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Athletic Club and Spain winger Nico Williams continues to impress at Euro 2024, driving his stock up amongst Europe’s top clubs. While his transfer fee is set at €58m, the release clause in the contract he signed last winter, the growing competition for the 21-year-old will no doubt come through in the offers to his agents in commissions and the player in salaries.
Despite reports that Chelsea consider him too expensive, Sport say that the London club are willing to make an offer of €15-20m for Williams in terms of salary. So far they have been able to glean that Williams would prefer a move to Barcelona, but they feel they stand a good chance of signing Williams.
Barcelona have assured Roberto that he will be able to be registered when FFP is fixed. The midfielder has decided to wait. @Jordigil
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 2, 2024
The first reason being the money on offer – that would double his current €7.8m annual salary, and Barcelona will struggle to match it. The second is patience: Barcelona must make other deals work in order to do a deal for Williams, but Chelsea feel there is a good chance that the Barcelona option will fade away in time, as they will not be able to offer a good package and activate his release clause.
It should be noted that other reports state that Chelsea have ruled out a move for Williams, believing the cost to be prohibitive. Arsenal on the other hand are reportedly willing to spend the money to take him to London. Even if Barcelona have the preference of the player, unless they make the numbers work, then the Blaugrana will have to watch on from the sidelines.
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Fabrizio Romano: Nicolas Jackson will leave Chelsea this summer – he’s definitely off
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is 100% leaving Chelsea this summer and there are no doubts about it happening now. Fabrizio Romano has delivered the final declaration on this and says Jackson WILL leave Chelsea this summer. Sources: Chelsea goalkeeper situations as club shop the market still this window! We aren’t hearing about any deals for him to join another club developing or advancing, but Romano is so sure that Jackson is leaving the club this summer that he has gone as far as saying that he WILL definitely leave Stamford Bridge. It’s been brewing all week this one, and it was also reported that Jackson had been in initial talks with Newcastle regarding a move there this window. Even Enzo Maresca basically admitted that Jackson was likely going to be leaving the club this summer in his latest words that came out yesterday. What Romano has said In quotes picked up on X, Romano said: “I can tell you here today Jackson WILL leave Chelsea this summer. It’s been decided by both player and club. It’s over. “Chelsea will start from £80m valuation for Nicolas Jackson, let’s see the bids. Newcastle interest, Spurs interest if Richarlison leaves + interest from abroad. “Chelsea and Jackson feel it’s time to part ways, Chelsea signed new strikers and Jackson wants to be important. Jackson will be the next big name on the market this summer.” Mutual decision So it looks like both the club and the player want this to happen and it’s a mutual decision for Jackson to leave Chelsea this window. I don’t think Chelsea fans on the whole will be too upset by this. Some might be, others wont be at all, but I don’t think it’s going to cause any big meltdowns let’s just put it that way.
Yankees' unlikely answer emerges from depth chart to save season — for now
One out, seventh inning, 2-2 tie in Arlington. Ben Rice watched from the dugout as manager Aaron Boone called Paul Goldschmidt to pinch-hit for Austin Wells. When Goldschmidt crushed a 0-2 fastball over the left-field wall for the go-ahead run, the New York Yankees had their first lead since the fifth inning. More importantly, they had it because Rice's catching ability made the crucial substitution possible. The 26-year-old's emergence as a multi-position weapon couldn't be more timely. The Yankees entered Wednesday's Texas series finale having blown a seven-game AL East lead since May 28, sitting 6.5 games behind Toronto and 3.5 behind Boston for the first wild card. They'd started August 0-5, desperate for any break before facing Houston at home. Rice represents the internal solution they've needed. His .779 OPS sits well above the .719 MLB average, powered by 16 home runs and elite contact metrics. Baseball Savant ranks him in the 95th percentile or higher in hard-hit percentage, average exit velocity, expected slugging and expected weighted on-base average. Those numbers seem impossible considering where Rice started. The 2021 12th-round Dartmouth pick hit .171 in 178 plate appearances last season. But knowing he'd catch in 2025, Rice added 10 pounds to his frame and worked relentlessly on his receiving skills. The defensive flexibility pays dividends beyond Wednesday's game. Rice has posted a +2 fielding run value across 84 innings caught and 180 innings at first base. Not spectacular, but competent enough to create the matchup advantages Boone exploited against the Rangers. Rice embodies exactly what championship teams find within their system. Aaron Judge remains the Yankees' best player, but Rice may be their most valuable in pure utility terms. His ability to produce above-average offense while handling two premium positions creates strategic options other teams lack. Wednesday's sequence proved the point. Without Rice's catching ability, Boone couldn't have pinch-hit Goldschmidt in that crucial spot. The move worked because Rice had spent months building trust through consistent performance at both positions. The Yankees still trail Toronto by 6.5 games with the Astros series looming next. Their playoff chances remain fragile yet likely, per FanGraphs, after months of disappointing baseball. But Rice's ascension from .171 hitter to essential depth piece shows what's possible when overlooked talent meets opportunity. If the Yankees accomplish anything meaningful this season, they'll trace it back to moments like Wednesday's seventh inning. Not because of Goldschmidt's clutch homer, but because Ben Rice made that moment possible.
Gap between star WR Terry McLaurin, Commanders revealed
As of Thursday morning, the Washington Commanders and Terry McLaurin remained in a contract stalemate after the 29-year-old wide receiver in the final year of his current deal requested a trade. During Thursday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler noted that the Commanders and McLaurin are locked in "a classic standoff" as McLaurin allegedly looks to secure "parts" of the five-year, $150M deal that the Pittsburgh Steelers gave DK Metcalf this past March. "They have been far apart," Fowler said about the negotiations between the Commanders and McLaurin, as shared by Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report. "...[McLaurin] has wanted metrics of the DK Metcalf contract, which is $32M. I'm told the Washington Commanders have only been slightly above where he was before, which is $23M. So take that gap, that's $7M to 8M that they have to bridge." Fowler added that Washington "has got some calls about McLaurin" this summer because "there's some interest league-wide" in learning whether or not the wideout could become available. For what it's worth, numerous reporters have said since McLaurin went public with his trade request that he likely won't go anywhere before Washington opens the season with a home game against the New York Giants on Sept. 7. ESPN's John Keim mentioned that Washington's joint practice with the New England Patriots on Wednesday showed that the Commanders "need McLaurin back on the field" as soon as possible. That's understandable, as McLaurin recorded team highs of 117 targets, 82 receptions and 1,096 receiving yards to help quarterback Jayden Daniels become the Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season. Additionally, McLaurin finished the 2024 campaign ranked second in the entire NFL with 13 touchdown catches. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list a Washington team coming off a trip to this year's NFC Championship Game sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX. Perhaps Wednesday's joint practice will spark more positive conversations between McLaurin's camp and the Commanders that will result in the playmaker rejoining summer practices as soon as early next week.
Jaydon Blue injury update: Major news emerges on Cowboys RB after Thursday practice exit
According to Nick Harris of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue suffered a bone bruise in his heel on Thursday. Blue was stepped on during practice, initially looking at an ankle sprain. Thankfully, the MRI came back with some positive news. “Cowboys RB Jaydon Blue’s MRI revealed a bone bruise in his heel after it was stepped on in today’s practice, according to a @startelegram source,” Harris said via X. “No ankle sprain. Good news for the young back who has emerged as an offensive playmaker in camp.” Blue previously told Harris that an ankle injury was what he suffered. Questions about the running back’s availability for Saturday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams are now present. Something to watch as kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT from SoFi Stadium. Dallas took Blue in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, hoping to address its running back situation. Blue played his college ball inside the Lone Star State, suiting up for the Texas Longhorns. Plenty of guys at the position have come out of Austin and found quick success. Blue is hoping to be the next one. For now, there is an injury for him to deal with. No exact timeline has been provided per a report or by a team official. Hopefully, Blue is able to get things cleared up quickly and get his first taste of the NFL before Sept. 4’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. More on Jaydon Blue, Cowboys running back situation Running back was a position the Cowboys needed to desperately figure out this offseason. Rico Dowdle, the team’s leading rusher, was no longer on the roster. Behind Dowdle, Dallas did not have much else. A nice mix of veteran presence and youngsters was needed. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders provide the former, while Blue was a part of the draft class alongside Phil Mafah. A combination of those four figures to be on the opening night roster. Exactly how head coach Brian Schottenheimer splits up the carries is not yet known. Blue’s injury certainly does not help the situation. Cowboys players, in general, have been going down throughout training camp thus far. Making sure everyone is healthy will be critical heading into the season. Especially an explosive back like Blue, someone who can change the outcome of any game in just the snap of your fingers.
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