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Fair to say, Chelsea have been pretty active in the transfer market in recent years, and this activity is showing little sign of slowing down.

Since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the Blues in 2022, they’ve signed over 40 senior players, costing in excess of £1bn, but are forecast to spend big again this summer.

So, do the West London side now have a highly-rated defender in their sights?

Chelsea's latest centre-back target

According to a report by Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports News, Chelsea are ‘seriously considering’ a move to sign Jorrel Hato, a 19-year-old defender who plays for Ajax. The Blues are said to hold a ‘long-standing’ interest in him.

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Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider reports that the soon-to-be-re-crowned Eredivisie champions value the teenager at £40m, a fee the Blues would surely not be shy to pay, given their recent track record.

Kieran King of Football London notes that Hato ‘has established himself as one of Europe’s most talented young defenders’, while Jacek Kulig from Football Talent Scout labels him “immense”, describing him as both a “complete full-back” and a “ball-playing centre-back”.

So, could he be the latest youngster on his way to Stamford Bridge?

Chelsea's current centre-back conundrum

In recent weeks, Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah have emerged as Chelsea’s first-choice centre-back duo, starting three of the last five Premier League matches alongside each other.

Nevertheless, Enzo Maresca has spent the majority of the season chopping and changing his centre-back partnership, as the table below outlines.

Chelsea’s centre-back options 2024/25

Players

Appearances

Total starts

PL starts

Levi Colwill

33

31

31

Trevoh Chalobah*

15

12

10

Wesley Fofana

14

14

14

Tosin Adarabioyo

34

27

13

Benoît Badiashile

18

16

3

*was recalled from a loan spell at Crystal Palace in January

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt

As the table emphasises, Colwill has been, by some distance, Chelsea’s most utilised central defender this season, especially in the Premier League, starting 31 of their 34 league fixtures to date.

His performances have yielded widespread praise, with Simon Johnson of the Athletic labelling him Chelsea’s ‘untouchable figure at the back’, while David Hytner of the Guardian notes that his ‘impressive’ form has earned England recognition.

However, like transfer target Hato, the 22-year-old England international can be both deployed at centre-back and left-back, suggesting they would be vying for the same position, so let’s assess how the duo compare this season.

Levi Colwill vs Jorrel Hato 2024/25 comparison

Statistics

Colwill

Hato

Appearances

33

47

Minutes

2,880

3,932

Goals

1

3

Assists

1

6

Pass completion %

89.7%

88.5%

Tackles

40

81

Tackles won

34

54

% of dribblers tackled

61.5%

80.4%

Blocks

34

45

Interceptions

34

36

Clearances

104

79

Errors leading to a shot

4

5

Ball recoveries

108

166

% of ground duels won

50.8%

57.6%

% of aerials duels won

59.2%

51.85%

Touches per 90

88

65

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, FBref.com and Squawka

As outlined by the table, Hato would represent a massive upgrade on Colwill, especially defensively, with the Dutchman excelling when it comes to tackles, blocks, interceptions, ball recoveries and ground duels this season.

Of course, there will be a question mark as to whether the teenager would be able to thrive at a higher-level; according to Global Football Rankings, the Premier League is the strongest league in the world, with the Eredivisie ranked 12th.

Nevertheless, still only 19 years old, of course, Hato appears to have all the attributes to become a world-class defender, so will he be the latest young talent on their way to West London?

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Posts ByTom Cunningham May 3, 2025

Liverpool are believed to be “ready to knock on the door” to sign an impressive midfielder in the summer transfer window, a new report has claimed.

Liverpool need signings despite imminent title win

With Virgil van Dijk still not signing a new Reds deal yet, it is only natural that potential replacements are being looked at, with Barcelona star Ronald Araujo emerging as a reported target.

Liverpool are set to hold talks with the 26-year-old over a summer move to Anfield, with Barca’s financial issues meaning they could possibly be forced into selling one of their most talented players, who has struggled to kick on his career due to injuries.

Meanwhile, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise attacker Mohamed Amoura has also been linked with a summer move to the Reds, as they look to strengthen Arne Slot’s options in the final third. He has scored 10 goals and registered eight assists in the Bundesliga this season, enjoying a fruitful spell out on loan at Wolfsburg.

Trent Alexander-Arnold feels likely to move to Real Madrid currently, so a successor for Liverpool’s vice-captain needs to be found, and Freiburg ace Kiliann Sildillia has been mentioned as an option to come in. At 22, he would be considered a long-term addition to battle with Conor Bradley for playing time.

Liverpool keen on signing "versatile" £50m+ ace

Now, according to Tutto Atalanta [via Sport Witness], Liverpool are “ready to knock on the door” and push to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson this summer. Offers for the Brazilian are expected to be around £50.7m.

They are far from the only big club showing an interest in the 25-year-old, however, with Manchester United, Juventus and Atletico Madrid all thought to be in the picture.

Ederson has arguably been one of Europe’s leading defensive midfielders in recent years, playing a key role in Atalanta winning the Europa League last season.

He has continued in a similar vein in 2024/25, averaging 1.5 tackles and 1.3 aerial duel wins per game in Serie A, as well as scoring three goals. South American football expert Tim Vickery has also spoken of his appreciation for him.

“24-years-old, strong, well-built central midfielder. Strong on the ball, versatile, box-to-box. Strong personality as well. The first time I remember him was his professional debut really. He was thrown in the deep end in a big team called Cruzeiro, who were really on the slide. They were relegated in dreadful form and even in this bad context, he stood out, so a lot of virtues.”

Ederson’s Serie A stats this season

Total

Appearances

29

Starts

26

Minutes played

2326

Goals

3

Assists

1

Tackles per game

1.5

Aerial duel wins per game

1.3

Pass completion rate

1.0

While Liverpool’s midfield feels well-stocked, there is still an argument to say that a player of Ederson’s ilk would add even more balance, with Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister not necessarily possessing natural defensive traits.

Related Liverpool set to hold intense transfer talks to sign £40m+ Barcelona star

Liverpool are in the market for statement reinforcements this summer.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Apr 4, 2025

The Atalanta ace could add more protection in front of the defence, but he is more than just a midfield shield, having lots of quality and an ability to chip in with goals.

Bangladesh’s fast bowlers picked up all ten wickets in a Test innings for the first time, and Mahmud took five of them

Mohammad Isam02-Sep-2024Monday was a landmark day in the history of Bangladeshi fast bowling. When the visitors wrapped up Pakistan’s second innings for 172, they did so with their fast bowlers taking all ten wickets. It was a first for Bangladesh in Test cricket.Nahid Rana created a stir with his pace and bounce, and Taskin Ahmed used all his experience to keep Pakistan’s batters on the front foot. Amid all that, though, was the constant, wicket-taking presence of Hasan Mahmud, who picked up a maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket, vindicating the selectors’ decision to bring him into the long format after a strong start in white-ball cricket.Related

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Mahmud became only the third Bangladesh quick in the last 11 years to take a five-for in Test cricket, and like Ebadot Hossain and Khaled Ahmed before him, he too had done so on foreign soil.”I have played a good amount of first-class cricket, so the red ball isn’t new to me,” he said. “It has a different feel in the hand. I like it in my hand. I always have a feeling that I can get a wicket with the red ball.”Mahmud delivered for his captain Najmul Hossain Shanto at important moments. After Bangladesh had made an epic recovery from 26 for 6 to reduce their first-innings deficit to 12 runs, they took the ball late on day three hoping for at least one wicket early in Pakistan’s second innings. Mahmud picked up two. He found Abdullah Shafique’s edge by inviting him to drive at a wide outswinger, and cleaned up nightwatcher Khurram Shahzad to leave Pakistan 9 for 2 at stumps.Mahmud gave Bangladesh two early breakthroughs late on day three•AFP/Getty ImagesOn the fourth morning, Taskin got Bangladesh their first breakthrough by removing Saim Ayub, before Rana ran through the middle order, leaving Pakistan 81 for 6. Then Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha added 55 for the seventh wicket, putting a puzzle in front of Bangladesh.It was time once more for Mahmud to make a mark. He removed Rizwan in much the same way he had sent back Shafique, coaxing a loose drive with a full one outside off, and perhaps this was even more impressive for the amount of late swing he generated with a 36-over-old ball. Next ball, he hit the perfect length in the corridor and found enough movement to get Mohammad Ali to nick to first slip.Agha’s unbeaten 47 led a mini rearguard, as Pakistan’s last two wickets added 36 runs before Mahmud ended their innings with his fifth wicket, that of the No. 11 Mir Hamza.”The bowler has to find ways to get wickets whenever he is handed the ball,” Mahmud said. “Taskin got us going, and then Rana bowled superbly. He was excellent. He shifted the momentum. I stuck to my process, to try to contribute.”A partnership often causes a bit of puzzle in the team. We tried to stop runs from both ends. Dry up the boundaries. It was our plan.”Mahmud’s performance capped a promising series with the ball. He bowled well in the first Test too, removing both openers in the first innings and dismissing Shan Masood in the second. And on the third day of this Test, he showed another facet of his game and his character.Mahmud revived Bangladesh with back-to-back wickets after a fightback from Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha•AFP/Getty ImagesWhen he walked in at No. 10, Bangladesh were 81 adrift of Pakistan’s first-innings total, and Litton Das had run out of recognised batting partners. He was batting with a hand injury and also battling cramps. Bangladesh couldn’t afford to give away a big lead, and Litton needed someone to stay with him. Mahmud did exactly that. He defended for two straight hours, scoring an unbeaten 13 off 51 balls. Mahmud was so focused on his job that it took him a while to realise just how long he had spent at the crease.”[Litton] was the set batter, so there was a lot of work to do,” Mahmud said. “All he told me was that I had to give him support. He said he will do the rest. That’s what I tried to do. I really enjoyed batting with . I know now that I have batted for two hours. I realised this later. I only saw that I batted 55 balls when I was walking off with the bat.”Mahmud reiterated the belief within the group, going back to the mood in the dressing room when Litton and Mehidy Hasan Miraz came together at 26 for 6.”When we faced that situation, we lost all those wickets, we had to come out with a new plan,” Mahmud said. “We trusted Litton and Mehidy out in the middle to do the job. We felt that they will get settled, get the runs. They got settled, so we believed that they can do the job.”Bangladesh’s belief will be tested one last time when they resume the fourth innings on Tuesday morning, needing another 143 with all ten wickets in hand, and potentially rain in the air. This has already been a special tour for Bangladesh. Mahmud has done his bit, and he will hope his batting won’t be required once again as they look to end their trip on a massive, unprecedented high.

Maiden half-century provides silver lining despite India’s emphatic win

Valkerie Baynes14-Sep-2022India and England have both found something they’ve been looking for ahead of their deciding T20I in Bristol on Thursday.For the visitors it was victory to draw level at 1-1, built on the back of Sneh Rana’s 3 for 24 and Smriti Mandhana’s unbeaten 79 which overhauled a modest target of 143 in Derby on Tuesday night. For England it was a rarer discovery, a left-handed teenager who made history with her maiden international half-century.Freya Kemp became the youngest England player, female or male, to score fifty in a T20I, at 17 years and 145 days, and the second-youngest to reach the milestone for England in international cricket after Sarah Taylor.Picked as a left-arm seamer earlier in the summer, she had shown hints of what she was capable of with the bat in domestic cricket. Kemp’s 24 off 16 formed part of a crucial 45-run partnership with Georgia Adams as Southern Brave defeated Oval Invincibles during this year’s Hundred, and she scored 14 off six in Brave’s victory over London Spirit.In her debut season in the Charlotte Edwards Cup, she was Vipers’ second-highest wicket-taker behind Charlie Dean with nine at 17.66 and an economy rate of 6.11. Her 21 not out off 13 balls in an unbroken 45-run stand with Dean for the sixth wicket as Vipers beat Lightning early in their title campaign was another indication of her batting abilities.But none of it quite added up to the impression she made in Derby. Kemp cleared the rope three times in her unbeaten 51 from 37 balls against India alongside her three fours and, in an England batting line-up stacked with right-handers, her presence in the lower middle-order can add another dimension.”She’s a cool character, nothing really fazes her,” said England’s vastly experienced left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone. “She has a 25-year-old head on herself. It’s really nice to see her do well – I’m so pleased for her.”When we’re playing against a team with a left-hand-right-hand combination – like Smriti, for example – it’s so hard to bowl at. It’s great to have a left-hander in our squad, and it’s nice to have her in the nets to bowl at, to be honest.”England lost their other left-arm seamer who bats left-handed, Tash Farrant, to a stress fracture at the start of the summer.Ecclestone, who bats right-handed, played a match-shaping knock last time England were in Derby, her unbeaten 33 – including 26 off the final over of the innings setting up victory against South Africa in July before her 2 for 24 helped seal a 3-0 series sweep. That match also marked Kemp’s international debut and she slotted right in with an important 2 for 18 as England embarked on their succession planning by introducing a clutch of youngsters to their ranks.In the absence of the resting Katherine Brunt, injured Heather Knight and Nat Sciver, who withdrew from England’s pre-series camp in Durham for mental-health reasons, those youngsters have had to take on added responsibilities.Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur added an unbroken 69 runs for the third wicket to take India home•ECB via Getty ImagesAhead of a crunch match in Bristol, Ecclestone backed the likes of Kemp, fellow teenager Alice Capsey and young seamer Lauren Bell to keep playing their part, but said it was crucial that England retain the fun factor despite the fact the series is in the balance.”I think it’s massive to keep enjoying ourselves,” Ecclestone said. “When we’re enjoying our cricket, we’re amazing. That gives us the best chance of us winning.”I think they need to take a bit more responsibility. The young ones can come in and get told what to do a little bit, so it’s quite nice for them to have a little bit of their own responsibility over their fields and how they bowl.”Kemp put on 65 runs with Maia Bouchier on Tuesday evening to lift England from a dire predicament at 54 for 5. As it turned out, it wasn’t enough and the home side will have to find a way to revert to their success in the first game. There, legspinner Sarah Glenn set them up with a career-best four-for to restrict India to 132 for 7 and a more solid batting display saw them home, led by Sophia Dunkley’s 61 not out.Related

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“We would have liked 20 or 30 more on the board,” Ecclestone admitted on Tuesday. “Hopefully next time we can go out and get a series win. It was amazing to see Kempy and Bouch bat so well together, which is great to see for the future.”For India, their latest performance represents a vast improvement on their showing in Durham, where they struggled with the bat and were ragged in the field as England overhauled their target with ease to win by nine wickets.Mandhana, who made 23 in the first match, was pleased her side had turned things around to remain in contention. “After the last match we needed to come back stronger and level the series,” she told Sky Sports. “I found my touch back, timing the ball the way I want to. You go out as an opener and try to give your team a good start.”Now all eyes turn to who’s going to finish the best.Meanwhile, the ECB has confirmed that the points for next week’s rounds of Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy matches will be shared, after a decision was made to cancel the games due to a clash with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. With the final at Lord’s scheduled for September 25, it was decided there was not enough room in the calendar for a re-arrangement.

All of them approach batting differently and have thrived without the fear of consequences

Sidharth Monga19-Jan-20212:34

‘This win would mean the world to Pant’ – Aakash Chopra

If this series so far had been an esoteric Bob Dylan song, here is a more straightforward one for the man who laid the finishing touches.For a day, it would appear Dylan might have had Rishabh Pant in mind when he wrote ‘. Just as this team had doubters after 36 all out, Pant has had doubters within the team and outside it for playing a game they don’t really understand.Imagine – he is coming off a Test when he got out on 97 trying to hit a six with India fighting to somehow stay alive. He has been nearly stumped trying to hit another here in Brisbane, when India are thinking of the unthinkable on the final day with much more in the pitch than at the SCG. Then he sees a ball turn more than a metre. And jumps out next ball to hit a six against the turn.There will be many waiting to take credit for the way Pant has “matured”, but he played the way he has always played. His childhood coach, Tarak Sinha, told last week that more than fitness, more than “maturity”, Pant needed his bat swing back. If he gets out, he will live with the consequences. If he gets out blocking a ball he could have hit, it will be tougher to live with it. That’s batting for him.In Sydney, and in Brisbane, Pant just batted. In a 16-Test career — 14 of them played away from home, three as the third-choice keeper and three as the second choice — Pant is already among the top-15 six-hitters from India, with 23 such hits. Nineteen of them have come off spinners, including his first runs in Test cricket. He can get out playing any of those shots, and people wouldn’t be talking of the mature Pant then, but he knows the percentages are with him. He knows he is that good.Just imagine being the Australia captain and bowling unit. What do you do when a man simply refuses to care the way you want him to? A man who just bats. Doesn’t think of win, draw, loss on the final day of an epic series. This is not the beat Test cricket is played to. There are cracks on the pitch, you are up against a tiring but excellent attack, you know wickets can fall quickly, you know one shot can undo 17 days of incredibly hard work that has brought you this far, within a shot of history. You know what happened in Adelaide in 2014-15. You know what happened at The Oval in 2018.You should take a draw that is greater than a win, but you just want to bat. You want to back yourself. You are a madman. You are on the verge of securing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy if you just bat out 12 overs. It is going to be the greatest comeback ever, but you risk it all by playing a reverse-sweep? You see, it is not a risk for Pant. He backs his reverse-sweep with that field set. He knows all these incredible chases over the last two-three years – Ben Stokes, Kusal Perera, Jermaine Blackwood – have been sealed by batsmen just batting the way they do. And you can’t bat if you are clouded by consequence.After it was all done, Pant was hugged by every Indian team member, from teammates to coaches to the other support staff. The batting coach and the coach held on to him, the throw-down expert probably received a big thank you with the hug, R Ashwin was like a big brother, but as Pant reached Cheteshwar Pujara, everything went into slow motion. Pujara didn’t want too strong a hug. He had worn so many blows – head, side of the neck, forearm, ribs, gloves, all told 10 in one innings on a pitch increasingly uneven in bounce – that a half-decent squeeze from Pant would surely have hurt him.Shubman Gill batted with calmness and poise•Getty ImagesIf Australia couldn’t force Pant to care enough to doubt himself, they couldn’t get Pujara to care less than enough to make a mistake. Session after session, day after day, match after match, Pujara makes them bowl their best ball to get him out. If it is not good enough, it will not get Pujara out. And it takes Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Not even Mitchell Starc.And when Cummins bowls that unplayable ball to get him lbw by the barest of margins on the tracker, he is bowling his 157th over of the series, more than he has ever bowled in a series of four matches or fewer. Pujara has faced 42.5 overs of those from this incredible bowler who hardly gives a freebie and has a habit of bowling unplayable deliveries. Overall he faced 928 balls, close to a fourth of the balls faced by India in the series. And yet everyday he must get to hear how he doesn’t hurt the bowlers no matter how long he plays, how he is responsible for others getting out, how the game needs to keep moving.Despite all that is happening around him, Pujara does so almost in trance. Even when he is getting hit, the hands holding the bat are always going down. Even when he is hit on the bottom glove, it is in the process of going off the handle. This is survival batting but Pant and Shubman Gill can keep attacking because they know Pujara is there. If someone needs to shut shop, Pujara can do so even if he is staggering and stumbling. And no amount of blows can push him back to a ball he should be forward to. In fact he goes on to target Starc and upper-cut him, unsurprisingly so. In doing that Pujara is lending a hand to the new one. This old road is not rapidly agin’.One of the new ones is Gill, representing the depth in Indian cricket. Debuting after 36 all out, at a position where batting has never been tougher in the history of the sport, Gill has announced himself regally. In him and Mohammed Siraj lie the riches of Indian cricket. Just as Siraj, Gill has shown he has come ready for the highest level and format of the game. Siraj lost his father during the tour, Gill must be worried about his, given the farmers’ protests in the biting cold of northern India. The personal challenges these players are facing can’t be overlooked.Can you imagine a tougher initiation into Test cricket than the first two overs Gill spent in the middle? From the non-striker’s, he saw Starc swinging it back in to Mayank Agarwal at 145-plus, seam one away, and then rip the pad off with the inswinger. At the striker’s, he saw Cummins continuously seam it this way and that. Yet he never looked out of place, never late, never rushed into playing a shot he doesn’t want to play.All the series’ hard work – for returns of 45, 31*, 50, 31, 7 – finally, for a change, brought him easier batting conditions on the final morning. No one deserved the harvest more than Gill. The morning session was perhaps the easiest for batting all series, likely because of the moisture from the overnight rain, which can tend to re-bind the surface. You need someone to cash in on these conditions without getting out and thus nullifying the advantage of the conditions.Gill has the game for it. He batted with a control percentage of 95, which is scarcely believable for this series. So good is his stroke-play he scored at a strike rate of 62 without taking risks. Batting is an imperfect art. It yo-yos from Pant to Pujara, who bring their own unconventional survival tools, but Gill gets as close to perfection as might be possible when accounting for all the vagaries you have to deal with in Test cricket. Foot movement is precise, defence is solid, the shots are all there, and the eye is quick. If you are a batting enthusiast, this is what you dream of watching on a mildly cold Sunday morning.Even when the ball started to misbehave around lunch and Australia went short, Gill moved his guard towards off, and didn’t give up hooking. He knew he couldn’t control them all, but scored 34 runs off 26 short balls.Between them, Gill, Pujara and Pant represent the might of Indian batting. This is a side that was bowled out for 36 a month ago. Now it has breached Fortress Gabba with a chase of 328. These are chases that will come off only once in a while, but if the batting riches of India find a way to just go out and bat the way they know best, India will keep putting them in positions to pull them off. Tim Paine and Justin Langer perhaps knew it all along or they would have declared sooner.

Josh Naylor and the Mariners agreed to a five-year contract in what is the first major splash of this year’s MLB free agency, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Seattle made it a top priority to keep Naylor in the organization after acquiring him at the trade deadline in a deal with the Diamondbacks. He played a key part in the team’s run to the ALCS, their longest stay in the postseason in franchise history, and now he’ll be sticking around for at least another five seasons.

Naylor played in 54 games for the Mariners after the mid-season trade. He slashed .299/.341/.490 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases, racking up an impressive 2.2 bWAR in that span. He was also a key postseason contributor. In October, Naylor had 16 hits in 12 games and recorded three home runs and five RBIs.

The financial terms of Naylor’s new contract with the Mariners have not yet been reported.

Naylor likely had plenty of suitors in free agency, but Seattle moved quickly to ensure they were able to keep him in town. He immediately emerged as a fan-favorite at T-Mobile Park, and he’ll now be part of a formidable lineup alongside Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez for the foreseeable future.

Luke McCowan says Celtic need to show their character in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final against St Mirren at Hampden Park.

Wilfried Nancy became the first Hoops manager to lose his opening two matches when Italian giants Roma won 3-0 at Parkhead in the Europa League on Thursday night, which followed on from a 2-1 home defeat to leaders Hearts in the William Hill Premiership last weekend.

Celtic fans, some of whom booed at the end of the defeat by Roma, are approaching the final against the Buddies with more nerves than they would have done before the Frenchman took over from interim bosses Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney, who in turn had taken over from Brendan Rodgers.

McCowan calls for players and fans to stick together

McCowan, the 28-year-old midfielder, who joined from Dundee in August 2024, called for unity and a demonstration of the traits that have made the Parkhead club so successful in recent times.

He said: “I can’t really talk for the fans, but we are fully bought-in. We need to buy-in, it’s kind of non-negotiable.

“We need to back everyone in this building, regardless of who’s been playing well, who’s not.

“We are a team and we need to back each other through the good and the bad because everybody’s all high-fives and cuddles when we are winning but this team doesn’t go through two or three bad results and this is where the true characters are shown.

Worse than Engels: Nancy must drop Celtic flop who looks awful in new role

Wilfried Nancy must drop this Celtic flop who was even worse than Arne Engels in the 3-0 defeat to Roma.

ByDan Emery 3 days ago

“So we need just to be together and I know I’ve said so many times, stick together.

“It’s when you go through bad spells – personally I’ve done it with Dundee and Ayr – then we just need to kind of have that same attitude of work hard, move on to the next game.

“The games are coming thick and fast in this period and it’s a good thing that if you get one win it can propel you to get a few hopefully and we just need to start with that on Sunday.

“We just need to get on top of it again.”

The year 2024 was a difficult one for Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and his family.

In the summer of the Dodgers' World Series-winning campaign, Freeman briefly stepped away from the team as his youngest son, Maximus, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. The rare autoimmune condition landed Maximus in the hospital, and Los Angeles rallied around Freddie as his son recovered.

Now, a year later, Freddie is giving back. The 2020 National League MVP is donating $1 million to the Children's Hospital of Orange County in California, he told ESPN's Jeff Passan Monday afternoon.

"Getting to know the doctors, nurses and care teams and seeing how they show up each day to bring healing and hope to kids and their families was inspiring," Freeman said. "CHOC saved Maximus's life."

Freeman, 35, is in his fourth year with the Dodgers. He currently leads the NL in batting average (.357) and OPS (1.063).

Manchester United are now keen on signing Santos forward Neymar, following a recent update from Carlo Ancelotti on whether the “legendary” forward will go to the 2026 World Cup with Brazil.

The Brazilian has been playing outside Europe since leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, spending an injury-ridden campaign with Al-Hilal before moving back to his native country and signing for Santos.

Consequently, the former Paris Saint-Germain man hasn’t featured for his country since appearing against Uruguay over two years ago, with the likes of Vinicius Jr, Estevao and Rodrygo emerging as the new star players.

However, Ancelotti recently revealed the Brazil record goalscorer’s international career may not be over just yet, suggesting he could still take the Santos star to the upcoming World Cup if he has a strong end to the campaign.

Man Utd keen on signing Neymar

According to a report from Spain, Man United are now keen on signing Neymar, with the superstar’s chances of going to the World Cup on the line if he doesn’t put together a good run ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which starts on June 11th.

Ruben Amorim’s side are looking for a fresh spark in attack, and there is a belief the 33-year-old would fit the bill, given that he is proven at the top level, and a deal may be there to be done, as United would be able to afford the ex-Barcelona man’s wages.

That said, there are doubts over whether the Santos legend would be able to adapt to the Premier League, given his age, and he hasn’t exactly set the world alight since returning to Brazil.

The 128-time Brazil international is undoubtedly a modern-day icon, having been lauded as “legendary” by journalist Luis Cristovao, but his best days are clearly behind him, having contributed just three goals in 16 appearances in the 2025 Brazilian Serie A.

In his prime, the Man United target was one of the best players in the world, enjoying four amazing seasons with Barcelona and amassing 43 Champions League goals across a hugely successful career, during which time he was described as a “great player” by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Neymar’s attacking output by season

La Liga appearances

Goal contributions

2013-14

26

19

2014-15

33

31

2015-16

34

40

2016-17

30

27

Having suffered with injuries, gone are the days when Neymar used to terrorise defences alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and it is debatable whether United even need to sign a forward, having brought in Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in the summer.

Neymar has been named as one of the greatest wingers in football history Related The Greatest 20 Wingers in Football History

The best wingers the game has ever seen.

Posts ByCharlie Smith Oct 22, 2025

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O Santos definiu que continuará com Tomás Rincón para a temporada 2024 por meio de uma nota oficial. Para prosseguir no clube, o atleta venezuelano aceitou uma redução salarial.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

Para definir a permanência ou a saída dos seus atletas, o Peixe precisa que muitos jogadores readequem seus salários para prosseguir na equipe do litoral paulista. 

➡️ Juventude tem interesse na contratação de dois jogadores do Santos; confira situação

Na visão da diretoria do Santos, o ato de Rincón aceitar a diminuição do seu salário comprova o ímpeto do atleta com o clube e o projeto esportivo previsto para a próxima temporada do clube, que foca no retorno do time para a Série A do Brasileirão.

Apesar do pouco tempo de casa, a postura do volante venezuelano agrada internamente. O jogador foi titular desde a sua chegada e conquistou a braçadeira de capitão da equipe.

A vontade do atleta de seguir no Peixe não é segredo. Logo após a queda do clube para a Série B, Rincón firmou a vontade de permanecer no time e o ímpeto por ‘resgatar o sorriso do torcedor santista’. Veja a nota oficial do jogador abaixo:

– Procurei dar tudo que tinha com muita dedicação, responsabilidade e comprometimento para ajudar o clube a sair dessa situação, aqui estou mostrando a cara porque infelizmente não conseguimos atingir o objetivo e os 8 milhões de santistas não mereciam passar por isso. Obrigado pelas muitas mensagens de solidariedade e apoio, agora para recuperar de uma nova recaída da lesão e preparar-me para 2024, de cabeça erguida porque dei tudo este ano e porque ainda sinto que tenho um longo caminho a percorrer e realmente quero trabalhar. O Santos voltará a sorrir – declarou o atleta.