Sports
Transfer rumors, news: Real Madrid plot move for Bayern’s Olise
Real Madrid are plotting a deal for Bayern Munich star Michael Olise, while Chelsea want to sign Messi… just not the Inter Miami one.
Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
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TRENDING RUMORS
– Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is planning a major move to sign Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise in the summer, but Bundesliga leaders do not plan on letting him leave, according to Sport Bild. The 24-year-old’s contract runs until 2029 and doesn’t include a release clause, so Bayern feel no obligation to offload him. Liverpool also want Olise as they look for a possible successor to Mohamed Salah, who could soon leave Anfield.
– Arsenal have little intention of letting Riccardo Calafiori leave in the summer despite the defender being the topic of interest from Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and Napoli, according to TEAMtalk. The Gunners are fully committed to keeping the 23-year-old, who is settled in north London and not actively looking to leave the Emirates. Interest from Chelsea has also been reported but Calafiori joining the club is seen as highly unlikely.
– Chelsea are lining up a move to sign Rayane Messi from Strasbourg, with the winger on loan at Saudi Pro League club Neom, reports TEAMtalk. Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have also enquired about the 18-year-old but Chelsea’s owners, BlueCo, don’t want to see him leave their multi-club network. The plan had originally been for Messi to be integrated into Strasbourg’s first-team next season before heading to Stamford Bridge, but that plan is now being reviewed.
– AC Milan and Inter are among the clubs who will try to compete with Arsenal to sign Leon Goretzka as a free agent when the midfielder’s Bayern Munich contract expires in the summer, as reported by Calciomercato. Milan have already initiated contact with the 31-year-old’s entourage, while Inter are hoping to complete a move that would be similar to the ones they have previously completed for Hakan Çalhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Even so, Arsenal are the frontrunners to complete a deal.
– Marseille want to sign Jonathan David in the summer if they qualify for the Champions League but face competition from the Premier League, as reported by Tuttosport. While David would reject any offer from Olympique Lyonnais due to Paulo Fonseca being in charge of Les Gones, the 26-year-old has always been fascinated by the idea of playing in the Premier League. Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United all made attempts to sign him in January.
EXPERT TAKE
OTHER RUMORS
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Steve Nicol reacts to Max Dowman becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history.
– Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and several LaLiga clubs have been closely monitoring Newcastle United left back Lewis Hall. (Caught Offside)
– Crystal Palace and Leeds United both want Derby County and USMNT striker Patrick Agyemang. (Football Insider)
– Manchester City could sign Tottenham right back Pedro Porro for significantly less than his £70 million valuation. (Football Insider)
– Inter and AC Milan are both seriously considering a move for Manchester City defender Nathan Ake. (Caught Offside)
– Newcastle United could accelerate their plans to renew Kieran Trippier‘s contract amid fears that Tino Livramento could move to Manchester City. (Football Insider)
– Various clubs from England and Europe have contacted Liverpool about signing goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili permanently or on loan. (TEAMtalk)
– Rocco Reitz will join RB Leipzig from Borussia Monchengladbach for €20 million plus another potential €3 million in bonuses. (Florian Plettenberg)
– Juventus and Dusan Vlahovic are rapidly moving towards agreeing a new contract, with the striker’s current deal set to expire at the end of the season. (Tuttosport)
– Feyenoord and Wolves will speak to Bournemouth about signing Max Aarons at the end of the season, while Porto are also interested in the right back on loan with Rangers. (Ekrem Konur)
Sports
Virginia’s Anna Moesch wins 1st career NCAA individual title
ATLANTA — Anna Moesch won the first NCAA individual title of her career in the 200-yard freestyle on Thursday night at the women’s swimming and diving championships to help Virginia add to its team lead.
Moesch’s time of 1:39.23 marked the second fastest performance in the event, just shy of Missy Franklin’s 11-year-old record.
Moesch also helped Virginia claim a third relay title in the competition with a 1:24.11 in the 200 freestyle. It was the fifth straight year Virginia won the event.
Virginia sits in first place with 249 points heading into the third day of the four-day competition. Texas is second with 183 points and Stanford third with 173.
Olympic gold medalist Torri Huske clocked a 48.49 to win the 100 butterfly for her third career national title. Huske edged Virginia’s Claire Curzan after finishing second last season. The top three swimmers finished under 50 seconds, with Huske’s Stanford teammate, Gigi Johnson, coming in fourth.
Bella Sims led wire-to-wire in the 400 IM for Michigan’s first individual NCAA title since Maggie MacNeil in 2021. It was also the first gold in the event by a Wolverine since Mindy Gehrs in 1993.
NC State’s Eneli Jefimova took the 100 breaststroke with the fastest time in program history.
Senior diver Chiara Pellacani defended her one-meter national title for Miami. Pellacani became the first diver to win multiple national titles in a Miami career since Brittany Viola (2008, 2011).
Sports
FIFA clears Israeli settlement clubs but fines IFA over breaches
FIFA said Thursday that it would take no action on formal complaints by the Palestinian soccer federation in 2024 against its Israeli counterpart, including to suspend membership.
FIFA did, however, fine the Israel Football Association 150,000 Swiss francs ($190,000) on disciplinary charges relating to “discrimination and racist abuse,” plus “offensive behavior and violations of the principles of fair play.”
Palestinian soccer officials have long argued Israel violates FIFA statutes by letting teams from settlements in the West Bank play in the national league.
“FIFA should take no action given that, in the context of the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the FIFA Statutes, the final legal status of the West Bank remains an unresolved and highly complex matter under public international law,” the soccer body said.
“FIFA can’t solve geopolitical conflicts,” said Infantino, who presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a specially created peace prize at the World Cup draw in December.
“[B]ut we are committed to using the power of football and the FIFA World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars,” he said.
The disciplinary investigation of Israeli soccer also was opened 18 months ago in response to formal complaints by the Palestinian federation.
One third of the fine must be spent by Israeli officials, FIFA ruled, on “implementation of a comprehensive plan to ensure action against discrimination and to prevent repeated incidents.”
“The plan shall be approved by FIFA and shall focus on the following areas: reforms, protocols, monitoring, and educational campaigns in stadiums and on official channels for an entire season,” FIFA judges decided.
The judges said they “cannot remain indifferent to the broader human context in which football operates” and the sport “must remain a platform for peace, dialogue, and mutual respect.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sports
TCU backs up its tough talk, bounces Buckeyes in 1st round
GREENVILLE, S.C. — TCU wasn’t short on confidence for Thursday’s NCAA tournament opener against Ohio State, with forward David Punch setting the stage of the matchup by saying he believed the Horned Frogs would beat the Buckeyes “nine out of 10 times.”
That, forward Xavier Edmonds said, added a bit of pressure on the Horned Frogs to back up Punch’s prediction.
“His words were just a little bit misconstrued and a little twisted,” Edmonds said. “Still, we saw it, and we felt like we had to stand on it.”
Given Ohio State’s raucous comeback from a 15-point halftime deficit, it’s hard to say what might happen if these two played nine more times, but on Thursday, Punch and Edmonds delivered. Punch connected on a nifty pass to Edmonds in the paint with four seconds to go for a go-ahead layup, helping TCU advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 66-64 victory.
TCU was dominant from beyond the arc in the first half, but a brutal shooting performance after the break allowed the Buckeyes to claw back into the game, taking a 51-50 lead with just over seven minutes to play.
With Edmonds in foul trouble, Punch put the Frogs on his back late, however, finishing the game with 16 points, 13 boards and a pair of assists, including the go-ahead dish to Edmonds.
Ohio State had one final shot at the win, but Bruce Thornton couldn’t find an open man near the basket and settled for a half-court heave that fell short.
The win ensured Punch’s boast proved accurate, but TCU wasn’t done delivering a message to Ohio State.
“We just felt like them as a Big Ten team, they just haven’t felt or seen a defense like ours,” said Edmonds, who finished with 16 points and eight boards. “Being in the Big 12, and the different level of physicality and intensity, we just wanted to go out there and show them what Big 12 basketball is about.”
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