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The transfer market window is over in Italy, but that’s not the case worldwide, which might lead to more deals in the coming weeks. Orlando City are pursuing Luis Muriel, whose contract with Atalanta will run out at the end of the season, Matteo Moretto reports (via SOSFanta).
The two parties are negotiating but aren’t necessarily in a hurry. The MLS side has until April to complete the acquisition. At this stage, the striker has turned down the proposal because he wasn’t thrilled by its terms.
Muriel would like to obtain a longer deal, a three-year one, from Orlando City if he were to leave Atalanta midseason. It’s also possible that he’ll transfer at the end of the campaign when he’ll be out of contract. Instead, his renewal is improbable.
La Dea might have a bigger interest in the Colombian switching sides sooner, as they’d receive a small fee rather than lose him for nothing. The striker was mildly attached to Inter during the past session, as Alexis Sanchez wasn’t a lock to stay.
Our Take on Muriel and Orlando City
Even though he was still electrifying for a stretch last month, Atalanta surely aren’t short on attackers. AFCON won’t last much longer, and they’ll start integrating El Bilal Touré sooner rather than later. He wouldn’t get as much as in the MLS if he stayed in Serie A, but he has the ideal traits to serve as a deputy striker in a top team.
More must-reads:
- Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba suspended for skipping MLS All-Star Game
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'Understand Chelsea' -Fabrizio Romano shares latest update on pursuit of £60m rated star
Chelsea are now in advanced talks with RB Leipzig over a move for Xavi Simons according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. The Blues have identified Simons as the player they want to add to their attack, following the signings of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens. Simons is thought to be close to agreeing to personal terms, and has made it clear his preference is a move to the Premier League. Chelsea and Leipzig in advanced talks for Xavi Simons Chelsea reportedly want as many as eight or nine attacking options in their squad to rotate between next season, as they prepare for their return to the Champions League. Noni Madueke has joined Arsenal, whilst Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix are both expected to leave, meaning there’s room for another attacker. Chelsea are progressing well on a deal for Simons, with Leipzig thought to want around €65m for the 22-year-old, and Romano has provided an update. He took to X.com and said: “Understand Chelsea and RB Leipzig are now in advanced talks for Xavi Simons. “Negotiations club to club progressing well, still work to do but heading positive direction. “Xavi, keen on Chelsea project with personal terms talks also advanced.” Simons can play both on the left and as a number ten, making him a great fit for Enzo Maresca’s system, and he scored 11 goals and registered eight assists in 33 appearances in all competitions last season. Benfica in negotiations with Joao Felix With Simons moving closer to move to Chelsea, Felix is edging closer to the Stamford Bridge exit door, despite only joining last summer. Chelsea spent £45m on the Portugal international, who spent the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan. Felix has made it clear he wants to return to Benfica, and the Blues are said to be in negotiations with the Portuguese giants. Benfica are said to be open to signing Felix on a permanent deal, with Chelsea’s asking price for the 25-year-old reportedly £43.3m.
'In what world does this make sense?’: Oilers and $63M forward
According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.
ESPN Predicts Mets-Twins Trade One Week Before Deadline
The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
76ers unexpectedly waive veteran guard despite career season
The Sixers are waiving Ricky Council IV, the team announced in a press release. Council signed a four-year, partially guaranteed deal with the Sixers in 2024, which contained a team option for the 2026-27 season. Last season, he averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.1 minutes per night — all career-high numbers. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports notes that the timing of the move was unexpected, given that Council’s guarantee date is on Jan. 10, 2026, and the team currently has an open roster spot if they need it to add restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. While Council struggled with his three-point shot last season, he emerged as a reliable depth contributor, playing a team-high 73 games while bringing athleticism and energy from the wing positions.
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