Month: June 2023

Jun 27, 2023, 01:00 PM ET Manchester City have completed the signing of midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, the treble winners announced Tuesday. ESPN reported earlier this month the two clubs had agreed a fee of £25 million ($32m) up front for the 29-year-old with another £5m ($6m) due in add-ons, and the Croatia midfielder

ESPN News Service Jun 27, 2023, 03:43 PM ET PSV Eindhoven have signed United States men’s national team striker Ricardo Pepi from Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, sources have told ESPN. Sources added that the transfer fee is €9 million ($9.8 million) and that Pepi will sign a five-year deal after completing his medical. The move

Jun 27, 2023, 03:03 PM ET United States women’s national team player Megan Rapinoe said the upcoming Women’s World Cup feels like a “paradigm shift,” but that women’s sports continue to face challenges in terms of equality. “I think just in general, women’s sports right now feels like we’re sort of out of just the

Tom Hamilton, Senior WriterJun 27, 2023, 09:26 AM ET Close • Joined ESPN in 2011• Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours• Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018 Tottenham Hotspur are in advanced talks with Leicester City over the transfer of midfielder James Maddison, sources have

Graham Hunter, Spain writerJun 27, 2023, 05:00 AM ET Close Graham Hunter is a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com who specializes in La Liga and the Spanish national team. Whatever happens next for Ilkay Gundogan and however he performs after achieving supremacy with Manchester City, Barcelona know they’ve acquired an elite footballer who truly yearned

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJun 27, 2023, 04:18 AM ET Manchester City have had their first bid for Declan Rice rejected by West Ham, sources have told ESPN. City stepped up their pursuit of the England midfielder on Monday with an offer of £80 million ($102m) plus another £10m in add-ons. However, sources have told ESPN that

It was a close call for the No. 1 overall pick, but Saka’s brilliant season for club and country put him over the top. Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images We’re both big NBA fans, and the draft is a special day for those who love the league. Football is an entirely different sport, with youngsters joining top clubs

Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerJun 26, 2023, 11:00 AM ET EA Sports is on a bit of a roll when it comes to using its FIFA games to correctly predict men’s World Cup winners, with a flawless streak stretching back four tournaments. The gaming giant has successfully used its football franchise to forecast the winners

Adriana Garcia Jun 26, 2023, 10:23 AM ET Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior has asked a Valencia court to postpone his scheduled testimony in a racist abuse case because he is on holiday, according to EFE. As a victim, Vinícius is due to testify via video conference on Tuesday to a judge analysing evidence against

Some clubs have managed the transfer market especially well in recent years (Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool have led the way), while others have struggled to match up (namely Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea.) But sometimes there is little they can do, as it is the players who hold the power. July 1 marks

Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Jun 26, 2023, 07:59 AM ET Real Madrid remain cautious over the possible signing of Kylian Mbappe, sources have told ESPN, but the club are also hopeful that a deal could finally be done to land the Paris Saint-Germain forward this summer. There is a reluctance to talk openly about the

Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Jun 26, 2023, 04:13 AM ET Barcelona have confirmed the signing of midfielder Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City as a free agent. Gundogan, 32, is out of contract with City at the end of the month and has agreed to join Barca on a two-year deal with the option for a