recorded 628 receiving yards and hauled in seven touchdowns.

George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers is carted off the field during the second quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Jan. 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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The Niners will face their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

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Carlos Alcaraz launches his bid for a career Grand Slam on Sunday “hungry” for an elusive Australian Open title, while Aryna Sabalenka is laser-focused on clinching a third Melbourne crown.

The first major of the year gets under way as a 15-day event for the third time running, aimed at cutting down on late-night finishes.

Top seed Alcaraz is desperate to win it, having failed to go past the quarter-finals in four previous trips to Australia.

The title is the only one missing from his major collection, which currently consists of two French Opens, two US Opens and two Wimbledons.

“This is my main goal for this year,” Alcaraz, who gets under way in the night match on Rod Laver Arena against home player Adam Walton, said.

“I’m just hungry for the title, hungry to do a really good result here.”

He has met the 79th-ranked Walton once before, at Queen’s in London last year, when he won 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).

Should the 22-year-old complete the career Slam he would join an exclusive club as just the sixth man to win all four major titles after Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Rod Laver.

He would also become the youngest, surpassing Nadal, who was 24 at the time.

But he has a big roadblock in front of him, with Italy’s Jannik Sinner the two-time defending champion and in peak physical condition.

Sinner, who beat Alexander Zverev in last year’s final and went on to win Wimbledon, opens against France’s Hugo Gaston, who he has met twice before but not since 2021.

“We worked a lot physically,” Sinner said of his pre-season. “The physical part now is so, so important because the matches can get very long and also very intense.

“You have to be at the top physical level as long as you can.”

Assuming he gets that far, Sinner could meet 10-time champion Djokovic in the semi-finals before a potential clash with Alcaraz for the title.

Djokovic would surpass Margaret Court as the outright Slam leader on 25 titles should he turn back the clock and upstage his younger rivals.

He has a tricky opener against Spain’s Pedro Martinez.

Zverev, in the same half of the draw as Alcaraz, is also in action Sunday against Canadian Gabriel Diallo.

World number 10 Alexander Bublik takes on American Jenson Brooksby.

Sabalenka hot favourite

Top-ranked Sabalenka kicks off against French wildcard Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah, preceding Alcaraz onto Rod Laver Arena.

The Belarusian went into last year’s final aiming to become the first woman since Martina Hingis to win three consecutive Australian Opens.

But she was stunned by Madison Keys, a setback she admitted “took me a little time to recover” from.

“I’m not really focusing on that result last year,” said Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane title last week. “But of course I would like to do just a little bit better than I did last year.”

Keys failed to really kick on from clinching a maiden Grand Slam and is in Australia as the ninth seed.

She will need to improve after clocking up nearly 50 unforced errors in her early exit at the warm-up Adelaide International.

She meets debutant Oleksandra Oliynykova of Ukraine and could face Jessica Pegula in the last 16 and Amanda Anisimova in the last eight.

“I’m really trying to push myself to kind of evolve and add more things to my game,” said the American.

Sabalenka’s chief rival, six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek is, like Alcaraz, angling for a career Grand Slam in Melbourne.

“Obviously it would be a dream come true,” said the Polish star, who is yet to go beyond the semi-finals.

She will begin against Chinese qualifier Yuan Yue.

Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, 12th seed Elena Svitolina and veteran Venus Williams are also in action on Sunday.