Manchester United have been offered the chance to add some more talent from Real Madrid, with Marco Asensio reportedly being put on the table.

The two teams recently agreed to a deal that sent Casemiro to Old Trafford, and their discussions must not have finished with the 30-year-old defensive midfielder, with 26-year-old Asensio also being made available.

Asensio is coming off a season where he netted 10 goals in 31 LaLiga appearances, but has found himself relegated to a bench role this campaign, playing a total of seven minutes from Madrid's first two league fixtures.

TOP STORY – UNITED LOOK TO MADRID FOR FURTHER REINFORCEMENTS

According to the Telegraph, United have been told Asensio will cost €30million, and Arsenal are also interested in the Spain international as he searches for playing time ahead of the World Cup.

However, further reporting from ESPN claims United will not pull the trigger on any move for Asensio until they figure out if Ajax winger Antony is attainable, with that move being their priority, and a price tag said to be in the range of €100m.

Ajax have been firm on their desire to retain the services of their 22-year-old Brazilian up until this point, and if they remain that way, Asensio would be a more-than-adequate contingency plan – if he wants to go there.

ROUND-UP

– The Times reports that Paris Saint-Germain had a £59m bid for Bernardo Silva turned down by Manchester City.

– According to AS Roma Live, Jose Mourinho views Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga as a potential replacement at Roma for the injured Georginio Wijnaldum.

– Cristiano Ronaldo's agent has reportedly made contact with Napoli, who would only be able to bring in the 37-year-old if they part ways with promising young striker Victor Osimhen, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

– Foot Mercato is reporting Nottingham Forest have secured yet another signing, with former Villarreal full-back Serge Aurier agreeing to terms on a free transfer.

– According to the Telegraph, Newcastle United have moved on from their chase of Watford forward Joao Pedro, and are now hoping to bring in Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher on loan.

On the same day they activated slugger Giancarlo Stanton, the New York Yankees put All-Star pitcher Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list with a strained left groin. 

Stanton, who had been sidelined by left Achilles tendinitis since July 23, returned to the lineup as designated hitter for the start of a four-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night.

Batting third, he connected on a two-out, bases-loaded single to drive in two runs in the second inning, before collecting his third RBI with a bases-loaded walk in the third inning of his side's 13-4 win.

Cortes' loss is a big one for the first-placed Yankees, who entered Thursday with a seven-and-a-half game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.  

The left-hander is 9-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 23 starts, while throwing a career-high 131 innings this season. An All-Star for the first time earlier this year, Cortes said he felt discomfort in his push-off leg early during his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday and pitched through it. He expects to return on schedule and contribute to the September stretch run. 

''I feel like if there was a time for it to happen, it would be now, instead of the middle of September or late September going into the playoffs or October,'' Cortes said. ''I've got to take care of my body so I can be one of the guys when playoff time comes around.'' 

Cortes played light catch from between 100 and 120 feet at the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday, making 30-40 throws. He could throw in the bullpen in the next few days. 

''I'm hoping 15 days is enough,'' he said. ''I think the fact that I'm feeling pretty well – I don't think there will be any hiccups along the way.'' 

The Yankees could move Clarke Schmidt into the rotation after he was stretched out to pitch starter innings when he was sent to the minors on August 1.  

Luis Severino is recovering from a lat strain, but is expected to return to the rotation from the injured list by mid-September.  

The Boston Red Sox blew a golden opportunity with bases loaded, no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, going on to lose 6-5 to the Toronto Blue Jays in extra innings on Thursday.

In a game where the two sides combined for 28 hits, the Blue Jays got off to a hot start with a pair of scores in the opening inning courtesy of a Bo Bichette two-run double.

The Red Sox, in front of their home fans, tied things up in the second frame with RBI singles to Carlos Arroyo and Bobby Dalbec, before Rafael Devers' double an inning later gave his team a 3-2 lead.

It was then Vladimir Guerrero's turn to put the Blue Jays ahead with a two-run single in the fourth, which was another short-lived lead as the Red Sox tied things at 4-4 later in the inning through a Dalbec sacrifice-fly.

When Danny Jansen's solo home run in the six inning again gave the visitors a one-run lead, it seemed like it was destined to be the Red Sox's day as they instantly answered back, with Jarren Duran's double making it a 5-5 tie, which would hold until the ninth inning.

After the Blue Jays were unable to get a run across, the Red Sox manufactured runners on second and third base in the bottom of the ninth, with no outs. After an intentional walk, the bases were loaded for Franchy Cordero.

Cordero struck out swinging, before Enrique Hernandez grounded to third-base, where elite fielder Matt Chapman gathered, stepped on third base and threw to first for the game-saving double-play.

A pair of well-directed ground-outs brought across the go-ahead run for the Blue Jays, with Jordan Romano securing the save and the win.

DeGrom puts on a clinic

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom showed once again why he is considered the best pitcher in the sport, dominating the early stages of his side's 3-1 win against the Colorado Rockies.

DeGrom, in only his fourth start of the season after he missed the first half due to lingering injuries, sat down the first 12 batters he faced, including seven strikeouts, before the Rockies finally got their first baserunner in the fifth inning.

As he ticked over 75 pitches he lost some life in his pitches, but he still finished with one earned run from six complete innings, allowing three hits and one walk to go with nine strikeouts.

Goldschmidt adds to his MVP case

Heavy favourite for the National League MVP, Paul Goldschmidt, hit two home runs as his St Louis Cardinals defeated the Chicago Cubs 8-3.

After a three-run first inning, every score from that point on for the Cardinals came courtesy of Goldschmidt's bat, with a two-run single in the fourth inning, followed by a 403-foot solo home run in the sixth, and a two-run, 428-foot home run in the eighth.

Goldschmidt now leads the NL in batting average (.339), on-base percentage (.420), slugging percentage (.637), RBIs (105) and total bases (284), and is second in home runs (33).

Botic van de Zandschulp is the only seeded player remaining at the Winston-Salem Open, advancing to the semi-final after winning a pair of tiebreakers against Benjamin Bonzi 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-1).

Van de Zandschulp, the second seed, is yet to lose a set in the tournament after straight sets wins against Tallon Griekspoor and Jaume Munar, and he used his dominant serve to get the job done against France's Bonzi.

The Dutchman had 15 aces while Bonzi had three, and he posted 50 winners to Bonzi's 24 in a terrific exhibition of power tennis.

Van de Zandschulp, 26, will face Adrian Mannarino in the semi-final as the 34-year-old seeks his second career ATP Tour title, beating Maxime Cressy 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

Fourth seed Cressy was Mannarino's third consecutive seeded scalp, having also defeated ninth seed Emil Ruusuvuori and eighth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas to make it this far.

Cressy's 10 double faults and 26 unforced errors shot himself in the foot, as the veteran Mannarino played a clean match, posting two double faults and eight unforced errors.

Serbia's Laslo Djere has taken the scenic route to the semi-final, winning his fourth three-set match of the week as he edged past Richard Gasquet 6-4 3-6 7-6 (8-6) in two hours and 43 minutes.

It comes after a three-hour-11-minute marathon against Jason Kubler in the previous round, and a two-hour-50-minute war of attrition against Joao Sousa prior to that.

Djere will hope to have some more gas in the tank when he meets Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler in the semi-final after he upset 13th seed Jack Draper 6-4 6-4.

World number 10 Daria Kasatkina showed why she is the highest ranked player at the Granby Championships, defeating fifth seed Nuria Parrizas-Diaz 6-3 6-2 in convincing fashion.

Kasatkina, who is enjoying a career-high ranking, got the job done in straight sets despite struggling with her serve, committing all nine of the match's double faults.

While she was only able to win a below-par 58 per cent of her service points, she also won 58 per cent of her return points, and it was that ability to deal with the Spaniard's serve that proved to be the difference.

Kasatkina will play France's Diane Parry in the semi-final after she got the better of Germany's Tatjana Maria 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-4) in a near three-hour tussle.

Parry only had one ace compared to Maria's 10, but she excelled in the longer rallies, with her return success rate jumping up from 16 per cent to 47 per cent when she was able to see a second serve.

Australia's Daria Saville will contest the other semi-final after her 6-3 6-0 domination of China's Xiyu Wang, and she will play Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk after she defeated Canada's Rebecca Marino 6-2 4-6 6-2.

Meanwhile, Liudmila Samsonova continued her terrific run at Tennis in the Land as she beat Magda Linette 6-4 6-3.

Samsonova is yet to lose a set at the tournament, but will face her toughest test next when she meets Bernarda Pera in the semi-final.

Pera, who previously eliminated top seed Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets, came out on top against American compatriot Sofia Kenin 6-2 5-7 6-3, despite creating one fewer break point opportunity.

Alize Cornet is also yet to lose a set on her run to the semi-final, proving too strong for Shuai Zhang 6-4 6-2.

Cornet will play Aliaksandra Sasnovich for a place in the final after the Belarusian pulled away in the second set of her 6-4 6-1 win against American Madison Brengle.

Scottie Scheffler ended the first day of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club with a five-stroke lead at 15 under thanks to the combination of a fine display and his FedEx Cup points advantage.

Scheffler, who enjoyed a meteoric rise this PGA Tour season to earn the ranking of world number one, began the tournament at 10 under par thanks to his position atop the FedEx Cup standings coming into Thursday's first round.

And he bolstered his hopes of claiming FedEx Cup success with a five-under 65 that ensured he heads into Friday with gaping five-stroke lead.

In second is Xander Schauffele at 10 under after his four-under round, while Matt Fitzpatrick is third after being one of two players to shoot the round of the day (64).

The other 64 came from Chile's Joaquin Neimann, who has pulled himself into contention in a tie for fourth, where he is joined at eight under by Patrick Cantlay.

Cantlay started the day at eight under and needed an eagle on the last hole just to post an even-par round after winning last week's BMW Championship.

A further shot back at seven under is Im Sung-jae, Cameron Smith and Rory McIlroy, all of whom started at four under and shot 67s.

It was by no means a consistent round from McIlroy, however. He was four over par for the round after the fourth hole and he tallied only four pars in what was an erratic showing.

Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Sepp Straka, Sam Burns and Cameron Young are the last players to sneak into the top-10, tied for ninth at six under, while Collin Morikawa headlines the small group at five under.

Corey Conners was Thursday's worst performer, finishing his day at three over after shooting 74 to sit in 29th, with the 30th entrant, Will Zalatoris, having withdrawn earlier in the week after suffering a back injury at the BMW Championship.

Jurgen Klopp cannot wait for the challenge that awaits Liverpool in their "incredibly competitive and intense" Champions League group.

The Reds are looking to go one better in Europe's premier club competition this season, after losing 1-0 to Real Madrid in last year's final at Stade de France.

Liverpool were placed in Group A during Thursday's draw in Istanbul, alongside Ajax, Napoli and Rangers, who return to the group stages after a 12-year absence.

Klopp expects "a proper, proper challenge" in the group stages of UEFA's flagship club competition, though he is relishing the upcoming task.

"The first thing to say is this is a proper, proper challenge," the Liverpool manager told the club's official website. "All of the clubs have quality, they all have pedigree and I would say they all have a chance.

"The good thing is that we do also, so it makes sense for us to look forward to the challenge and give it a try.

"We did not ask for any favours and we have not been given any, but this is not a competition where you can look for easy ways through because the standard is always unbelievably high.

"The difference this year is that the group stage will be shorter than usual, so we will have to be ready not just for the quality of the opposition, but also for the different demands and rhythms.

"The only certainty right now is that all of the six games will be incredibly competitive and really intense. I'm excited about it. It is a proper football group and, like I said, a proper challenge."

Lee Westwood has hit out at the PGA Tour for copying the LIV Golf International Series format, suggesting it is hypocritical for the former Tour to bemoan the Saudi-backed breakaway competition.

Former world number one Westwood is among a host of high-profile defectors to the controversial league, alongside the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.

The Open champion Cameron Smith is reportedly the next big-name LIV Golf signing, as the organisation headed by Greg Norman continues to attempt to encourage star golfers to defect.

The decision to join LIV Golf has come with repercussions, though, with all breakaway golfers banned from competing on the PGA Tour – a matter some players are taking up in a legal battle.

While questions remain over the decision of the defectors, the format of the competition remains a topic of discussion, with players expecting to play in less competitions but for greater prize money.

The PGA Tour responded by committing its top players to at least 20 PGA Tour events per year, with four elevated events bringing purses of at least $20million and the bonus pool doubling to $100m.

After announcing the changes to the schedule, Westwood suggested the PGA Tour is attempting to copy the LIV Golf blueprint.

"I laugh at what the PGA Tour players have come up with," he told Golf Digest. "It's just a copy of what LIV is doing. There are a lot of hypocrites out there. They all say LIV is 'not competitive.'

"They all point at the no-cut aspect of LIV and the 'short fields.' Now, funnily enough, they are proposing 20 events that look a lot like LIV.

"Hopefully, at some point they will all choke on their words. And hopefully, they will be held to account as we were in the early days."

As the PGA Tour continues to expand to compete with its new rivals, Westwood pinpointed the LIV Golf calendar as a key reason for his defection to the breakaway league.

"I'm looking forward to playing the LIV event in Miami at the end of October then not having to tee-up again until February," he said.

"I'll have four months off. At my age I can do some serious work in that time. I can get properly fit and come out leaner.

"I've just had a four-week break, three of those weeks I was on holiday. We have plans for later in the year and I’ll be able to spend more time with the family. It just gives me more options.

"Already I can say to people, 'these are the 14 weeks I'm playing next year.' And I can have some fun in the other 38."

Rory McIlroy has been among the more vocal critics of LIV Golf, but Westwood assures there has been no animosity among fellow professionals regardless of their allegiances.

"They have been asking questions mostly," he added. "They want to know what it is like at LIV.

"I think they all know how much I have supported the European Tour over the last 30 years. I doubt you'd find someone at my level who has supported it more. When I won in America in 1998, I stayed on the European Tour and turned down PGA Tour membership. When I won in 2010, I did the same.

"When I was world number one, I didn't go to America; I stayed on the European Tour. I stayed and played through COVID. Not many others did that.

"I've always loved the European Tour. Over my career, I've just dipped in and out of America."

The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired veteran guard Patrick Beverley in a trade that sees guard Talen Horton-Tucker and journeyman forward Stanley Johnson head to the Utah Jazz.

The move, confirmed by the teams on Thursday, gives the Lakers an experienced ballhandler and defensive pest as they try to bounce back from a dire 33-49 season.

Beverley played a key role last season with the emerging Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists as the franchise made just its second postseason appearance since 2004.

Beverley, 34, is on the move for the second time this offseason after being part of the blockbuster trade that sent Rudy Gobert from Utah to Minnesota in July.

The rebuilding Jazz, on the other hand, acquire a promising young guard in Horton-Tucker, who better fits their timeline.

A second-round pick in 2019, the 21-year-old has seen a steadily increasing dose of minutes over his three NBA seasons, averaging 9.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

With Utah trading away another veteran player, the organisation's sights seem decidedly set on the future.

Trade speculation is likely to continue to swirl around three-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, as well as other experienced players like Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Bayern Munich and Barcelona await Inter in the Champions League group stage, but Nerazzurri vice-president Javier Zanetti insists his side are "not afraid" of the challenge.

UEFA's flagship club competition has provided a headline reunion with new Barca arrival Robert Lewandowski returning to his former side Bayern in Group C.

The draw of the Poland talisman revisiting the Allianz Arena remains the standout pick of the group-stage clashes, with Inter and Viktoria Plzen the other two sides to compete alongside the European giants.

Simone Inzaghi's side pushed Liverpool close in the round-of-16 clash last season and, despite falling to the Reds, Zanetti insists the Nerazzurri will take a no-fear approach to their draw alongside Bayern and Barca.

"It is a difficult, complicated group, with two teams that know how to play very well in this competition," Zanetti told Sky Sport Italia when asked about facing the two European heavyweights. 

"The Champions League is a competition of details, with the best in the world. We are there and we will play it.

"It is a challenge to face these teams now. Bayern is a team that has consolidated, Barca has found balance with Xavi, we want to give continuity to last year's progress.

"We are not afraid, only respect, I believe that Inter will be ready and prepared."

While the prospect of locking horns with Barca and Bayern may prove daunting, Inter and Zanetti have fond memories of facing both sides in Europe's premier club competition.

Indeed the Nerazzurri, then managed by Jose Mourinho, overcame the Blaugrana 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, before seeing off the German giants 2-0 to lift the trophy in 2009-10 – a feat that Zanetti hopes his side can repeat.

"Yes, it's a good memory that came to mind," the Argentine said as he discussed that victorious campaign.

"This is another story, football has changed. We will prepare our matches in the best possible way; we are growing and we proved it last season. We will try again this year."

Emma Raducanu is playing better tennis now than when she won the US Open last year, according to six-time major champion Kim Clijsters.

British number one Raducanu enjoyed a meteoric rise at Flushing Meadows last year, becoming the first qualifier to win a grand slam as she claimed an unexpected victory in New York.

She reeled off 10 straight matches without dropping a single set, overcoming the likes of Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari before seeing off Leylah Fernandez in the final.

Difficult form and injuries have prevented the 19-year-old from truly building on the momentum of that triumph, though, with the world number 11 boasting a modest 13-15 record in her first full year on the tour.

Nevertheless, she claimed notable victories over Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati last week ahead of her US Open title defence, which begins against Alize Cornet in the opening round.

And former world number one Clijsters empathises with Raducanu, who she feels needs time to adjust to life in the higher echelons of the sport.

"She's already done a lot more in the lead-up to the US Open than she did last year, she has beaten a lot of good players," Clijsters told Reuters.

"She is maturing as a tennis player. I think her tennis is better now than it was when she won the US Open.

"When you have such a life-changing experience – and I'm not talking about what happens on the court, but everything else that gets added to that, even if she doesn't change, people around you change.

"People look at you differently. People on the tour look at you differently, whether she goes to a tournament in Luxembourg, or in Australia. Everybody knows her.

"Those big changes in life take time to get used to. It's so unrealistic the expectations that are on her because when you play a sport, you go out there and you have an opponent who's trying to win just as hard as you."

While Clijsters believes the teenager would do well to successfully defend her title, the three-time US Open winner is confident she will embrace the challenge.

"Is she going to win the US Open? It would be incredible if she did, but there's a lot of other players out there who have just as much chance as her," said Clijsters, whose last US Open success came in 2010.

"So, it will just be a matter of seeing whether she deals with that emotion of being at the slam and the expectations of it? She might be super excited to be there, and then play really free and without any pressure."

The draw for the group stages of the 2022-23 Champions League has thrown up major talking points with Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland set for reunions with their former employers.

Lewandowski's Barcelona will face Bayern Munich, while Haaland returns to Borussia Dortmund now donning the shirt of Manchester City.

Having scored 344 goals for Bayern, with whom he won eight consecutive Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in 2019-20, the German giants will be fearful of the threat Lewandowski will pose.

Players coming toe-to-toe with their former clubs is nothing new and Stats Perform has selected five memorable occasions from years gone by.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Having left Manchester United in 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo faced off against the Red Devils for the first time in the first knockout round of the 2012-13 Champions League, scoring in both legs.

Five years later, in the 2018-19 group stages of the competition, Ronaldo this time played against United for Juventus, scoring in a 2-1 defeat in Turin.

During his illustrious career, Ronaldo also went up against Sporting CP, the club where he started his career, scoring three goals in four matches.

Luis Figo

Luis Figo's controversial move from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000 is now the focus of a Netflix documentary and, to this day, still stands as one of the most shocking transfers in football history.

Two years later, in November 2002, Figo returned to Camp Nou for the second time and received a fiery reception from the home supporters, who threw numerous objects towards the Portuguese star. Most notable was a pig's head.

Figo spent five years in the Spanish capital, winning LaLiga twice and the Champions League in 2001-02.

Robin van Persie 

Signed as a youngster by Arsenal, Robin van Persie grew to become one of the greatest players in the Arsene Wenger era and captained the side from 2011 after Cesc Fabregas' move to Barcelona.

A move to Manchester United came just a year later, however, with the Dutch striker going on to score home and away against the Gunners, celebrating at Old Trafford after abuse from the visiting fans.

The biggest pain he inflicted on Arsenal came in the Premier League. United won the title following his signing, with the Arsenal squad giving them a guard of honour at the end of the campaign.

James Rodriguez

Signed by Real Madrid after starring at the 2014 World Cup, the Colombian's stint in the Spanish capital was not as he would have hoped. He became an expendable asset, which saw him sent to Bayern Munich for two years in 2017.

In the semi-finals of the 2017-18 Champions League, the loanee faced his parent club and scored in a 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu, with there being no clause preventing him from featuring in the game.

Bayern lost 4-3 on aggregate, however, with Madrid going on to win the title that season.

Robert Lewandowski

Facing familiar opposition is nothing new for Lewandowski, who had to do it time and time again during his spell with Bayern Munich.

The Poland international was devastating against Borussia Dortmund for Bayern, scoring 27 goals in 26 games. That included two hat-tricks in the Bundesliga, one of which came in a 6-0 demolition in the 2017-18 season.