Napoli don’t yet know whether Antonio Conte will stay, although the inklings aren’t too optimistic, but that’s not slowing them down on the transfer market. They are one step away from signing Kevin De Bruyne. The agreement with the Manchester City legend could be sealed on Wednesday. Their offer consists of a two-year contract with €5.5M wages, a €10M signing bonus, and an option for another campaign, La Gazzetta dello Sport relays.
The Partenopei don’t expect surprises and are eyeing a few more midfielders. They are ready to rekindle their pursuits of Lewis Ferguson and Kenneth Taylor. Bologna and Ajax are tough bargainers, though.
Napoli will also touch up their attack and are tussling primarily with Juventus to bring in Jonathan David on a Bosman move. They’ll have a better chance to sign Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United in the summer. Their interest has cooled off a little. PSV’s Noa Lang is still on their radar.
Per Alfredo Pedullà, the Azzurri are keen on Mattia Zaccagni, who has a long-term contract with Lazio, and Francesco Pio Esposito. Inter handed him an extension during the winter, but they could discuss his sale for €25/30M. Darwin Nunez is the main fallback plan up front, while Sam Beukema tops their defensive shortlist.
They’ll need to build some depth in basically every position, and the more cost-effective purchases they can make, the merrier. There’s also some strategic leaking while they still have a chance to convince Conte. But, should he go to join Juventus, it wouldn’t be because of strictly football-related matters, as he’s a great spot in Campania, arguably better than in his possible destination.
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It's been two days since Manchester United were shockingly eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Grimsby Town. Ruben Amorim's team lost 12-11 on penalties, leading Amorim to state his players had spoken "really loudly." Amorim's postgame comments have sparked significant discussion, with many fans and analysts suggesting he may be growing tired of his time leading the club. However, during a pre-game news conference Friday ahead of Manchester United's matchup with Burnley on Saturday, Amorim provided some much-needed clarity over his comments. "I know that when I say these things, every time that we have a defeat like that I am going to speak like that," Amorim said. "This is my way of doing things. In that moment I was so frustrated. I'm going to be who I am, that's why I have the passion I have. That kind of performance [against Grimsby] was [unacceptable] ... Sometimes I want to quit. Sometimes I want to be here for 20 years. I need to improve on that — it's going to be hard — but now I am focused on the next game." When United hired Amorim, he left a Sporting Lisbon team that had been constructed in his image. Every player was accustomed to his stringent tactics and unique system, and their skill profiles fit perfectly. In Manchester, things are different; it's a club in the early stages of a rebuild. Amorim knew he was accepting a tough job. Numerous world-class managers have attempted to rejuvenate United in recent years. All of them have failed. However, it would appear Jim Ratcliffe and the United board are firmly behind Amorim's project, and he will be given the time he needs to get the team on track. Nevertheless, Amorim must stop making thinly veiled threats to quit. He has the full support of United's hierarchy. There has to be a bit more poise in how he accepts defeat. Of course, the hope will be that United can finally begin to click within his system, and these losses become few and far between. Perhaps that first victory of the season will come against Burnley on Saturday. The worry is that the next two games after the international break are against Manchester City and Chelsea. United is creating some strong foundations. However, there must be some patience if they want to get back to competing with the best teams in the world. Amorim can and should be the guy to lead them there.
A heated post-match exchange between former World No. 5 Jelena Ostapenko and Taylor Townsend marred an otherwise action-filled fourth day of the U.S. Open on Wednesday. After Townsend defeated the 2017 French Open champion in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1, Ostapenko accused her opponent of unsportsmanlike conduct, pointing out that the American didn't apologize when a net cord helped her win a crucial point earlier in the match. The Latvian wrote on social media that Townsend "was very disrespectful" and didn't show the proper etiquette expected of a pro tennis player. "If she plays in her homeland, it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants," she wrote in a scathing address of Townsend. Townsend offered more details on their post-match confrontation, which led to some suggesting she was racially targeted. "She told me I have no class and no education, and to see what happens if we play each other outside the U.S.," Townsend revealed. Townsend refused to call Ostapenko a racist. "I didn't take it in that way," she said, via BBC. "But also that has been a stigma in our community of being not educated, and all of the things, when it's the furthest thing from the truth. Whether it had racial undertones or not, that's something she can speak on." Ostapenko was widely lambasted on social media, with even World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka asking her to control her emotions. The under-attack Latvian responded to allegations of her being a racist, while reaffirming her stance on Townsend disrespecting her during the match. "I was never racist in my life and I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn't matter where you come from," she wrote on social media. Townsend will next face Russian teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva in the third round. The World No. 46 American is trying to reach the fourth round of her home major for the first time since 2019.
When it comes to major decisions for the Dallas Cowboys it is always going to be Jerry Jones' way or the highway. The problem with that philosophy, however, is that the Jerry Jones way has proven to be a failure for more than 30 years. It's long past time for him to give up control of the team and hire a real general manager to fix the mess he keeps creating. All of that is back on the front-burner again following Thursday's conclusion of the Micah Parsons saga, with the All-Pro superstar getting traded to the Green Bay Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. In a vacuum, it's not a terrible return. Clark is a legitimate starter on the defensive line -- and a very good player -- and two first-round picks are always going to have some value. But professional sports does not exist in a vacuum. There is always more context at play, and the context here is that an in-his-prime superstar (Parsons), that is one of the biggest game-changers in the league, and a player that was trying to make it work in Dallas, is now playing for somebody else because Jones could not get out of his own way. From the very beginning Jones bungled this contract negotiation, doing the one thing he does best — making himself and Cowboys drama the focal point, and what is best for the team a secondary matter. It's the Jerry Jones way. And it's a losing way. This situation did not have to end up the way it did. There was a perfectly reasonable outcome that would have seen Parsons remain in Dallas throughout the prime of his career and continue to be a focal point of its defense. All it would have taken was a common sense approach and an owner whose concern for the organization outweighed their ego. Every major negotiation with the Cowboys ends up getting drawn out into chaos. It's all part of Jerry's desire to keep him and his team at the top of the headlines. It usually results in him having to pay a player more money than he otherwise would have. And even that may not be a problem for Jerry because he gets to talk about how he negotiated and paid out this huge contract. This time, however, the plan finally burned him. If you want to reach, or if you want to carry Jones' water for him, you might be able to put together a somewhat coherent argument as to how this can work out. Maybe those two first-round picks will pan out in the future. Maybe Clark is a great fit in the middle of Dallas' defensive line. Maybe. Maybe, maybe, maybe. The more maybe's you throw in, the more likely it is they are not going to all pan out. Clark is good, but he's not Parsons. He is not as disruptive, he is not as good and he is going to be 30 years old this season while Parsons is still only 26. Two first-round picks looks good on paper, but the Packers are a pretty good team — and will be even better with Parsons — and those picks will likely be in the back half of the first-round. You hope to find a good player with at least one of them, if not both. The odds that either one is as good as Parsons are long. Since winning their last Super Bowl during the 1995 season the Cowboys have consistently been one of the NFL's most mediocre franchises. Never truly awful, but never good. They will make the playoffs semi-regularly, but never go anywhere. They have the longest NFC Championship game drought in the conference. They never get close to the Super Bowl and have not been bonafide contenders in literal decades. A sane owner would look at those results and would have fired multiple general managers for that run. Jones has no one to fire because he is the general manager. And he likes the way he is doing things. The problem is it doesn't work. It hasn't worked. And it won't work. History has proven that.
"See ya." The catchphrase of New York Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay could be what the club says to outfielder Trent Grisham this winter. Grisham, a two-time Gold Glove winner, is enjoying a breakout year, slamming a career-high 27 home runs with more than a month left in the regular season. His .476 slugging percentage and .830 OPS also are personal bests. As a result. Grisham won't be hurting for suitors when free agency begins after the 2025 World Series. But New York Post Yankees beat writer Greg Joyce explained why the outfielder's return to the Bronx is unlikely. "Aaron Judge will presumably — barring his elbow injury turning into something that needs surgery — be back in right field next season," Joyce wrote. "Jasson Domínguez has lost his grip on everyday playing time this month, but he is still likely to be back in left field next year. "Cody Bellinger is playing well enough that he is expected to exercise his opt-out and join Grisham on the free-agent market, though it would not be surprising to see the Yankees try to make a bid to retain him. "And then there is the wild card of Spencer Jones, whom the Yankees hung on to at the trade deadline last month with the center fielder on an absolute heater at Triple-A, though there are still questions about exactly what they have in him," Joyce added. Look, there are clearly several variables in the mix here. Yes, it's likely that Bellinger opts out. And yes, it's possible the Yankees prioritize the former MVP over Grisham. But it's also possible another team (possibly the Mets) outbids the Yankees for Bellinger. Or maybe the Yankees trade Dominguez. Or general manager Brian Cashman uses Jones as trade bait. However it's hard to ignore the looming possibility that the 28-year-old Grisham could be gone after the season. "Even if the Yankees believe this version of Grisham is sustainable for the next few years, he still seems like a long shot to return given the money he has made himself this season," Joyce added. The seven-year MLB veteran joined the Yankees in December of 2023 as part of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Insider: Yankees’ Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman in Jeopardy Former Yankees Pitcher Shut Down Before Cy Young Decision Former Yankees Infielder Torched in Epic Pitching Fail Yankees May Have Given Former All-Star Second Chance Yankees Biggest Concern Revealed
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