Samir Handanovic says it is "essential" Inter team-mate Milan Skriniar stays with the club, as the Nerazzurri look to come to a contract agreement with the defender.
The Slovakian centre-back has been linked with a move away from the San Siro, with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain reportedly launching another bid this week after previous attempts had been rejected.
Skriniar made 35 Serie A appearances for Inter last season as they failed to retain the league title they won in the 2020-21 campaign – a triumph that represented their first since the 2009-10 season.
Inter have reportedly offered a bumper new contract to the defender and Handanovic feels it is vital Skriniar remains at the Nerazzurri for their bid to wrestle back the Scudetto from city rivals Milan.
Handanovic told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "I say that it is very important, for me it is essential, that he remains with us.
"Extending at the last minute had never happened to me, but it was automatic on my part and the club also had no problems.
"We cannot lose any more pieces. I see him everyday calm and serene in Appiano [Inter's training ground]."
Handanovic also spoke on the return of Romelu Lukaku, who scored 24 goals in 36 Serie A appearances to help Inter to the title in 2020-21.
The Belgium striker made a big-money move to Chelsea, but an underwhelming first season back in England has led to him returning to Inter on a season-long loan.
"I am not surprised that he is back because I saw how he was at Chelsea," Handanovic added.
"In his famous statements, they felt melancholy and nostalgic.
"Now it is as if he had never gone away, he is the same person as before."
Fernando Alonso believes Formula One's growing popularity has led to a dwindling appreciation of drivers from past eras, claiming many new fans "don't know much" about the sport.
Having raced in other categories at the Dakar Rally and the Indianapolis 500, the two-time F1 champion made a stellar return to the series in 2021, after relinquishing his seat with McLaren at the end of the 2018 season.
The 40-year-old has showed no signs of slowing down in literal and figurative terms, currently sitting 10th in the drivers' standings in a middling Alpine and matching team-mate Esteban Ocon for pace.
Alonso believes that despite his own quality as a racer, he and other drivers have faced negative consequences from F1's Netflix-fuelled influx of new fans.
"I think the perception from the outside or the feeling towards me, has changed, from time to time," he told The Race. "And in 2007 [the year after his second F1 title], maybe people had a perception of what I was as a driver or as a person."
He suggested that changed when he had a five-season spell at Ferrari from 2010 to 2014.
"Now I think that the fans that we have now, there are new fans and in a way – and I don't want to lack respect to them – but they don't know much about Formula 1," said Alonso.
"They just are more like a football kind of fan, where they just follow the results, whoever is winning does the best. And whoever is last is not Formula 1 level.
"They don't understand much about car performance and the package that you need. So you are on more of a rollercoaster kind of feeling, of perception, of what the people feel about you."
Alonso has been unfortunate not to pick up a bigger haul of points in recent outings, with a double stop in Austria arguably costing him a second straight top-five finish.
He did, however, concede his front-row position in the wet in Canada was significant in the context of his return and changing minds.
"It meant a lot because when you decide to come back, you need to put away a few things in life – family, friends again – and have full dedication for the job you do, travelling, the physical aspect, the mental aspect, everything and the pressure that you feel in your shoulders," he said.
"Because you are Fernando Alonso, and everyone will look at you if you are doing well."
Bernardo Silva has vowed to shut out speculation about his future and commit to Manchester City until the time comes to leave the Premier League champions.
That could be several seasons away, or a matter of weeks if potential suitors put together a package that appeals to City.
Silva has been linked in the close season with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, with that level of interest underlining his status as one of Europe's leading attacking midfielders.
The Portugal international has spent five fruitful seasons at City, since joining from Monaco, and his contract runs through to the end of the 2024-25 season.
Manager Pep Guardiola is clearly not rushing to offload the 27-year-old, who is with City on their pre-season tour in the United States and played 76 minutes of Wednesday's friendly against Club America.
Addressing his future, Silva said on Sky Sports News: "What is really important is that I am preparing my season as well as possible.
"For as long as I play for City, I will always give my best. The relationship with the club, with the fans and my team-mates is fantastic, and I will always respect that."
Guardiola this week dismissed a report in French newspaper Le Parisien that claimed PSG had offered Neymar to City as part of a swap deal that would have seen Silva go the other way.
Barcelona appeared to be strongly interested earlier in pre-season but have since shifted their focus, bringing in Raphinha from Leeds United as an attacking midfield option while completing the signing of Franck Kessie on a free transfer from Milan.
Kevin De Bruyne scored both goals in City's first match of their pre-season tour of the United States.
Guardiola handed debuts to Julian Alvarez, Stefan Ortega and Kalvin Phillips at Houston's NRG Stadium, with Haaland an unused substitute.
Marcos Llorente has praised off-season additions in Axel Witsel and Alvaro Morata, prompting him to suggest Atletico Madrid will compete on all fronts this upcoming term.
While the likes of Luis Suarez, Hector Herrera and Sime Vrsaljko departed this off-season, Witsel joined Atleti on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract with Borussia Dortmund, while Morata returns from his loan spell at Juventus.
Llorente became a utility of sorts for Diego Simeone last term, earning time on the pitch as a right-back, on the right wing and in central midfield as Atleti sputtered to a third-placed finish in LaLiga.
The 27-year-old believes that while Witsel has needed some time to adapt to Simeone's game plan, he will bolster Atleti's midfield, enabling them to compete on both domestic and continental fronts.
"He is a lovely guy who is going to help us a lot," Llorente told Cadena Ser. "He even has to adapt because coming here is not easy. He is going to give us a better exit from our own half in possession, he has a very good touch.
"He is adapting to what the coach asks of him little by little, and he is a smart guy who learns quickly. I think he is going to have a great season.
"I think the team will compete in all competitions, we have a team for that. The new additions will make us grow more, we are very confident in what we can do."
Despite the lack of positional continuity, Llorente has nevertheless found a home at Atleti under Simeone since arriving in 2019, maximising his dynamism and forcing his way into Spain national team selection.
While adding he "belongs" at Atletico Madrid, Llorente backed his club and international team-mate in Alvaro Morata, who he believes will hit the ground running before the World Cup.
"I see him very well. I think he can bring us many qualities, we all know him even if he has been away," Llorente said. "His matches with the national team show it, he is a top striker who is going to come in handy.
"We want to show what we are capable of. Last season we were very irregular, things didn't work out for us. It was a season that we did not count on, although we finished well.
"The objective is to continue with what was seen in that ending. Players arrive who raise the quality of the team, so we are looking forward to this beginning."
Oleksandr Zinchenko was hailed as "an exceptional footballer" by Mikel Arteta as the Ukraine international prepares to complete his move from Manchester City to Arsenal.
The left-back, who can also play in midfield, has joined up with the Gunners on their United States tour.
His switch from Premier League champions City is yet to be finalised, but it would take something unusual to derail the transfer now.
Zinchenko watched on as Arsenal beat Orlando City 3-1 on Wednesday night, with Gabriel Martinelli's heavily deflected first-half effort followed by goals after the interval from Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson.
Manager Arteta must move on players to ensure Arsenal's squad for the new season is not overloaded, but he is delighted to have Zinchenko's arrival all but sealed.
"As you've seen, he is here," Arteta told a post-match news conference. "There are still a few formalities to get everything completed, but we're really happy to have him.
"I know the player really well; he's an exceptional footballer, and he is someone that is going to bring as well another competitive edge to that dressing room."
Arteta worked with Zinchenko at Manchester City before leaving Pep Guardiola's coaching staff to strike out on his own at Arsenal.
Given Arsenal already have Kieran Tierney as an established left-back, midfield seems likely to be Zinchenko's regular position.
"He was a natural number 10 early in his career and [at City] we converted him into a left-back which can do a lot of things that we want in our way of playing," Arteta said.
"That versatility is something that is going to be important for the team because we have players in that position who are more specific full-backs, so I'm really happy."
Zinchenko, thought to be costing around £30million, will become the second big recruit by Arsenal from City during the off-season, after Gabriel Jesus joined in a £45million deal.
Arteta said Arsenal, who have also spent over £30million on former Porto star Fabio Vieira, must look to push ahead with thinning out their squad now,
"We have to," Arteta said. "We have a big squad and now we have to make things happen."
Thomas Tuchel says he cannot understand why Timo Werner would be unhappy at Chelsea and urged the forward to "show quality" in order to become a regular starter.
Werner has endured a frustrating two years with the Blues following his big-money move from RB Leipzig two years ago.
The Germany international has failed to establish himself in the starting line-up, having scored only 10 Premier League goals in two seasons for the London club.
Werner was on target in a 2-1 friendly win over Club America last weekend and suggested after that friendly that he could leave Stamford Bridge, as he needs regular first-team football ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
The 26-year-old missed out due to a hamstring injury as Chelsea were beaten 5-3 on penalties by Charlotte FC on Wednesday after the two sides had been level at 1-1.
Blues boss Tuchel raised eyebrows over his compatriot Werner's comments following the midweek defeat.
He said: "I'm surprised, I would be very happy as a young guy having a contract at Chelsea Football Club. I would be one of the happiest people on the planet."
Asked how Werner can go about forcing his way into the team, Tuchel replied: "Show quality, take your place and defend your place.
"I would be one of the happiest people on the planet having a contract with Chelsea. If he said this, I do not understand."
Tuchel has no intention of allowing Werner to move on.
When asked if he will be a Chelsea player in the upcoming season, Tuchel said: "Sure, he is our player, sure."
Tuchel revealed that Cesar Azpilicueta, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Ross Barkley were unavailable to face Charlotte due to injury.
Julian Nagelsmann praised Matthijs de Ligt and Sadio Mane after they marked their Bayern Munich debuts by scoring in a 6-2 rout of DC United.
De Ligt scored with a sweet volley less than two minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute at Audi Field on Wednesday after Mane had opened the scoring from the penalty spot early on.
Netherlands defender De Ligt was only on the field for 25 minutes before he was withdrawn by Nagelsmann, but the Bayern head coach allayed concerns that his new recruit from Juventus may have sustained an injury.
Mane, signed from Liverpool last month, also set up a goal for Serge Gnabry before Nagelsmann sent out a totally different side for the second half.
Nagelsmann was pleased the impact his new signings made and allayed concerns over De Ligt's fitness ahead of a friendly against Manchester City in Green Bay on Saturday.
He said: "Both players have made a good start.
"Matthijs scored a brilliant goal with his left foot. I saw his impressive passing with his left foot in training today, and now this brilliant finish as well."
Nagelsmann added of De Ligt's withdrawal: "He's not got an injury, nothing unusual happened. I think he'll be fit again tomorrow and will be able to play on Saturday."
Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui also caught the eye on their debuts, with the former providing an assist for Thomas Muller to complete the scoring.
Nagelsmann said: "Both have done really well, especially in training.
"The final ball from Ryan was brilliant. He's big but he's very quick on his feet. He played a great pass to Thomas."
Kalvin Phillips says there was "never any chance" he would sign for Manchester United out of loyalty to his former club Leeds United.
The England midfielder instead joined the Red Devils' rivals Manchester City earlier this month in a deal reportedly worth £42million.
Phillips was a man in demand, with United and City's interest said to have been piqued by his impressive performances in England's run to the final of Euro 2020 last year.
But the cross-Pennine rivalry between Leeds and the red side of Manchester meant a switch to Old Trafford was never an option for Phillips.
"No, there was never any chance of me going there. You know my loyalty to Leeds, my family as well, they're all Leeds fans," Phillips said in quotes reported by several British newspapers.
"I was honoured by United wanting me, such a big team – one of the biggest teams in the world. But no, I had to stay loyal to Leeds and choose to go to the other side of Manchester."
Phillips was asked if his loyal stance was an unusual one in the modern game, to which he replied: "I don't know, it's just the way I am, the way I think and the way I'll always be.
"I want to be loyal to the people who've given me the biggest opportunity in the world. Leeds were the first team to sign me, I made sure that was one of the main things I'd do."
Phillips has gone from being the leading man at Elland Road to part of a star-studded cast at the Etihad Stadium.
At champions City, the likes of Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden are battling for midfield minutes, albeit the latter two can operate further forward, while the likes of Cole Palmer and James McAtee are also aiming to make their mark.
Making the switch may represent somewhat of a gamble, especially given he will want as much game time as possible with the World Cup in Qatar on the horizon.
But for Phillips the opportunity to test himself against the elite is what motivated him to make the move.
"It's a risk and reward thing. I want to come here and prove myself against the best players in the world," Phillips added.
"I know there will be times I'm pulling my hair out because it is so difficult but that is what I wanted. At Leeds I was the guy who needed to play every game, at City that isn't the case. I need to get my head around that."
Phillips has enjoyed a good grounding for his new challenge at City having excelled under the high-octane pressing game employed by former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa.
He spoke about the differences of working for Guardiola, a man he is excited to play for even if the City boss may only be at the club for one more season.
"At the Euros it was new to me but I did reasonably well," he said. "Everything Marcelo taught me was a lot of movement without the ball, creating space for yourself to get on the ball.
"With City, it is moving into spaces to help team-mates get on the ball or getting in position to turn on the ball and play forward all the time.
"It was the opportunity to be coached by Pep. I couldn't turn it down. Even if Pep's only here for one more year it will hopefully be a good year."
The NBA has fined Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob $500,000 for recent comments made on a podcast that violate the league’s rules on discussing collective bargaining, ESPN reported Wednesday.
While making an appearance on the Point Forward Podcast, hosted by Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner, Lacob called the NBA’s luxury tax structure "very unfair", lamenting the extra costs of having the league’s highest payroll.
This past season, the Warriors paid Stephen Curry $48million, Klay Thompson $40m, Andrew Wiggins $33m, Draymond Green $25m, and former second overall pick James Wiseman $9m, totalling $155m from just five of their 15 roster spots. The NBA's 'soft cap' – meaning the salary cap that can be exceeded to re-sign a team's current players – was set at $112m for 2021-22, and will rise to $122m for the upcoming season.
"The truth is, we're only $40 million more than the luxury tax. Now, that's not small but it's not a massive number," Lacob said. "We're $200 million over in total because most of that is this incredible penal luxury tax. And what I consider to be unfair and I'm going to say it on this podcast, and I hope it gets back to whoever is listening.
"Obviously, it's self-serving for me to say this, but I think it's a very unfair system because our team is built by... all [of our] top eight players are all drafted by this team."
Lacob said that some have classified the Warriors’ 2022 championship a "checkbook win."
According to ESPN, the Warriors paid $69 million in luxury tax in 2020-21, $170 million in 2021-22 and are projected to pay $181 million in 2022-23.
Debutants Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt both scored in their first friendly appearance for their new club as Bayern Munich defeated DC United 6-2 on Wednesday.
Mane, fresh off his move away from Liverpool, did not have to wait long to open his account, stepping up to the penalty spot after Lucas Copado was brought down less than five minutes into the action.
He made no mistake from the spot, hammering his penalty into the left side of the goal to give Bayern a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute.
Marcel Sabitzer doubled the advantage in the 12th minute with a strike from the top of the box that wrong-footed the DC goalkeeper, and Serge Gnabry made it 3-0 at the break when he got on the end of a Mane assist in the 44th minute.
Bayern subbed on an entirely different 11 for the second half, including new arrival from Juventus De Ligt, and he made an emphatic entrance, firing home a left-foot volley from a corner to score 90 seconds later.
Joshua Zirkzee made it 5-0 in the 51st minute after an assist from Kingsley Coman, before DC finally answered back with a Skage Leland strike in the 54th.
Theodore Ku-Dipietro would give the American side something else to cheer for with his goal in the 83rd minute, before Bayern icon Thomas Muller completed the rout to make it 6-2 in the 92nd.
James Harden has officially finalised his deal to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers, agreeing to a two-year, $68.6million contract on Wednesday.
Harden will make $33m for the 2022-23 season and then has the player option for $35.6m in 2023-24. He can decline the option and become a free agent again ahead of the 2023-24 and sign a new deal.
Harden had previously declined his $47.4m player option for this upcoming season from the 76ers, but was set to return to them all along while taking a pay-cut to help the team sign other players with the hopes of building a championship roster.
Thanks in part to his pay-cut, the 76ers have been able to add P.J. Tucker and Danuel House this offseason, and are expected to contend amongst the best teams in the Eastern Conference with MVP runner-up Joel Embiid and Harden leading the way.
Philadelphia acquired Harden from the Brooklyn Nets in February, and he averaged 21 points, 10.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 21 games with the Sixers, but the team suffered the same fate as three of the previous four seasons, again losing in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The 76ers have not been past the conference semis since losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals, and the 32-year-old Harden has never won a title, only reaching the NBA Finals once, in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
A 10-time All-Star and the 2017-18 NBA MVP, Harden averaged 22 points, 10.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in 65 total regular-season games for the 76ers and Nets, missing time due to hamstring issues.
Padraig Harrington did not mince his words when discussing Henrik Stenson's decision to forfeit his Ryder Cup captaincy by joining LIV Golf, insisting he has "no empathy" for the Swede.
Stenson is the latest big name to join the controversial circuit, with LIV Golf announcing the 46-year-old former major champion as one of three new recruits on Wednesday along with Jason Kokrak and Charles Howell III.
Just four months ago Stenson was awarded Europe's Ryder Cup captaincy ahead of the 2023 edition beginning in Italy next September, taking over the role from Harrington.
But Stenson was removed from the position in anticipation of his choice to join LIV on Wednesday.
When asked how he felt about the Swede's move, Harrington argued Stenson should have honoured his Ryder Cup commitment, while saying he understands why the average professional golfer might make the jump.
"I certainly empathise with anybody that makes the decisions that they have made in terms of going to play a new tour; the financial incentives are quite impressive," he said.
"I do think it's different in Henrik's case, yes. He signed a contract not to do that and was specifically asked not to do that. I have no empathy there.
"No, he took the Ryder Cup job when LIV was in doubt, and now that LIV is pretty much mainstream normalised, he's jumped ship."
Despite his disappointment, Harrington said Stenson's choice will have no real effect on Europe's Ryder Cup bid, with plenty of time remaining to select a new captain.
"It is 15 months, plenty of time," he said. "No issue as regards the actual team and, like, there's been nothing set in place about the selection processes or qualification processes.
"Really doesn't affect the Ryder Cup in any shape or form. I'm sure we'll have a new captain installed pretty soon."
Niklas Sule has offered his support to Borussia Dortmund team-mate Sebastien Haller after he discovered a testicular tumour, insisting on-pitch matters are "one hundred per cent in the background" while he recovers.
Haller, a new signing at Dortmund, was forced to leave the club's pre-season training camp in Switzerland after feeling unwell on Monday, with subsequent tests revealing the tumour.
Dortmund boss Edin Terzic then revealed the striker had returned to Germany for further tests, describing the news as "brutally difficult".
Haller's former Ajax and Utrecht coach Erik ten Hag was among those to wish the Ivory Coast international a speedy recovery yesterday, sentiments which have now been echoed by fellow Dortmund new boy Sule.
"The sporting aspect is one hundred per cent in the background," the defender told Dortmund's media channels. "It is the man Sebastien Haller that we miss.
"We wish him all the best, that he gets well again quickly and a lot of strength for the time that will come now.
"How he handled the news was very positive. As a team, we wanted to give him a small sign that we were with him. I wish that he will get well very soon."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
