Sergi Roberto is ready to sign another new deal with Barcelona, despite revealing his current salary is in line with a player who has been promoted from the reserve side.

Spain international Sergi Roberto agreed terms on a one-year extension in June to stay at Camp Nou for the 2022-23 campaign following the conclusion of his previous contract.

The 30-year-old, who is into his 13th season as a member of Barca's senior squad, has again been linked with a move away as he enters the final six months of his latest deal.

While his salary has taken a hit in wake of the Catalan giants' crippling financial situation, Sergi Roberto is happy to stay on at the club for at least another season.

"Right now I'm getting paid as if I had moved up from Barca B, but I do it with pride because I want to be here. For me the economic issue is not important", he told RAC1.

"The last few years I didn't enjoy playing because I wasn't physically fit. I wanted to get back in shape physically and enjoy myself again.

"We haven't started talking [about a new contract] yet, but my idea is to stay. From what the coaching staff have told me, they are very happy with me and want me to stay.

"I would be very excited to be able to continue, to be able to enjoy myself on the pitch with the Barca shirt."

Sergi Roberto is one of five Barca players due to become free agents in July, along with Hector Bellerin, Marcos Alonso, Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay.

However, according to reports from Spain on Wednesday, long-serving Busquets is prepared to sign a 12-month extension before departing in 2024.

Sergi Roberto has started just six games in all competitions this season after dislocating his left shoulder in Barcelona's 4-0 thrashing of Athletic Bilbao in October.

The academy product returned to full training at the start of December and is in contention to feature in Barca's showdown with neighbours Espanyol on Saturday.

After starting just 16 league games since the start of the 2020-21 season, Sergi Roberto is hopeful his latest return from injury could be a turning point. 

"I spent some difficult years with the issue of injuries, but I am convinced that 2023 will be a totally different year and that injuries will be forgotten," he said. 

"I am 100 per cent ready. You can always improve, but I am sure that in this second stretch of season I will be better than ever."

J.J. Watt is still going out at the top of the game even if it is "bittersweet" that he will end his NFL career without a Super Bowl title.

That is the view of Carolina Panthers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, who believes Watt has been a long-time inspiration to many younger players.

Arizona Cardinals pass-rusher Watt announced his impending NFL retirement on Monday.

He posted on Twitter that Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the first NFL game his son attended but also his final home game before retiring after the 2022 season.

Already eliminated from the playoffs, the Cardinals play their final two games on the road – at the Atlanta Falcons this week and at the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18.

"If it is the end, it is kind of bittersweet," Gross-Matos said to Stats Perform about Watt, whose 2021 move to Arizona did not produce the long postseason run he craved.

"For someone who has done so much for the sport, you kind of want them to go out with the championship, especially for all he has done. 

"But he has still had a great career. He is still getting double-digit sacks and he was able to get three in a game [against the Denver Broncos in Week 15].

"So I mean, he's still going out on top and I am hoping for the best for him.

"He did right by the shield and set a great example for a lot of great defenders coming after him

"He was definitely a huge inspiration for me, someone I looked up to a lot. He is someone I've watched over the years and continue to watch to this day.

"And, when I was in college he definitely convinced me to get in the weight room when he was throwing guys around [in the NFL]."

One of the NFL's most feared pass-rushers early in his career, Watt battled through some major injuries in the past few seasons and also revealed in October he was playing through a case of atrial fibrillation.

A first-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2011, the 33-year-old is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, a five-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection.

The future Hall of Famer led the league in sacks in 2012 and 2015, and his 111.5 career sacks rank fourth among active players. His 9.5 sacks this season are his most since recording 16 in 2018.

"Koa's first ever NFL game," Watt wrote in his announcement. "My last ever NFL home game.

"My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It's been an absolute honour and a pleasure."

Marcus Rashford "lacks the killer instinct" to lead Manchester United's attack, according to the Premier League's all-time record goalscorer Alan Shearer.

England international Rashford made it two goals in two games since returning to club action following the World Cup break with his strike against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old now has 10 goals in 21 games this season, double his tally from the whole of last season in 32 matches and twice as many as any United team-mate this term.

Rashford is on course for his best scoring campaign, but Shearer has urged Erik ten Hag to continue fielding the versatile attacker out wide and bring in a new out-and-out striker.

"I think Marcus enjoys it more, he looks better certainly in the position [on the left] we saw tonight," Newcastle United great Shearer told Amazon Prime.

"He's been given a little bit of freedom – if he wants to go down the middle at times, he can.

"But when he's got all that space to run into from out wide, he's a better player in doing that and he's very, very good at doing that.

"In terms of him being a centre-forward, he lacks the killer instinct, that natural ability to think 'yeah, I'm going to get in there, I'm going to get the two or three yarders'.

"But there's no doubting his ability – he's a fantastic player."

Rashford has five goals in 15 Premier League outings this term, which is already one more than last season and 12 off his career-best tally in the 2019-20 campaign.

Speaking after the 3-0 win over Forest, which moved United within a point of the top four with a game in hand, Rashford declared he is aiming to better his previous high.

However, fellow former striker and now pundit Michael Owen agrees with Shearer's assessment that United still need another new striker in the January window.

"I do feel that Rashford is better on the left, he will contribute a decent number of goals each year," Owen said.

"But he's not going to be the Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Robin van Persie, the Wayne Rooney who scores 30-plus goals a season.

"Obviously he is a huge asset to this football club, gives them something different, gives them pace, gives them directness."

United have scored 23 goals in 15 Premier League games this season at an average of 1.53 per match, which is only the 11th best return in the division.

Despite easing to victory against Forest, Ten Hag admitted after the match he was not entirely satisfied with his side's finishing and reiterated the need for a new striker.

"It's what I said in the dressing room, we have to score more goals," he said.

"We created so many chances and it takes us until just before the end to score the third goal. We need to finish this game in an earlier moment.

"We are looking for offensive players, we are looking for a striker. It would be good because we have games coming, so many, every third day, and it's tough."

Luka Doncic moved to a "whole different level" in the view of Dallas Mavericks team-mate Dwight Powell after hitting a historic 60-point triple-double against the New York Knicks.

The three-time NBA All-Star ended with figures of 21-for-31 shooting, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block in one of NBA's all-time great individual showings.

Doncic's magic inspired the Mavs to a 126-21 home win over the Knicks on Tuesday in a contest his side trailed 112-103 with less than 30 seconds to go in the fourth quarter.

He scored seven of the Mavericks' 11 points in the overtime period to complete the comeback en route to topping Dirk Nowitzki's franchise record of 53 from December 2004.

"Guys say all the time that we see it and we know his greatness, but he's showing up on a whole different level in a whole lot of different ways," Mavs center Powell said. 

"This tonight, there's not really any way to accurately describe that. It's hard to believe – what he's done is different."

Doncic is the only NBA player in the post-Wilt Chamberlain era to have a 60-point game, a 21-rebound game and a 10-assist game in the same season – let alone the same game.

The 23-year-old tied the record for the highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history, level with James Harden's 60 for the Houston Rockets against the Orlando Magic in 2018.

Chamberlain, who did so twice, and Elgin Baylor are the only others to have registered at least 20 rebounds during a 50-point triple-double game.

Reflecting on the highest-scoring individual performance of the season, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said: "To do something that's never been done before, that's hard to do.

"There's been some great players before him. Elgin Baylor and Wilt... he was in that class, and then he separated himself and made his own class."

Dallas became the first team in at least two decades to win a game in which they trailed by at least nine points in the final 35 seconds with their comeback against the Knicks.

With four seconds on the clock and still trailing by three points, Doncic was sent to the line for two free throws. 

He made the first, before intentionally missing the second, tracking down his own rebound and putting it back in to tie the game, which Dallas won to go 19-16 for the season.

"I thought we won the game," Doncic said of his late heroics in regulation time. "Then I see it's tied. I was like, 'Oof.' I didn't know what to do.

"The whole team just keeps going. Everybody just kept it together. We believed. But now I'm tired as hell and need a recovery beer."

LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham were complimentary of Russell Westbrook after he recorded another triple-double to help snap their four-game losing streak on Tuesday.

Westbrook played 29 minutes off the bench, scoring 15 points on six-of-11 shooting while adding 13 rebounds and 13 assists – finishing with a plus/minus of plus 18 as the Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 129-110.

It was his third triple-double off the bench this season, tying three-time All-Star Detlef Schrempf for the most triple-doubles off the bench in NBA history.

Speaking to the media after the win, Westbrook said he is just focused on playing his role.

"I'm a hooper," he said. "I can do anything, anytime, anywhere. I'll continue to do whatever is asked of me until further notice."

James was also terrific, scoring a team-high 28 points on 12-of-24 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists. 

He told reporters how Westbrook's ability to rebound as an undersized guard is crucial with Anthony Davis set for an extended stint on the sidelines.

"We all have to play a little bit more, and do a little bit more," he said. "Russ has definitely picked up, obviously with the rebounding. We're a team that lacks a lot of size, a lot of length.

"We try to make it up by being fundamentally sound, and also being athletic, and rebounding out of your position.

"Russ has always done that in his career – he's always rebounded outside of his size and length. It was very key for us to get stops, clean the glass and not allow offensive rebounds.

"I know when I'm out on the floor with him I just need to run. When he gets the rebound, and he gets on the break, I have to run with him. He sees pretty much everything that's going on on the floor, so just run and make yourself available.

"Tonight we were against a team that has been playing extremely well – they were winners of their last eight out of nine or something like that.

"They're playing exceptionally well here. They beat Boston twice on their home floor – and we know how great that team is – so it's a good win for us."

When asked if Westbrook's strong play would see him reinserted into the starting lineup, Ham made it clear the starting lineup does not necessarily mean the five best players.

"An NBA lineup has to have balance," he said. "It’s not so much 'can he start' or 'are his starting days over?'

"It’s not about that. It’s about him being able to bring a counter punch, a new extra wave off the bench... I know it’s been hard at times, but kudos to him for doing everything that was asked of him in that role."

Of the Lakers' three back-to-backs this season, James has only played in both legs once. When asked if he will be able to suit up against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, he said "I'll know tomorrow when I get up".

Luka Doncic put up arguably the most gaudy stat-line of the season in the Dallas Mavericks' 126-121 home victory against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

Doncic ended up with 60 points on 21-of-31 shooting, 21 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block in the virtuoso performance, and the Mavericks needed every bit of it to come back from a late deficit.

Trailing 112-103 with less than 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Dallas staged a miraculous recovery, but still needed some Luka magic to send the game to overtime.

With four seconds on the clock, trailing by three, Doncic was sent to the line for two free throws. He made the first, before intentionally missing the second, tracking down his own rebound and putting it back in to tie the game.

He scored seven of the Mavericks' 11 points in the overtime period to complete the comeback, finishing the game on a 23-9 run.

The win is Dallas' fourth in a row, and improves their record to 19-16 to sit seventh in the Western Conference.

Despite the loss for the Knicks – their fourth in a row – there were encouraging signs for the future of their backcourt. With Jalen Brunson missing his first game of the season due to a hip injury, Immanuel Quickley was handed the start. 

He had 11 of his 15 assists in the first half before struggling down the stretch as he was asked to play a game-high 51 minutes, while Quentin Grimes top-scored for New York with 33 points (12-of-25).

LeBron's Lakers get back on track

The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the winner's list after LeBron James led them to a 129-110 road win against the Orlando Magic.

Entering the contest on a four-game losing streak since the injury of Anthony Davis, James was terrific, scoring a team-high 28 points on 12-of-24 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists.

He was supported well by Davis' replacement in the starting lineup, with Thomas Bryant chipping in 21 points (eight-of-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook tied Detlef Schrempf's all-time record for triple-doubles off the bench with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists.

The Magic had won eight of their previous nine, but it was a tough outing for number one draft pick Paolo Banchero, scoring a career-low four points with five fouls in 22 minutes.

76ers waste incredible Embiid performance

The Philadelphia 76ers' winning streak has ended at eight games after a disappointing 116-111 loss to the Washington Wizards, despite Joel Embiid heroics.

Embiid, the back-to-back MVP runner-up, scored a game-high 48 points on 17-of-31 shooting, adding nine rebounds, three blocks and three steals to finish with a plus/minus of plus eight in his 36 minutes.

Unfortunately for Embiid, the 76ers were outscored by 13 in the 12 minutes he was on the bench, with Kristaps Porzingis' 24 points (seven-of-15), 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals leading the way for the Wizards.

The win may be coming at a cost, however, as All-Star Bradley Beal left in the fourth quarter after suffering a hamstring injury.

The Texas Rangers continued to add to their rotation Tuesday, signing pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to a two-year, $34million deal.

The contract includes a third-year vesting player option, and performance bonuses could increase the total value of the contract.

Eovaldi, who turns 33 in February, will be joining his sixth major league team in his 11th season. He spent the past four-and-a-half seasons with the Boston Red Sox and is perhaps best known for his performance in their 2018 World Series win.

In 22-and-a-third innings in those playoffs, Eovaldi went 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA, and had wins as a starter in Game 3 of both the American League Division and Championship Series.

The right-hander finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021 after going 11-9 with 3.75 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 32 starts. He made two trips to the injured list last season and was limited to 20 starts, going 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA.

The Rangers added two-time NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom on a five-year contract earlier this month and gave left-hander Andrew Heaney a two-year deal a week later. They join holdovers Jon Gray, Jake Odorizzi and Martin Perez in what figures to be a crowded rotation.

Prior to last season, Texas committed a combined $500m on middle infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, but finished 68-94 and fired manager Chris Woodward in August.

Despite reports that Sacramento Kings All-Star Domantas Sabonis would attempt to play through the avulsion fracture in his right thumb, he has been ruled out of Tuesday's home game against the Denver Nuggets.

Sabonis, 26, was a two-time All-Star selection with the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the Kings last season, and he is enjoying a career-best start to the current campaign.

He is leading the NBA in rebounding at 12.4 per game, while his 61.2 per cent field goal percentage is a new career-high, and his 6.7 assists per game ties his career-high.

Sabonis has played in all 31 of the Kings' games this season, helping them to a 17-14 record to occupy the sixth seed in the Western Conference.

The Kings are seeking to break the league's longest playoff drought, having not played in the postseason since 2006, so they will be desperately hoping Sabonis' absence is only brief.

Jalen Brunson's first game back in Dallas against the team that drafted him will have to wait, as he will miss the New York Knicks' road game against the Mavericks on Tuesday due to a sore right hip.

Brunson, 26, spent the first four years of his career with the Mavericks after being drafted 33rd overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

After shining in the 2022 playoffs – averaging 21.6 points while starting all 18 games – Brunson entered free agency and signed with the Knicks, where his father Rick Brunson is an assistant coach.

It has proven to be a savvy career move on a statistical level, stepping out of Luka Doncic's shadow to get his own team to run. 

He is averaging career-highs in points (20.2), assists (6.6) and steals (1.1), and has played in all 34 of the Knicks' games up to this point, guiding them to an 18-16 record to sit sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Erik ten Hag was not entirely satisfied with Manchester United's finishing despite comfortably seeing off Nottingham Forest 3-0 at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

United returned to Premier League action following the World Cup and ultimately cruised to a straightforward victory that leaves them just a point behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand.

First-half goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial sent United on their way before Fred rounded things off in the final minutes.

But United wasted several decent opportunities before Fred's Casemiro-inspired goal, with Antony and Rashford spurning particularly good chances.

And that proved to be a key area of focus for Ten Hag after the game.

"It's what I said in the dressing room, we have to score more goals," he told Prime Video.

"We created so many chances and it takes us until just before the end to score the third goal. We need to finish this game in an earlier moment.

"Just after half-time we had two really good chances to finish the game. Life would be more easy.

"There are many games to come, [if you get a third goal then] you can then save energy and it is better for everyone, but also for the progress of the team, we need to be more clinical.

"We have players who can score.

"You can see Martial and Rashford are goalscorers; Bruno Fernandes scores goals. We have a lot of players who can score, but we have to be ruthless."

Ten Hag has already confirmed United are keen to bring in attacking reinforcements during the January transfer window following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

PSV forward Cody Gakpo was widely considered the most likely to arrive but it emerged on Monday that the Netherlands international is close to joining Liverpool after the two clubs agreed a fee.

Ten Hag was asked about Liverpool's move for Gakpo, though he was unsurprisingly keen to avoid speaking about his compatriot.

"I don't talk about individual cases," he said.

"We are looking for offensive players, we are looking for a striker. It would be good because we have games coming, so many, every third day, and it's tough.

"You want to play in all the competitions we are in, we want to stay in them hopefully until the end of the season, so you need numbers in the squad to cover them all.

"I think we are always in the market, but it has to match the sporting criteria and the financial criteria, and we do what we can to bring in what we need."

While the Red Devils appear to have missed out on Gakpo, the August arrival of Casemiro proves United retain the ability to attract the best in the world.

The Brazil international was central to Tuesday's win, brilliantly winning the ball back near his own corner flag in the build-up to United's second goal before also inspiring Fred's clincher.

Those two incidents fitted into the wider narrative of his all-round brilliance in midfield as he recorded a joint-high three key passes, attempted more tackles than anyone else (five) and was engaged in the most duels (11).

For Ten Hag, Casemiro is a blessing.

"I can't deny that, I can only confirm," Ten Hag replied when Casemiro's importance was highlighted by a pundit. "It's a pleasure to work with him.

"I think everyone can see how important he is. The performance, the level he brings to the team is huge."

Marcus Rashford has his sights on a career-best goal haul this season after adding to his tally in Manchester United's Premier League win over Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

Erik ten Hag's side returned to top-flight action in miserable conditions at Old Trafford, but exerted their control to run out comfortable winners in a 3-0 victory.

Rashford, who struggled across a tough 2021-22 campaign, picked up where he left off with his revitalised club form, netting his side's opener before assisting the second.

It takes him to 10 goals in 21 matches across all competitions for United this year, and the 25-year-old acknowledges he has a target in mind.

"Every forward always has a number that they want to try and reach," he told Amazon Prime Sport.

"For me, it's to score more than I've ever scored in a season. I think it's 22 or 23. I'm enjoying what I'm doing at the minute."

Rashford's prior best season with United was the 2019-20 campaign, when he scored 22 goals at club level, and the team reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League.

After the frustrations of last term under Ralf Rangnick, Rashford has enjoyed his turnaround under Erik ten Hag, and spoke of the improved mood around the squad since the Dutchman took charge.

"We're winning more games and I think the level of play has been a lot higher," he added. "I'm happy with the way that we're developing at the minute, and hopefully we can keep kicking on.

"It's a completely different mindset to last season, a different team playing different football. We should be scoring plenty more goals in plenty more games."

Erling Haaland has struggled to shake off a foot injury, but Pep Guardiola expects him to be able to play a starring role for Manchester City at Leeds United on Wednesday.

Haaland has been in sensational form this season, leading the Premier League scoring charts with 18 goals after quickly settling into English football following his arrival from Borussia Dortmund.

However, he suffered an injury against Dortmund in October and has since been dealing with the ramifications of that problem, even with the club season pausing for the World Cup.

"The injury is completely different to last season," Guardiola said. "It was a knock in his foot in Dortmund when we played in the Champions League, and the doctor said that he has damaged his ligament in his foot.

"It's painful, it's not easy to recover, that's why he struggled, but [it is a] muscular issue. Now it is much better, and now we know it is a question of time. Of course, we need him.

"I think he will be ready [for Leeds]. Day by day, he is getting better. As much as he can train, he will get his condition."

City trail Premier League leaders Arsenal by eight points ahead of their game in hand against Leeds, with the defending champions having lost two of their previous five Premier League matches and widely considered not to have yet hit their best form.

Yet Guardiola does not expect to venture into the January transfer market in search of additions to strengthen a title charge.

"I think we are going to finish in this way," he said.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but since I arrived in Abu Dhabi with the sporting director, with Txiki [Begiristain], with everyone, there wasn't any names on the table."

Reece James's latest injury scare is cause for concern for Chelsea, with the club and Graham Potter having their "fingers crossed" over his prognosis.

The right-back made his first appearance since an October knee injury that ruled him out of the World Cup in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Bournemouth.

But shortly after half-time, James was forced from the field with another knee worry.

"It's the same area, so we are concerned," Potter said, as quoted by BBC Sport. "It's really too soon. He felt something there.

"We will have to find out the extent of it and keep our fingers crossed. He's been really disappointed to miss the World Cup, of course. It was a huge blow to him."

The initial injury has limited Potter's work with James at Stamford Bridge so far, but he is a big fan of the England defender.

"You could see today his quality and what he brings to the team," Potter added. "He is a world-class player. You see it from the outside, but not until you work with him do you see how good he is.

"He could play in any team in the world, and any team would miss him. The plan was to play 60 minutes today, so now he's disappointed, of course. We hope it's not as bad as it was and he can have a speedy recovery."