Lionel Messi will face Pep Guardiola — and maybe even Cristiano Ronaldo — in a blockbuster Champions League clash after Paris Saint-Germain were paired with Manchester City in Group A of this season’s competition. City and PSG, the last two losing finalists in the Champions League, have both invested huge sums in player recruitment this
Football
2:53 PM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Real Madrid have submitted a second, improved offer of €180 million to Paris Saint-Germain for Kylian Mbappe, sources have told ESPN. An initial €160m bid was rejected this past Tuesday, and sources close to Madrid have told ESPN the signing would be difficult, but they were hopeful of
5:40 PM ET Despite the United States men’s national team’s failure to qualify for the last World Cup, it begins 2022 World Cup qualifying next week with significantly heightened expectations. In the nearly four years since the USMNT didn’t punch a ticket to Russia, the player pool has experienced an unprecedented amount of breakthroughs in
8:30 AM ET Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has ruled out selling striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer. The north London club are seeking to offload several members of their squad, sources have told ESPN, after spending more than £130million on new players and there had been speculation that the club were willing to listen to offers
7:55 AM ET Ligue 1 on Thursday criticised FIFA for extending the World Cup qualifying window, but stopped short of following the English Premier League, Spanish LaLiga and Italy’s Serie A, who have already prohibited clubs from releasing players. A Ligue 1 decision to challenge FIFA would be particularly onerous for Argentina and Brazil, who
11:30 AM ET Rodrigo Faez Gabriele Marcotti Manchester City and Cristiano Ronaldo are close to reaching an agreement over a sensational move to the Etihad Stadium, sources have told ESPN. Sources told ESPN that City boss Pep Guardiola and Ronaldo spoke on the phone on Thursday morning ahead of his possible departure from Juventus. –
11:38 AM ET The draw for the Champions League group stage takes place on Thursday at 12 p.m. ET with Chelsea looking to retain their crown. Alongside Thomas Tuchel’s side in Pot A are various league winners, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan and and Europa League-winners Villarreal among others. Meanwhile, Real
11:28 AM ET Chelsea‘s Christian Pulisic, Borussia Dortmund‘s Giovanni Reyna and Juventus‘ Weston McKennie headline the 26-player roster for the U.S. men’s national team ahead of three World Cup qualifiers. Pulisic had been a doubt to be called up after contracting COVID-19, but has recovered sufficiently to be on the roster that will contest World
12:09 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester City have suspended defender Benjamin Mendy after he was charged by Cheshire Police. Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has been charged with rape, police have confirmed and the defender has been suspended by the Premier League champions. The France international is set to appear in court
7:19 AM ET Chelsea are hopeful of completing a deal worth in the region of €50 million for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde as defender Kurt Zouma closes on a move to West Ham United from Stamford Bridge, sources have told ESPN. Talks with Sevilla over Kounde have been ongoing for some time but Chelsea needed