Naomi Osaka was encouraged by her 2022 clay-court debut, winning her opening match at the Madrid Open against Anastasia Potapova.
The former world number one has not played on the red dirt since the 2021 French Open, where she withdrew citing mental health issues.
Heading into this week in Madrid, Osaka had an underwhelming 20-15 record on clay, with each of her grand slam successes coming on hard courts.
But the 24-year-old has spoken of adjusting her approach and learning from clay king Rafael Nadal – and the early signs were positive.
She needed just over an hour to defeat Potapova 6-3 6-1 on Friday and said: "I'm honestly trying to be more positive with myself.
"This year I came a week early to train on red clay, so I'm just trying to give myself more chances to do better.
Osaka added: "To be able to do it in two sets, for me, it's a really good starting block.
"I think today for me it was really fun, just being able to be back on the clay and not taking those moments for granted."
Fellow hard-court major champions Emma Raducanu and Bianca Andreescu also won their openers, although the latter required three sets to eventually coast past Alison Riske 6-4 3-6 6-0.
Raducanu will play another 19-year-old in the second round, with the US Open champion paired with Marta Kostyuk after getting over a slightly slow start to thrash Tereza Martincova 7-6 (7-3) 6-0.
Fourth seed Maria Sakkari overcame a scare, meanwhile, ending her losing run at three matches by coming from behind to defeat Madison Keys in three sets.
"Overall, it was a very positive match to get myself back in the winning feeling," the Greek said.
David Silva has signed a one-year contract extension with Real Sociedad, the club announced on Friday.
The veteran playmaker arrived in San Sebastian on a free transfer in August 2020 after leaving Manchester City, where he won 11 major titles – including four Premier League crowns.
In April of last year, Silva helped La Real overcome local rivals Athletic Bilbao in the delayed 2019-20 Copa del Rey final and lift their first piece of major silverware since 1987.
His contract was due to expire at the end of the season, but the 36-year-old World Cup winner has signed on for another campaign with the club.
"I'm very happy. The truth is that I've been here for two very good years. Let's hope it ends up like last year with us getting into Europe," Silva said in a club interview.
"We are playing great games and it's good to continue for another year. Before signing I knew the team was playing well and I was playing good football.
"It is good the club is growing and being there every year to fight for Europe."
Silva has scored three goals and supplied eight assists in 56 games across all competitions for La Real, with injuries limiting his playing time.
La Real sit sixth in LaLiga, six points adrift of the top four with five games remaining.
A statement from La Real said: "He is necessary both on the field and in the dressing room and a role model for the younger players.
"David Silva will continue to wear the txuri urdin colours that suit him so well. His control, dribbling, vision and assists will continue to amaze the Real Sociedad family.
"His football and magic will continue for at least one more season."
Lucknow Super Giants moved to within two points of the Indian Premier League summit as Quinton de Kock's stand helped see off Punjab Kings by 20 runs.
Opener De Kock scored 46 from 37 balls as the Super Giants reached 153-8 from their 20 overs on Friday.
That was despite the efforts of Kagiso Rabada, who took 4-38, including the early wicket of Super Giants captain KL Rahul.
Yet after Rahul's dismissal, De Kock – with the assistance of Deepak Hooda (34) – guided the Super Giants from 13-1 to 98-2 before falling to Sandeep Sharma (1-18).
Deepak was run out by Jonny Bairstow in the next over to kick-start a middle-order collapse, but Dushmantha Chameera's 17 from 10 balls and an unbeaten 13 from Mohsin Khan added vital runs.
Mohsin went on to impress with the ball for the Super Giants, taking 3-24 from his four overs, which included a maiden.
Mayank Agarwal (25) and Bairstow (32) tried to get Punjab going, but both fell to Chameera (2-17) before Khan sent dangerman Liam Livingstone packing on 18 to all but end the Kings' hopes – Rishi Dhawan's flurry of 21 proving too little, too late.
De Kock back to form
Rabada gave his best but it was fellow South African De Kock who was the difference in this match.
The wicketkeeper-batsman had only scored a combined 13 runs across his previous two appearances but was the anchor of the Super Giants' innings here, with his 46 coming at a strike rate of 124.32 and including six boundaries – two of those were sixes.
Mohsin shows his worth
After adding a useful tally to the Super Giants' score, Mohsin – who had only taken one wicket this season before Friday's match – delivered with the ball, taking the key wicket of Livingstone (who has scored 60+ three times already this season) before dismissing Rabada and Rahul Chahar in the 18th over.
Kristen McGregor opened her 2022 season with an encouraging top-five finish at the Fit Muscle Championships in Mexico last weekend (April 23). The performance sets the tone for what could be an outstanding season for the fitness athlete, who is desirous of competing at the Miss Olympia competition in December. However, she can only achieve this if she can get consistent sponsor support.
McGregor, the winner of the 2020 Miss Olympia Amateur title in the Women's Figure Category, is a former national champion and CAC Champion and is arguably Jamaica’s best female fitness athlete of the modern era. However, it has been a struggle to attract consistent sponsorship support as she strives for her career goals.
“The major challenge I face as a national athlete is corporate sponsorship. I am a bit disappointed with the responses I received for sponsorship requests seeking help to represent my country and hoping that I would have gotten good responses, even given the fact that I am a recipient of the Prime Minister's Youth Award,” lamented McGregor, who is the holder of a Bachelor's degree in Sports Science from the University of Technology (UTech).
“However, I have to give big thanks to the companies that gave their generous support such as EduCom, Geolosndo, VM Group and to the contributing supporters.
“I do hope that going forward I might receive better responses from other corporations and our sporting body. The lack of support and sponsorship can impact my goals to represent Jamaica at the Olympia, as I am unable to cover the expenses related to travel and accommodation to participate in the various competitions, where I can only compete as a professional athlete in my discipline. It is my dream to represent Jamaica at the highest level of bodybuilding.”
That dream has been the fuel driving McGregor's ambitions ever since she transitioned from athletics in 2017 and what sparked her singular focus during the off-season in preparation for 2022.
“It has been nothing but hard work for every show. Hard work and focus are the common denominators for every season prep. l am in the gym every day and on diet for a maximum of 16 weeks during preparation,” she revealed.
That work paid off in Mexico.
“A top-five finish is a great accomplishment, considering the progress from last year, where I also finished in the top five in Puerto Rico Pro, and in the Tampa Pro placing 4th and 11th, respectively. However, for my first show since 2022, finishing in the top five is a great place to finish because I have already started to accumulate points toward the quantifying for the Olympia Competition,” she said.
“Only second through fifth-place finishers for each contest, depending on the tier of the contest can accumulate points. All competitors will have between September 13, 2021, to November 20, 2022, to qualify whether by placement or points for the big show in December, the Olympia held in Las Vegas. That being said, the progress has been going well.”
Too well even. In fact, she worked so hard during the off-season she might have bulked up a tad much.
"Last year was a bit different from this year, as I really didn’t get a chance to train properly for my debut and my first Pro show coming out of winning the Amateur Olympia in December 2020. I contracted the COVID virus which caused me to stop training and in the time between recovery and my first show, which was the Puerto Rico Pro, I didn’t have much time to bulk so we went straight in for competition," she said.
"I figured that was the reason I was too small because I was burning muscles while in recovery. My coach, too, reassessed and ended my season after the Tampa Pro in June and we started working on bulking up from that time. I had a wonderful off-season, no injuries or sickness so I was training right through.
"I think this time around we gained good size. I was able to condition properly without burning muscles. Coming out of this show, the judges said I was perfect in shape. However, based on how the other girls came in I was too big so I have to lose a bit more and I would be okay. So yes, I am on a good path but with that, my coach has decided on reducing by about five to six pounds more for my next show on June 17-19, 2022 which is the Puerto Rico Pro."
New Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown has confirmed he requested his trade away from the Baltimore Ravens.
And the former Oklahoma pass catcher, who is to be reunited with Kyler Murray, says he told Lamar Jackson the Ravens' run-first offensive system "wasn't for me" more than a year ago.
In one of two significant receiver trades on the first day of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cardinals parted with the 23rd overall pick in return for Brown and a third-round selection.
Having already secured perhaps the best player in the draft in ultra-versatile safety Kyle Hamilton, the Ravens used their additional first-round pick to bolster their offensive line in front of quarterback Jackson with center Tyler Linderbaum.
Jackson's Twitter activity suggested he was unhappy with the Ravens' business, frustrated by the loss of the wide receiver he has looked to more than any other in his NFL career to date (256 targets, 164 receptions, 20 touchdowns).
The former NFL MVP posted a series of messages, including sharing a post from Brown in which he said to his former QB: "Wish I coulda played with my brotha forever but ima see you at the top."
However, speaking to media on Friday, Brown revealed he was the driving force behind the trade, and his desire to move on could have come as no surprise to Jackson.
"It was just [about] my happiness," he said. "I talked to Lamar about it after my second year, then after my third year leading up to the end of the season.
"He wasn't playing, but I let him know again: I can't do it.
"It's not really on Lamar; I love Lamar. It's just the system wasn't for me, personally. I love all my team-mates, I love the guys, but it was just something I had to think about for myself.
"The Ravens and I both handled it the right way. I didn't go out and make anything public; I just kept it in-house, kept working, and it all worked out."
In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Jackson's first two as a full-time starter, the Ravens ran on 56.0 per cent and 55.9 per cent of their plays respectively, leading the league in this regard.
Since entering the NFL in 2018, Jackson has recorded 3,673 rushing yards – by far the most among QBs and the seventh-most of all players.
Murray (1,786 rushing yards just since 2019) is third among QBs over that period, but Brown already knows he can effectively link up with the Cardinals star.
In 2018, at Oklahoma, Murray's 4,361 passing yards and 42 passing TDs led the Big 12, with Brown his top receiver with 1,318 receiving yards and 10 receiving TDs.
Murray wrote on Twitter following Brown's trade: "Let's run it back! Hollywood to the desert... Y'all welcome my boy!"
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone backed "one of the best in the world" Antoine Griezmann to return to form, while he offered his support for Luis Suarez amid a lean spell.
Simeone's side sit fourth in LaLiga, four points clear of fifth-placed Real Betis and appear set to secure Champions League qualification.
However, the form of forward Griezmann and the out of favour Suarez has come under scrutiny in the absence of the injured Joao Felix.
Griezmann has just three LaLiga goals in 21 appearances this season, finding the net once every 448 minutes on average, and has not scored in his last eight league games.
But Simeone insists the France international needs just one strike to regain his confidence as Atletico prepare to visit Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
"Antoine is not converting goals in recent games, his performances have not been what he is accustomed to," Simeone told reporters at a pre-match news conference on Friday.
"He is one of the players with the most goals in the history of Atletico... He always works, he is always committed to the collective work of the team, I have no doubt that he will come out of this situation.
"It's Griezmann, one of the best in the world, what he needs is to find a goal, which will give him confidence. From that, we will see the Griezmann who we were used to in previous years."
Only Fernando Torres (102 in 281 games) has more goals than Griezmann for Atletico in LaLiga history, the latter scoring 97 times in his 201 appearances for the club.
Suarez's form has also been a concern for Simeone, with the Uruguay international limited to appearances from the bench and scoring just twice in his last seven league games (both against Alaves).
The former Liverpool and Barcelona talisman is still Atletico's joint-top scorer this season, his 11 LaLiga goals only matched by Angel Correa, and Simeone hopes Suarez will soon find his feet again.
"I have no doubt that Luis will always score goals, with his team-mates, when he plays, in the Uruguayan team... because he has the ability to score," Simeone added.
"Hopefully if he comes in from the start or comes on in the game, he will make his mark on them. It's what he wants, what he feels, and what he lives off."
Suarez has failed to score in his last five away games against Athletic in the Spanish top flight, having previously netted on his first two visits to San Mames in LaLiga – both in 2015 with Barcelona.
Whether Suarez can regain his confidence against Marcelino's side remains to be seen, but Simeone knows the Basque side will pose a tough task.
"Marcelino is a very good coach, he makes his teams play well and that makes them complex to face," he continued.
"Also, whenever we have faced him he has very good teams, which usually have very good footballers.
"This means that the matches are tight due to the characteristics of the team that Marcelino creates. I can't imagine a match that isn't tight."
Frank Lampard is putting the emotion of a reunion with Chelsea to one side as he bids to keep Everton in the Premier League.
Everton dropped into the bottom three for the first time this season when Burnley defeated Wolves on Sunday, leaving the Toffees needing a win at Anfield in the Merseyside derby to move themselves out of the drop zone.
A resilient performance against Liverpool failed to produce a positive result, however, with a 2-0 defeat leaving Everton two points behind Burnley and five adrift of Leeds United, and both of those teams play on Saturday ahead of Sunday's meeting with Chelsea at Goodison Park.
Lampard was appointed by Everton in January, just over a year after he was dismissed by Chelsea. He will become the 10th former Chelsea boss to take charge of a Premier League match against the Blues – only one of the previous nine has won their first such match (D1 L7), with Claudio Ranieri winning 2-1 with Leicester City in December 2015.
However, Everton do have a good recent record against Chelsea at Goodison Park, winning each of their last three league meetings, including two against Blues teams managed by Lampard in 2019-20 and 2020-21. They last won four home top-flight games against the side from west London between 1970 and 1973.
Indeed, the last time Everton started a day in the relegation zone, they went on to defeat Lampard's Chelsea 3-1 in December 2019.
Lampard is Chelsea's record goalscorer and remains a club great despite his ill-fated 18-month spell as manager, but the former midfielder has paid little mind to meeting his old team for a second time in his coaching career, after his Derby County side lost 4-3 in the 2018-19 EFL Cup.
"Chelsea is always a big part of my life, 13 years of my career as a player and 18 months as a manager and nobody would expect me to talk differently about the club but it doesn't feel that that's the important part of it, certainly for me," Lampard told a news conference.
"My only thought is Everton, my only thought is to try and win the game and that's what every person at Chelsea would expect me to do – I'll focus completely on that.
"Chelsea are a fantastic team, I worked with the majority of the players there, I know the qualities they have and they're a very good team with a fantastic coach."
Despite Everton's perilous position with six games remaining, Lampard insisted he is enjoying his job.
Asked if he would hope to stay on if Everton were to be relegated from the Premier League for the first time, he said: "I don't want to get drawn on that question. What I will say is I've loved every minute of this club.
"People ask me from the outside, because of the position we're in – 'Are you enjoying it? How tough is it?'. I absolutely love it.
"I've been welcomed incredibly the fans and supported by them and I will do everything to get this club back to where I want it to be.
"I'm not going to jump into the future and say what may be, because it's not worth asking that question, but in terms of my dedication to this job, I'll absolutely give it everything for as long as Everton want me here and I think I can get them to where I think we can get to."
Rugby League Jamaica will launch its 2022 Parish of Residence (POR) series which serves as the national selection tool for Jamaica’s domestic players to the full national team, the Reggae Warriors, this Saturday, April 3 when the first of three games will be played at the UWI Mona Bowl in Kingston.
The kick-off is at 2:30 pm with the women’s game, followed by the men’s clash at 4:00 pm. Games two and three will be played at the same venue on May 21 and 28.
As is customary, national prospects have been placed in two squads, Reds, and Blues with most of the Reds' players coming from Kingston and St. Andrew while the Blues will mainly comprise players from St. Catherine with some from other parishes.
On Saturday, history will be created when the women's teams take the field as it will mark the first-time full-contact women’s rugby league is played locally.
“The women’s match is a big deal for us, the ladies have a big opportunity to qualify for the 2025 rugby league World Cup in France and this game marks the beginning of that journey. We are inviting all talented female athletes to give rugby league a go and be part of history,” said Rugby League Director Romeo Monteith.
Blues women players squad Tihana Lewinson, Lovel Atkinson, Daynna Angus, Khimoi McKay, Naomi Mohamid, Vanessa Henry, Debisha Scarlett, Nazomi Christie, Ray-Anna McCalla, Naomi Dodd, Kimisha Jones, Shanoa Lewis, Teresa Smith and Ciara Modest. The team is coached by Andre Hill.
Reds Women are Shanique Smith, Latoya Sanchez, Alicia Richards, Aneil Campbell, MoeshaBogle, Brooke-Ashley Jarrett, Tiana Gordon, Shawna-Kay Douglas, Anna Kay Williams, Dae-Marie Whyte, Sheirne Johnson, Gabrielle Davidson, Candice Tulloch, Nicola Brissett and Lovell Evans. The team is coached by Andrew Dixon and Huntley Anderson.
Among the men, the Reds' team will comprise Andrew Simpson, Kenneth Walker, Adrian Brown, Kevin Thomas, Jenson Morris, Joseph Shae, Adrian Hall, Daniel Graham, Marvin Thompson, Andre McFarlane, Neville Lynch, Kile Nembhard, Owen Linton, Oshane Eddie, Sheldon Kelly, Michael Pearson, and Mahkaya Anderson. The head coach is Donovan Jackson.
Blues men’s team includes Javian Bryan, Adrian Thomas, Shaqueil Pollack, Steve Miller, Miguel Facey, Ryan Grant, Julius Reid, Akeem Murray, Omar Jones, Khamisi McKain, Reinhardo Richards, Chevaughn Bailey, Ronaldeni Fraser, Chevaun Smith, Takeem Creary, and Linval Green. The head coach is Otis Brae.
Brae believes his squad is prepared to go all the way.
“We are ready. The lads have put in practice and getting themselves prepared for this series. The stem is to leave it all on the field where if they do their best, they are already winners," he said.
Meanwhile, Jackson also expressed confidence that the experience of his unit will see them to victory.
“We have a good culture in our squad and enough experienced players to lead us to another series win. We have prepared well; the players know what is at stake and are ready,” he said.
Monteith, who is also Jamaica's head coach, believes a lot is at stake for the players intending to make it into the national squad.
“What is at stake are spots to the rugby league World Cup in England at the end of the year, the players are aware of this and so am expecting high-quality rugby league. The games are always close so the fans will be in for a treat," he said.
"I am really looking forward to identifying the top performers from game 1 and seeing if they can carry through to the next two games.”
Olivier Giroud says Milan's squad are fully focused on the Serie A run-in as the Rossoneri aim to achieve "something unique" by winning a first Scudetto since 2011.
Milan came from behind to record a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Lazio in their last outing, and remain two points clear at the top of Serie A after title rivals Inter lost their game in hand at Bologna on Wednesday.
Stefano Pioli's team are unbeaten in 12 Serie A matches ahead of Sunday's meeting with Fiorentina (seven wins, five draws), but each of their last four fixtures of the campaign pits them against top-half opposition.
Giroud, whose only league title to date remains a shock Ligue 1 triumph with Montpellier in 2011-12, says the Rossoneri are relishing being involved in an absorbing fight for the Scudetto, and insists being crowned champions of Italy would represent a "unique" achievement for Pioli's men.
"We're heading towards the end of the season and it's only normal that there's more pressure," Giroud told the club's media channels.
"But the group, the whole squad, is fully focused on the goal, which is to win the next game.
"Each and every player has to dream, think, eat and breathe to win the Scudetto, we're so close and everyone wants to win it, we can't hide from this fact.
"I hope this final run-in will be great for our fans, and I hope we will experience something unique, all together."
Giroud netted his ninth goal of the Serie A season in Milan's comeback win over Lazio, making this his best goalscoring league campaign since he scored 12 goals for Arsenal in the Premier League in 2016-17.
France's 2018 World Cup winner has also scored more goals against Lazio than he has against any other opponent for Milan (three in two appearances), and said the dramatic nature of their victory made it "even better".
"We showed great team spirit, we never gave up and always believed we could win the game," he added.
"To win like this is even better, it's a great emotion in front of 10,000 Milan fans at the Stadio Olimpico. We played a good game and believed in the win until the end."
Milan are looking to secure the Serie A title off the back of a tremendous run of defensive form. Since the start of 2022 across the big five European leagues, only Liverpool (six) have conceded fewer than the eight goals shipped by Pioli's men in their 15 league matches.
Boris Becker has received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for breaking the United Kingdom's insolvency laws.
He was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London on Friday.
The six-time grand slam champion had denied violating the Insolvency Act after he was declared bankrupt in 2017.
Becker, 54, owed creditors close to £50million at the time of his bankruptcy. However, he has now been found guilty of hiding assets and loans in order to avoid paying his debts.
The German was cleared of 20 counts but found guilty of four charges by a jury earlier this month.
Becker was previously given a two-year suspended sentence for tax evasion and attempted tax evasion in Germany in 2002.
Steven Gerrard believes extending Jurgen Klopp's contract is Liverpool's "most important signing for many years to come".
Reds boss Klopp signed a two-year extension to his deal at Anfield on Thursday that will keep him tied to the club until 2026.
Gerrard, who is now manager of Aston Villa, played almost his entire career at Liverpool, making 710 appearances, scoring 186 goals and winning two FA Cups, three League Cups, a UEFA Cup and a Champions League with his boyhood club.
Speaking at a media conference ahead of Villa's Premier League match with Norwich City, Gerrard said Klopp's new deal was good news for all Liverpool fans.
"You can tell by the smile," he said when asked what he thought. "Listen, all the Liverpool fans worldwide are absolutely delighted with the news.
"Congratulations to Jurgen and his staff, and I think it'll be Liverpool's most important signing for many years to come. That's how highly we all think of him. [It is] terrific news for Liverpool Football Club."
Gerrard has inevitably been linked with an eventual move to manage his former club, having spent a brief spell in charge of Liverpool's under-18 side before moving to Rangers, where he won the club's first Scottish Premiership title in 10 years.
He became manager of Villa in November and has overseen 22 matches so far in all competitions, winning eight, drawing three and losing 11.
Liverpool are still in the hunt for an unprecedented quadruple this season, having already won the EFL Cup. Klopp's men have an FA Cup final against Chelsea to come, are 2-0 ahead after the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with Villarreal and sit just a point behind Manchester City at the top of the Premier League with five games remaining, with both scheduled to play Villa in the run-in.
"I think he certainly deserves it for the way he's performed," Gerrard continued. "I think the [Liverpool] fans have been craving that signing for some time, and he's built a world-class team, and I think they're on the cusp of something really special.
"We can have an influence in that, so that'll be interesting when [Liverpool] come to Villa Park. We wish them well outside of that fixture, and I think it's totally deserved and it's fantastic news for Liverpool Football Club. I think it's the most important signing for a very long time at the club."
Jim Ratcliffe has pledged to invest £1.75billion into Chelsea's teams and infrastructure if successful in purchasing the Blues, including a "world-class" redevelopment of their Stamford Bridge home.
Ratcliffe, who announced his bid for the west London outfit earlier on Friday, promised to ensure the Blues are "held in the same regard as Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich" in a statement released by his company INEOS.
INEOS already has extensive sporting ties, owning Ligue 1 outfit Nice and enjoying sponsorship deals with the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team and Formula One's Mercedes, and Ratcliffe is now rivalling three consortiums for control of the Blues.
He told The Times the only motivation behind his offer was to "create a very fine club in London", although Friday's statement expands upon Ratcliffe's declaration of interest, pledging substantial investment "for the direct benefit of the club" over the next 10 years and to redevelop Stamford Bridge rather than build a new stadium.
The British billionaire has also said £2.5billion will go to a charitable trust to support victims of Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine after Roman Abramovich was placed under sanctions by the UK government last month.
"Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS, has made a formal bid for Chelsea FC, for £4.25billion. £2.5billion is committed to the Charitable Trust to support victims of the war, with £1.75billion committed to investment directly into the club over the next 10 years," the statement read.
"This is a British bid, for a British club. We believe that a club is bigger than its owners, who are temporary custodians of a great tradition, with responsibility to the fans and the community.
"That is why we are committing to spending £1.75billion over 10 years that will be for the direct benefit of the club.
"We will invest in Stamford Bridge to make it a world-class stadium, befitting of Chelsea FC. This will be organic and ongoing so that we will not move away from the home of Chelsea and risk losing the support of loyal fans.
"We will continue to invest in the team to ensure we have a first-class squad of the world's greatest players, coaches and support staff, in the men's and women's games, and we hope to continue to invest in the academy to provide opportunity for talented youngsters to develop into first class players.
"We believe that London should have a club that reflects the stature of the city. One that is held in the same regard as Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. We intend Chelsea to be that club.
"We are making this investment as fans of the beautiful game – not as a means to turn a profit. We do that with our core businesses. The club is rooted in its community and its fans. And it is our intention to invest in Chelsea FC for that reason.
"No further comment will be made from Sir Jim or INEOS during the bidding process."
Ratcliffe's offer is competing with bids from consortiums fronted by Todd Boehly, Martin Broughton and Stephen Pagliuca, as the Blues await an end to the uncertainty that has surrounded the club since Abramovich announced his intention to sell last month.
Barcelona will return to their revered footballing blueprint under Xavi and the Blaugrana faithful should be excited over a "team to dream about", according to Ronald Araujo.
The Uruguayan was speaking at Camp Nou on Friday after committing his future to the club until the end of the 2025-26 campaign, with the 23-year-old set to play a big part in Barca's future.
Araujo has emerged as a key player this season, particularly since the arrival of Xavi following the dismissal of Ronald Koeman in October.
Xavi has overseen an upturn in fortunes with Barca climbing from ninth at the time of Koeman's sacking up to second in LaLiga, despite falling to three consecutive home defeats across all competitions in April.
Defender Araujo was quick to back Blaugrana boss Xavi as he suggested the Spaniard will restore Barca's principles to help them compete with LaLiga champions-elect Real Madrid, who need just a point to reclaim the title.
"I always work hard," he said. "I watch videos and talk a lot with Xavi about learning the Barca style. I believe in the project and we will get back up and start winning trophies again.
"I want Barca fans to feel excited about the team, because we are going back to the Barca DNA and we have a solid base of young and veteran players. We have a team to dream about."
Araujo's 39 appearances this term can only be bettered by Jordi Alba (40), Gavi (42), Frenkie de Jong (43) and Sergio Busquets (47) among Barca's outfield players.
The Uruguay international has made 78 appearances in total since joining from Uruguayan side Boston River in August 2018, contributing to 13 clean sheets across those games.
Araujo is keen to continue his progression with the Catalan giants as he looks to learn alongside the evergreen Gerard Pique and experienced Alba.
"I feel such immense joy," he said of his new contract.
"I have matured a lot. I couldn't pick any single moment from my time here, all I wanted was to renew my contract and be able to stay at Barca for a long, long time."
Barca president Joan Laporta also heaped praise on Araujo as he spoke alongside him on Friday.
"We want to thank Araujo for his character and commitment," Laporta said. "He has opened his heart.
"He is a footballer of the immediate present, but this also helps us to consolidate our short- and long-term plans. He is a very talented player who will help us to build a winning Barca."
The nerves are starting to jangle on the blue half of Merseyside, with Everton slipping into the relegation zone last week after their derby defeat to Liverpool was preceded by Burnley's win against Wolves.
Frank Lampard's men have six games to rescue their Premier League status, starting on Sunday with a clash against the Toffees manager's former employers.
Chelsea themselves have very little to play for, having pretty much cemented their place in third, which could play into Everton's hands at Goodison Park.
This is the first time Everton are playing a Premier League game when starting the day in the relegation zone since December 2019, which coincidentally was a 3-1 home win against Chelsea.
With Burnley facing an out-of-form Watford on Saturday, Lampard might need a win just to keep pace with the Clarets.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel will also be looking for a strong performance from his team as they continue to prepare for an FA Cup final with Liverpool to come on May 14.
Toffees can make it sticky for Tuchel
It has been a campaign to forget for Everton, even if they end it by staying in the Premier League.
However, it has unquestionably been their away form that sees them in their current mess, with just one win and three draws from 16 away days this season (L12), though one of those draws came at Stamford Bridge in December.
At home, they have the 13th best record in the league, winning seven and drawing two of 16 games at Goodison Park (L7).
Everton have earned seven points from their last three home games (W2 D1), as many as they had in their previous 10 (W2 D1 L7), though have scored just three goals in this run, including a 90th-minute winner against Newcastle United and a last-gasp leveller against Leicester City.
They have a good recent record against Chelsea, though, having won each of their last three Premier League home games against the Blues, last winning four consecutively against them at Goodison Park between 1970 and 1973.
Unlucky thirteen?
Despite coming through the youth system at West Ham, Frank Lampard will always be synonymous with Chelsea.
He scored 211 goals for the Stamford Bridge club, with 147 of those in Premier League games, before overseeing 84 games as manager.
Lampard will be the 10th former Chelsea manager to take charge of a Premier League match against the Blues – only one of the previous nine has won their first such match (D1 L7), with Claudio Ranieri triumphing 2-1 with Leicester in December 2015.
However, Lampard might set an unwanted record on Sunday, where a defeat would make him the first Everton boss in the club's history to lose nine of their first 13 league games in charge. So far he has lost eight of 12, as Cliff Britton did in 1948, before winning his 13th game 2-1 against Sheffield United.
Happy Sundays
Many of us may not have loved Sundays as children, knowing school was just a day away, but Chelsea are certainly enjoying them this season.
Tuchel's men have played the most Premier League games on Sundays without losing so far this term (nine, winning six and drawing three).
The Toffees, on the other hand, have played the most on the day without winning (nine, drawing one and losing eight).
Chelsea also have the highest win rate in games played on the first day of a month in Premier League history, winning 30 of their 50 such games (60 per cent). They have also won all four of their previous Premier League games played on May 1.
Dele can test 'em
When Everton signed Dele Alli from Tottenham in January, it raised a few eyebrows. Could Lampard get the best out of a player similar in style to the former England international who had once been one of the most promising prospects in the Premier League?
Well, so far, no. Dele has only made eight appearances for his new club so far, all from the bench, totalling just 218 minutes, and is yet to register a goal or assist.
It could be a deliberate move by Everton, who signed the 26-year-old on an initial free transfer, though with add-ons built in depending on appearances and achievements.
They should perhaps fork out some of that money on Sunday, though, as Dele does enjoy a game against Chelsea.
He scored five goals in eight Premier League appearances against them while at Spurs, more than he managed against any other opposition.
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