Sports
Transfer rumors, news: Man United eye Ajax young talent Mokio
Manchester United are keeping tabs on 17-year-old Ajax star Jorthy Mokio, alongside Newcastle United and Eintracht Frankfurt while Rennes duo Jérémy Jacquet and Mohamed Meïté are on the radar of the Red Devils. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
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TRENDING RUMORS
– Highly rated Ajax star Jorthy Mokio is on the radar of Man United, Newcastle United, and Eintracht Frankfurt, according to Sacha Tavolieri of Sky Sports Switzerland. Mokio, 17, is under contract until 2027 but talks have stalled over new terms and he is reportedly looking to take the next step in his career. The defensive midfielder, who made his senior Belgium debut in March, can also play as a center back and left back, which makes him a valuable option to have.
– Man United are also keeping tabs on Rennes duo Jérémy Jacquet and Mohamed Meite, according to The Sun. The report claims that a scout was spotted at Rennes’ 1-0 win at Paris FC on Nov. 7 and revealed they were there to watch defender Jacquet, 20, who has played every minute so far this season, and 18-year-old striker Meita, who is considered more of a youth prospect. Arsenal and Crystal Palace were strongly linked with a move for Jacquet last summer, before he extended his contract with until 2029.
– Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney is considering taking a 50% salary cut in order to move back to the Premier League to aid his chances of playing for England at the World Cup, according to TEAMtalk. Toney, 29, has scored 11 goals in 15 games this season, and 41 goals in 59 appearances in total since his £40 million move to Saudi Arabia from Brentford in 2024, but believes he needs to return to a higher level to give him any chance of making Thomas Tuchel’s squad next summer. Tottenham Hotspur remain favorites to sign him, but face competition from Everton.
– Crystal Palace believe Liverpool are the only club interested in signing center back Marc Guéhi in the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports. Guehi’s contract runs until the end of the season and he’s free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club outside England from Jan. 1. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all reported to be keen, but Liverpool are expected to make the first move when the window opens as they have lost Giovanni Leoni to a long-term injury and there is uncertainty around Ibrahima Konaté‘s future.
– Fiorentina‘s primary target for January is Chelsea‘s 19-year-old defender Josh Acheampong, according to Tuttomercatoweb. Acheampong has had chances in the first team but is reported to be open to a move away and the Serie A team are considering a loan with an option to sign him permanently. If they can’t pull that off then Chelsea center back Axel Disasi, 27, is another target as he has been frozen out of the first-team squad.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen looks at Rennes’ two young stars.
In only his first full year of his top-flight career, Jacquet has emerged as one of the most promising young center backs in France. What makes him stand out at this early stage is how complete he already looks.
His standout traits are his game-reading and calmness; he is composed on the ball — seven progressive passes per 90 minutes this season — and measured when defending. He rarely overcommits, preferring to wait out the attacker and win the ball cleanly, either through an interception or controlled sliding challenge … which has become a signature feature of his game.
Jacquet moves fluidly, hits top speed quickly and consistently looks like he has an extra gear even when up against the speediest opponents. While at 6-foot-2 he isn’t that imposing, he compensates with an impressive vertical leap and his 74% aerial win rate is the best in Ligue 1 among center backs with more than 1,000 league minutes this season.
Then, at the other end of the pitch, Meïte is in the process of establishing himself as a No. 9 prospect. At 6-foot-4, the 18-year-old offers the classic physical profile of a target man and has won 75% of his duels off the ground this season, but he also has more mobility and finesse — flicks, good touch, clever lay-offs — than his size may suggest.
Last season he was brought up from the reserves and produced two goals in 12 league games. This season he has continued to earn the trust of his manager, registering just short of 600 senior minutes and adding a small-but-steady stream of goal contributions while generating 13 shots (he’s a high-volume shooter at 3.4 shots per 90) on target.
The France U21 international’s defining feature is arguably his penalty-box presence. He attacks crosses with confidence, uses his body intelligently to fend off opponents, and is able to find space to run on either side of the center backs. The fact he has already started high-profile games ahead of more established forwards reflects how highly Rennes rate him.
OTHER RUMORS
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– Paris Saint-Germain are hoping to beat Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid to the signing of Lille’s 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for a fee of around €45 million. (Ekrem Konur)
– VfB Stuttgart defensive midfielder Angelo Stiller would prefer to join Real Madrid over Manchester United. (Defensa Central)
– Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri could leave on loan in January in an effort to get more games under his belt. (Daily Mail)
– Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 33, could move to Besiktas on loan in January, with a permanent option. (Sport)
– Bayern Munich and Barcelona are exploring the possibility of signing left back Alejandro Grimaldo from Bayer Leverkusen. The 30-year-old prefers a return to Spain, which suits Leverkusen, who would much rather he left for LaLiga than join their Bundesliga rivals. (Marca)
– Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen could leave the Blues in January after just 18 months at the club as he seeks more game time. (TalkSPORT)
– Inter Milan are battling with Napoli over the signing of Genoa’s 24-year-old midfielder Morten Frendrup, who they see as a more realistic target than Roma’s Manu Kone. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
– AC Milan are on the lookout for a defender in January, and top of their list — should they fail to land 41-year-old Thiago Silva from Fluminense — is Udinese center back Thomas Kristensen. The 23-year-old could be available for a fee of €20 million. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
– Juventus have made contact with Lecce over young Portuguese defender Tiago Gabriel. The Bianconeri could offer a loan player in order to fend off competition from Brentford, who are reported to be lining up a €20 million bid. (Tuttosport)
– Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza is attracting interest from all over Europe, with Arsenal, Real Madrid, Valencia and Como all interested in the Spain U20 star. (Informacion)
– Real Betis, Dinamo Zagreb, Mainz and Bologna are all monitoring the situation of Girona goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who is in search of more minutes to ensure he stays as Croatia No.1 ahead of the 2026 World Cup. (Ekrem Konur)
– Spanish goalkeeper and free agent Vicente Guaita is closing in on a one-year deal with Parma, who are desperate for cover following an injury to regular No. 1 Zion Suzuki. (Fabrizio Romano)
– Roma are considering a move for Tottenham Hotspur forward Mathys Tel who is reported to be unhappy in London following his move from Bayern Munich. The Giallorossi are also tracking Marseille midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Sports
Mike Trout crushes fifth Yankee Stadium HR in four games
NEW YORK — Mike Trout‘s latest homer against the New York Yankees put him in rare company, and going deep again made history at Yankee Stadium.
Trout homered for the fifth time during a four-game series Thursday, crushing a 446-foot drive in the seventh inning for the Los Angeles Angels in an 11-4 victory.
A three-time MVP, Trout joined Jimmie Foxx (1933), Darrell Evans (1985) and George Bell (1990) as the only players with five homers in a series against the Yankees, according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs.
Trout homered twice Monday before going deep again in the following two games. In the series finale Thursday, Trout drove a 2-2 slider from reliever Angel Chivilli about halfway up the left-field bleachers to give the Angels a 7-4 lead. That shot made Trout the first player to hit five homers in a series in the Bronx.
“I heard that after the game,” Trout said. “It’s pretty surreal. All the great players that came through here, so it’s pretty cool.”
“Honestly, not surprising,” Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said. “When you’re with Mike every day, there’s nothing that you believe that he can’t do.”
Trout also became the first visiting player to homer in four consecutive days at the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.
Trout went 6-for-16 with five homers and nine RBIs in the series. He also has homered in his past five games at Yankee Stadium and drew an intentional walk in his next plate appearance before Jo Adell hit a grand slam.
“At this point it’s vintage Mike Trout,” Adell said. “When he’s healthy and feeling good, there’s nothing like it. It’s special. It’s one of a kind. So for all of us to experience it, it’s special.”
“He’s unbelievable,” Suzuki said. “He really is. It’s been an amazing week for him.”
Trout is hitting .246 with seven homers and 16 RBIs. He is 9-for-27 (.333) with five homers and 13 RBIs on the Angels’ road trip, which coincides with him making a mechanical tweak.
Trout’s career-high homer streak is seven games, achieved Sept. 4-12, 2022. He has homered in four straight games for the fourth time in his career.
Trout’s homer was part of a four-game series that featured four homers from Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge. Judge homered twice Monday, again Wednesday and went deep in the first inning in the series finale.
“He’s unreal,” designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton said after the Yankees lost for the seventh time in nine games. “Cool showing from him and Judgie all series. Obviously, you don’t want that against us, but you got to acknowledge the greatness.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time opposing players who owned multiple MVPs hit at least three homers in the same series.
“It was an impressive show by those two,” Suzuki said.
Sports
2026 NCAA gymnastics championships: Live updates from semifinals
FORT WORTH, Texas — The first semifinal session of the NCAA gymnastics championships included LSU, Florida, Georgia and Stanford — with Florida and LSU advancing to Saturday’s final (4 p.m. ET; ABC).
Next up, Oklahoma, UCLA, Arkansas and Minnesota will compete in Semifinal II, beginning at 9 pm ET (ESPN2). Once again, the top two teams will move on.
Individual event titles and an all-around winner will also be awarded today — but not until both semifinal sessions are complete.
Who will make it to the next round? Will an upset surprise us all? We’ll have you covered with all the action here.
Sports
N.J. governor: FIFA should pay extra train costs to MetLife for World Cup
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday joined U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer in calling on FIFA to contribute toward World Cup transit security costs.
MetLife Stadium will host eight World Cup games, including the tournament final. The Athletic reported earlier this week that NJ Transit is considering charging $100 for train tickets to shuttle fans between New York Penn Station and the stadium. Standard fare is $12.90.
Parking will be restricted at the Meadowlands stadium complex compared to NFL games — making public transport one of the only options to attend World Cup matches, which get underway June 11.
“We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup,” Sherrill said on X. “And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion. I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come.
“FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don’t — I’m not going to let New Jersey get taken for one.”
Speaking on WNYC on Wednesday, Sherrill said she would approve the fare increase if FIFA doesn’t step in.
“I will, if that’s what it takes, because I’m not putting this on the back of New Jerseyans,” she said.
On Wednesday, NJ Transit’s board of directors unanimously approved a resolution to set transport prices to “cover any and all costs” to transport fans and comply with Sherrill’s directive.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri on Wednesday said he supported Sherrill’s plea to FIFA and confirmed that commuters would not pay extra costs, according to NJ.com.
“The governor said whatever the fare will be, it will not be cross subsidized by our regular commuters. I’d think every NJ Transit customer would stand behind that,” Kolluri told NJ.com. “It will cost us $48 million. We will charge FIFA fans for those tickets, and it will not be subsidized by our commuters.”
Schumer on Monday said FIFA should be helping pay for World Cup transit security costs.
“FIFA is set to reap nearly $11 billion from this summer’s World Cup, yet New York area commuters and residents are being handed the bill,” Schumer wrote on X. “The least FIFA can do is ensure New York residents can go to the stadium without being gouged at the turnstile. I am demanding FIFA step up.”
We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup.
And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion.
I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years… pic.twitter.com/pugU8davkW
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) April 15, 2026
Earlier this month, New Jersey’s host travel committee released a detailed plan for transport and parking during the matches, outlining a park-and-ride plan with specific parking lots and shuttle buses that will run to and from the stadium.
“While rideshare and limited premium parking options will be available, the FIFA World Cup at NYNJ Stadium will be a public transportation first event, largely relying on NJ Transit rail and Host Committee bus shuttles,” Natalie Hamilton, a host committee spokesperson, told NJ.com.
“We are strongly encouraging all ticket holders to utilize expanded NJ Transit rail service and the Host Committee’s Stadium Shuttle.”
A FIFA spokesperson insisted the host city had previously agreed to provide free or at-cost transportation to fans at all matches.
“We are quite surprised by the NJ governor’s approach on fan transportation,” FIFA said in a statement Wednesday.
“The original FIFA World Cup 2026 host city agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches. Recognizing the financial strain this placed on the host cities, back in 2023 FIFA adjusted the host agreement requirements across all host cities as follows: All match ticket holders and accredited individuals shall be able to access transport [public or additionally planned transport] at cost to allow travel to stadiums on match days.
“Moreover, FIFA has worked for years with host cities on their transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation.
“The FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America along with the related economic impact. Many of these fans will travel to NYNJ to enjoy the eight matches scheduled, including the FIFA World Cup final.
“FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at NYNJ Stadium, including other major sports, global concert tours, etc, where organizers were required to pay for fan transportation.”
During the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, ticket holders enjoyed free transport on the city’s Metro system, funded by the country’s government.
UEFA bore the cost of ticket holders using German public transport in host cities on match days during Euro 2024.
Kansas City, where England’s training camp will be based, will offer free bus travel for fans from the airport close to the Fan Festival in the city center, and daily, weekly and tournament passes for unlimited regional travel costing $5.25 and $50, respectively.
Ticket holders will also be able to use a Stadium Direct service, which connects four park and ride locations as well as the Fan Festival to the Arrowhead Stadium for $15 per person, the host city committee said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) said that there will be no fare increases connected to the staging of World Cup matches in Philadelphia.
The spokesperson said most if not all of the added operating costs of running the services during the World Cup would be covered by a recently awarded federal grant.
Information from Press Association and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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