Sports
Transfer rumors, news: Real Madrid rebuff Napoli’s Mastantuono move
Napoli want Real Madrid midfielder Franco Mastantuono on loan, but he won’t be allowed to move this month, while Fulham are interested in signing USMNT and PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
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TOP STORIES
– Iraola on Semenyo: If he can play years for us, it’s much better!
– Frank: Spurs will sign only ‘fully committed’ players in January
– Amorim: United ‘cannot make same mistakes’ with transfers
TRENDING RUMORS
– Napoli have been heavily linked with a loan move for Real Madrid midfielder Franco Mastantuono, but Madrid have closed the door on any departure, according to Marca. Mastantuono, 18, only moved from River Plate for €45 million in the summer and has already become Los Blancos‘ second-youngest debutant in the Champions League and their fourth youngest goal-scorer in LaLiga history. Napoli had been enquiring about a loan deal as they seek midfield reinforcements, but their interest was quickly quashed before any concrete offer was made.
– Fulham are interested in signing USMNT and PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi, according to The Daily Mail. Fulham boss Marco Silva is in the market for more firepower up front alongside Raúl Jiménez, 34, and Rodrigo Muniz, who is on his way back from injury. Pepi, 22, has scored nine goals so far this season and was a target for Fulham and West Ham United last summer. He is now the preferred option ahead of Fiorentina striker Moise Kean, but PSV value his transfer at around €40 million.
– Bournemouth are expecting a late bid to sign winger Antoine Semenyo from Liverpool, says The Telegraph. The Ghana forward has seemingly been destined for a move to Manchester City in recent days and wants his future resolved by Jan. 1, as he has a release clause of £65 million that expires in a few weeks. But Semenyo could still be a target for Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes and could have a big decision to make soon. Meanwhile, Bournemouth are set to replace Semenyo with Leicester City’s Abdul Fatawu, 21, who is expected to be available for transfer at around £30 million, according to The Daily Mail.
– Tottenham Hotspur will be active in the January transfer window, and the club have been linked with a host of players. TEAMtalk says Spurs will attempt to beat the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid to the signing of Crystal Palace Adam Wharton, while Bayern Munich‘s Leon Goretzka is also a target as his contract expires in the summer. The Evening Standard suggests that Manchester City winger Savinho appears to be off limits, but lists other targets including Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush, FC Porto forward Samu Aghehowa, Juventus star Kenan Yildiz and Barcelona wantaway keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
– Barcelona are looking to find a new left-footed center back in January, with Manchester City reportedly willing to part with Nathan Aké for a fee of around €25 million, according to Sport. Ake, 30, hasn’t played as much first-team football as he would have liked in recent weeks and wants to solidify his chances of playing for Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup. His ability to play at full back would be beneficial to Barcelona, but a number of English clubs are interested in him too.
EXPERT TAKE
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Why Christian Pulisic is at his ‘prime’ in AC Milan
Gab Marcotti talks about Christian Pulisic’s form at AC Milan after their 3-0 win over Verona.
OTHER RUMORS
– Galatasaray are hoping to sign Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte on loan, with a permanent clause added for around €25 million, though Lyon and Napoli are also interested. (Fotomac)
– AC Milan are hoping goalkeeper Mike Maignan will extend his stay at San Siro beyond the end of the season. The 30-year-old France international is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with Chelsea, among others. (Mirror)
– Barcelona are monitoring the situation of Deportivo La Coruna’s 23-year-old left winger Yeremay Hernandez. (Marca)
– A number of Italian and Spanish clubs are keeping tabs on Flamengo right back Emerson Royal. The 26-year-old defender, who can also play in the center, is out of contract in 2028. (Ekrem Konur)
– Olympiacos are monitoring Cruzeiro’s 17-year-old left back Kaua Prates and could offer a fee of around €10m in an effort to fend off interest from Napoli, Juventus, FC Porto and Benfica. (Ekrem Konur)
– Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry is expected to extend his stay beyond next summer and stay until 2028. (Florian Plettenberg)
– Girona are hoping to beat Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa to the loan signing of Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 33. (Sport)
– Celtic are contemplating making a move for Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan, amid interest from Leeds United and Nottingham Forest. (Daily Mail)
– Spanish side Cadiz have agreed to sign 19-year-old winger Antonio Cordero on loan from Newcastle United. (Fabrizio Romano)
– Ajax have made contact with Burnley about the availability of 24-year-old left back Quilindschy Hartman. The Netherlands defender has four assists this season, more than any other Burnley player. (Fabrizio Romano)
– Roma have offered striker Artem Dovbyk to Leeds United, Sunderland, Everton and West Ham United, as the 28-year-old Ukraine international has been told he’s not in Gian Piero Gasperini’s plans. (TEAMtalk)
– Sunderland are looking to consolidate their position in the top half of the Premier League with the signing of two midfielders; Lille’s 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi and Monaco’s 21-year-old Lamine Camara. (TEAMtalk)
– West Ham United are considering parting ways with boss Nuno Espirito Santo after just 13 games in charge. The Hammers are in the bottom three and could opt for a change in the dugout if their form doesn’t improve. (TalkSPORT)
Sports
NASCAR’s Truck Series and O’Reilly Autoparts Series honor Kyle Busch with moments of silence at Charlotte
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The NASCAR world is paying tribute to Kyle Busch this weekend, and that includes some classy ones from two series in which the late driver had a lot of success.
While Busch — who passed away Thursday after “severe pneumonia [that] progressed into sepsis” — had been a full-time driver in NASCAR’s top series, the Cup Series, for more than 20 years, he still competed occasionally in both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series.
He was especially known for his dominance in the Truck Series, winning 69 of his 184 races, and at one point owned a team. In fact, the final win of Busch’s career came just under a week before his death in a Truck Series race at Dover.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, is introduced before the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 1, 2026. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
On Friday, the Truck Series was in Charlotte as part of the Coca-Cola 600 weekend for a race that Busch was supposed to take part in.
NASCAR, RACING WORLD REACTS TO KYLE BUSCH’S SHOCKING DEATH AT 41: ‘CANNOT COMPREHEND THIS NEWS’
Corey Day was in the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, the truck in which Busch took his final win, and it was set to start on pole after Friday’s qualifying was rained out.

Kyle Busch celebrates the final win of his NASCAR career at Dover Motor Speedway. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire)
Before the race was set to begin on Friday evening, teams and fans held a moment of silence for Busch.
Unfortunately, the race never got underway and was postponed until Saturday morning and then again to Saturday night.
The O’Reilly Autoparts Series, which Busch raced in many times and won many times during his career, also took a moment to remember him before their race at Charlotte on Saturday.
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That race was also suspended due to rain.
There will be some heavy hearts on Sunday when the Coca-Cola 600, the NASCAR Cup Series’ longest race of the year, gets started at 6 p.m. ET.
Sports
Kyle Busch’s iconic No. 18 will appear in the Indianapolis 500 in tribute to late driver
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While Kyle Busch was a legend in the NASCAR ranks, he was incredibly well respected throughout the world of motorsports.
That’s why one of Busch’s NASCAR numbers — the one I’d argue is most iconic — will make an appearance in the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Busch had a bunch of numbers across NASCAR’s three national series, but in the Cup Series, he used No. 5, No. 18 and No. 8.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Kyle Busch used No. 18 during his years with Joe Gibbs Racing. (Isaac Brekken/AP)
For many fans, No. 18 is the number they associate with Busch, as he used it for 15 years, including during both of his championship seasons.
NASCAR, RACING WORLD REACTS TO KYLE BUSCH’S SHOCKING DEATH AT 41: ‘CANNOT COMPREHEND THIS NEWS’
You can close your eyes and picture it on the side of those legendary M&M’s paint schemes.
Well, Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern shared that Dale Coyne Racing, which runs the No. 18 Honda driven by Romain Grosjean, will display the classic No. 18 used on Busch’s car during his time with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series.
How about that tribute?
Of course, the numbers are typically trademarked, so as Stern reported, the idea — which came from Fox Sports IndyCar commentator Townsend Bell — required getting in touch with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Busch never raced in the Indy 500 or in the IndyCar Series; however, he did have a lot of success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in NASCAR.

NASCAR star Kyle Busch died on Thursday at just 41 years old. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
His brother, retired NASCAR driver and former Cup Series champ, Kurt Busch, attempted double duty by competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in 2014.
It’s a heck of a tribute from the folks at Dale Coyne Racing with an assist from JGR.
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And while I don’t want to play favorites, wouldn’t it be something to see that No. 18 in Victory Lane?
Grosjean will start Sunday’s race in 24th, which means he has some ground to make up, but anything can happen in the Indy 500.
Sports
Who Are The 10 Test Indy 500 Drivers Of All time?
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The 2026 INDYCAR season has already delivered stellar moments, even before “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
That highly anticipated race happens on Sunday, May 24, with the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
Coverage for the Indy 500 begins at 10 a.m. ET.
You can watch the Indy 500 pre-race and race broadcasts on FOX and stream the broadcasts on FOX One, FOX Sports.com and the FOX Sports App.
Ahead of all the action, we’ve rounded up the best drivers to grace the course.
Here are the 10 best Indianapolis 500 drivers of all time.
10 Best Indy 500 Drivers Of All Time
10. Dario Franchitti
Although he had one of the shorter Indy 500 careers on this list, Franchitti managed to compile some impressive results. He earned three victories at the track between 2007-2012. Moreover, he added three other top-10 finishes to his name despite participating in just 10 races. His best stretch was when he claimed six top-seven finishes in seven attempts from 2005 and 2012.
9. Arie Luyendyk

Luyendyk won the Indy 500 twice, but it was a mixed bag overall. He raced in the event every year from 1985 to 2002 and withdrew in 2003, but he finished outside the top 10 in 10 different races. Still, few can match the success he found, with seven top-10 finishes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
8. Louis Meyer

The first three-time winner in the race’s history, Meyer is one of the top drivers who isn’t talked about nearly enough. He had a truly remarkable race in 1936, becoming just the second racer in history — and last — to win the Indy 500 from a starting position of 28th or lower. Meyer grabbed first and second, respectively, in his first two tries in Indianapolis.
7. Bobby Unser

It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Never has that been more true than with Unser, who had just one top-10 finish in his first four tries at Indy. However, Unser would eventually win the Indy 500 three times (1968, 1975 and 1981). In his last four starts, he had three top-six finishes, including winning the event on his last time at the track at age 47.
6. Johnny Rutherford

Another three-time Indy 500 winner, Rutherford claimed his victories between 1974 and 1980. Rutherford had a bit of a slow start to this race, finishing 18th or lower in each of his first nine times at the track. He then turned in four straight top-10 finishes, including winning in 1974 and 1976 and grabbing second in 1975.
5. Wilbur Shaw

As good as Rutherford’s three-year stretch was, Shaw one-ups him with his bonkers four-year run. From 1937 to 1940, Shaw placed first, second, first and first. A run like that automatically vaults you into the top five in the history of the Indy 500. Before that, it had been an up-and-down race for Shaw, but you cannot overlook just how dominant he was overall, with three victories and seven top-five finishes.
4. Helio Castroneves

Castroneves is the first of four drivers on this list tied for the most wins (four) at the Indy 500. He earned his most recent victory in 2021, while his previous three wins came between 2001 and 2009. He’s also one of just six drivers to claim back-to-back Indy 500 victories, doing so in 2001 and 2002. Perhaps the most remarkable part of his driving career at IMS is the fact that he owns the record for the longest span between his first and last win — 20 years.
3. Al Unser Sr.

Unser isn’t just tied for the most Indy 500 wins, claiming his four in 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1987. He’s also the oldest winner ever at 47 years, 360 days old, slightly edging out his brother, Bobby. In his second-to-last race at IMS in 1992, Unser finished in third, while his son, Al Unser Jr., was the winner.
2. A.J. Foyt

Foyt is undoubtedly deserving of one of the top spots on this list as the first four-time winner in the race’s history, finishing in first place in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977. Most impressive about his career in Indy, though, is that Foyt has the most starts there of any driver (35), including racing in every single one from 1958 to 1992.
1. Rick Mears

The other driver tied for the most wins at IMS, Mears dominated in Indy. He started 11 times on the front row, with six of those times coming consecutively from 1986 to 1991 — both of which are records at the track. He has also claimed a record six pole positions at the event and is one of just 12 racers to earn back-to-back pole positions.
Check out all of our Daily Rankers.
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