Arsenal have submitted a British transfer record bid of over £100m for the West Ham captain Declan Rice, according to reports. The Gunners have increased their offer for the England international after Manchester City entered the race for the midfielder. Arsenal’s opening bid for Rice was a £75m payment with £15m in potential add-ons, but West Ham were insistent that their captain would not leave for less than £100m. Manchester City’s offer was closer to West Ham’s valuation but Pep Guardiola’s treble-winners also saw their approach rebuffed by the London club. According to the Athletic, Mikel Arteta’s side have now increased their package to £100m with a further £5m in add-ons, an offer which is set to test West Ham’s resolve and could bring Manchester City back to the table. Arsenal have made Rice their top transfer target this summer with manager Arteta holding long-standing interest in the 24-year-old. The Independent understands that Rice would prefer to stay in London and join Arsenal, but he is also open to a move to Manchester and the chance to play under Guardiola. The Premier League champions have lost captain Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona on a free transfer and remain interested in Rice, despite Mateo Kovacic signing from Chelsea in a deal that could reach £30m. West Ham have insisted on a package worth at least £100 million for Rice, which would break the record for an English player, held by Jack Grealish after joining City from Aston Villa in 2021. Read More Reuben Loftus-Cheek close to AC Milan move as Chelsea squad overhaul continues Arteta hypes up Arsenal progress despite pain of losing title race Carra hits Glasto and Frankie sings Frank – Friday’s sporting social

Payton Thorne is adapting well to life in the South, and to the Auburn offense

Bubba Wallace will be in a precarious position at Daytona International Speedway this weekend

Pachuca president Jesus Martinez explains that Liga MX teams haven't benefitted from Leagues Cup like MLS sides.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is working on a deal to sell a majority stake in the NBA franchise to the family that runs the Las Vegas Sands casino, a person with knowledge of the talks said Tuesday night. The agreement would be in the valuation range of $3.5 billion and take weeks for the league to process, according to the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details weren’t being made public. Cuban would retain control of basketball operations in the deal. NBA reporter Marc Stein was the first to report the potential sale. The family of Miriam Adelson, widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, announced earlier Tuesday it was selling $2 billion of her shares to buy an unspecified professional sports team. Cuban said almost a year ago he was interested in partnering with the Sands. He has been a proponent of legalizing gambling in Texas, an issue that didn’t make it out of the state Legislature in a biennial session that ended earlier this year. The 65-year-old Cuban, who just announced he was leaving the popular business TV program “Shark Tank” after a 16th season next year, rose to fame quickly after buying the Mavericks in 2000. Dallas was one of the worst franchises in pro sports in the 1990s, but turned into one of the best under Cuban, with a lot of help from star forward Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks, who won the franchise’s only championship in 2011 with Nowitzki leading the way, are worth $4.5 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Read More Boston Celtics continue unbeaten run with 124-114 win over the Brooklyn Nets Sacramento Kings coach chokes up speaking about Maine mass shooting Damar Hamlin offers message of support after Bronny James suffers cardiac arrest

The Giants added free agent wide receiver Cole Beasley in a move that shows New York is throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks in the slot.To say that the Giants are covering all their bases in the slot for 2023 would be an understatement.On Friday, New York added to their alread...

Match report & player ratings from Everton 0-3 Man City in the Premier League.

The mother of suspended Spanish football president Luis Rubiales has been taken to hospital three days into a hunger strike after locking herself in a church. Angeles Bejar staged her protest to try to end what she dubbed an “inhumane witch-hunt” against her son after the Spanish Football Federation (Rfef) asked him to resign. Mr Rubiales was suspended by Fifa for kissing Women’s World Cup winner, Jenni Hermoso, on the lips in an act the footballer says she did not consent to. His mother had started her hunger strike on Monday in Montril, southern Spain, and vowed to continue despite her son’s pleas for her to stop. “I am willing to die for justice because my son is a decent person and it is not fair what they’re doing,” she told a Spanish television station. On Wednesday, a priest called Father Antonio said Ms Bejar had been taken to hospital after feeling tired and unwell. “We have called the son. He’s in touch with her and they have decided that she needed to go to the hospital,” he said. Fifa banned Mr Rubiales from all football-related activity for 90 days over his conduct and has launched an investigation into his behaviour, while Spanish police are now investigating the federation president for alleged sexual assault. The hospital would not confirm whether Ms Bejar was admitted. Earlier, she told MailOnline: “My son is very worried and has asked me not to continue, to stop, but I will be here until I drop and my body can continue. ”He is not here. He is away but he has told me to stop but I’ve said I will not. I will carry on.” Following his refusal to resign, the Spanish women’s national team signed a letter stating they will not play for their country until Rubiales is removed from his role and the coaching staff – except manager Jorge Vilda – have all walked out. The Spanish FA also requested that Uefa exclude national and club teams from all European competitions because of Spanish government intervention in the crisis – a request which Uefa has denied. Mr Rubiales’ cousin, Vanessa Ruiz, said his family was “suffering a lot for him, we don’t think that what’s happening is fair”. “He has been judged ahead of time. We don’t think this is normal and we want them to leave us alone. The statements speak for themselves. There are videos, there are audios,” she said. Read More Spain has condemned inappropriate World Cup kiss. Can it now reckon with sexism in soccer? Spanish soccer president faces general assembly amid reports he will resign for kissing a player Spain soccer coach faces scrutiny for touching a female assistant on the chest while celebrating Is the World Cup kiss Spain’s Me Too moment? Luis Rubiales crisis: How Spanish FA president fell from grace Luis Rubiales news LIVE: Spanish FA president’s mother opens up about ongoing hunger strike

When it was confirmed in mid-July that Wesley Fofana would face a significant period on the sidelines owing to an ACL injury, Chelsea started to be linked with a host of centre-backs to replace the Frenchman. Harry Maguire was a reported target, so too was Blues academy product Marc Guehi. However, on Sunday evening, reports started to circulate that Chelsea had an agreement in principle with Monaco for towering France international Axel Disasi. The 25-year-old has been on Premier League radars in recent months, with Manchester United and Newcastle both credited with an interest in the Gonesse-born centre-back. Chelsea have since taken the plunge on the defender, bringing him in for €45m. That in itself serves to highlight the extent of Fofana's injury, but even so; Chelsea couldn't afford to pass up the chance to secure Disasi's services. Even with his compatriot available, Mauricio Pochettino's top quality options at the heart of the defence are thin on the ground. Levi Colwill, who is set to pen a new deal at Stamford Bridge, should go on to become a mainstay in the Blues backline, but a partner for the 20-year-old was key. Trevoh Chalobah isn't quite of the standard expected for a club seeking to return to the Champions League, while the west London outfit can't rely on 38-year-old Thiago Silva to manage the backline for another season, particularly in a four-man defence. Benoit Badiashile will return sooner rather than later, but he'll need some time to get up to speed under Pochettino having missed much of pre-season due to a hamstring issue. For the right-sided centre-back role, Disasi can be viewed as a superb acquisition. Standing at 6ft 3in, the France international maximises his stature having won the second most aerial duels (97) of defenders in Ligue 1 last season. And he was consistent in beating opponents in headed battles, too. Of the 143 players to contest 50 or more aerial duels, Disasi's aerial success rate of 70.3% ranked ninth in the division. Considering Chelsea returned an aerial success rate of just 52.1% last season, Disasi's dominance in the air will certainly boost that return. There's also a willingness to get the ball forward quickly from deep. Not only did Chelsea struggle for goals last season, hitting the back of the net 38 times in the Premier League, but they were compounded by an inability to put an opponent to the sword at speed. No team scored fewer counter-attacking goals than Chelsea (1) in England's top tier last term, and even that came in a 4-1 defeat at Manchester United back in May. Disasi, though, is one willing to pick a pass from range, and does so to a decent standard to help quickly turn defence into attack. Indeed, 141 accurate long balls ranked 14th of outfield players in France's top tier last term, and this in itself played a part in Monaco scoring seven counter-attacking goals; only champions PSG (10) netted more. Dominant in the air and sound with the ball at his feet, Disasi seems the perfect fit for a Chelsea side that will seek to control matches where possible. Another key reason behind the drive to sign Disasi, though, will have been his versatility. Primarily a centre-back, he’ll line up at the heart of the defence with everyone fit in Pochettino's 4-2-3-1 setup, but players who can operate in multiple positions are a precious commodity in the modern game. As such, Disasi's ability to play at right-back as well as centre-back will have been another reason behind Chelsea's interest. The departure of Cesar Azpilicueta over the summer means the Blues needed another defender to operate in a couple of roles, and a defensive-minded right-back is a handy squad option. Pochettino has also previously used a three-man backline during his time at Tottenham, a system that does suit the full-backs at his disposal, so the ability to switch between two formations is ideal. Disasi's flexibility will help Pochettino's decision making when it comes to tinkering with his side, particularly in-play, and it cannot be overstated how important this positional interchangeability is for Chelsea. Given how often managers tinker with their setup across the 90 minutes, the potential ability to swap between a four-man and a three-man defence will aid the Blues, not just on a week-by-week basis, but across the season. There are concerns over the defensive side to his game, particularly when up against direct attackers in one-on-one situations, yet from an offensive perspective; Disasi will benefit Chelsea. Given the right protection in front of him, Disasi should be given the crucial time on the ball to help set the Blues on the front foot. Alongside ball-playing star-in-the-making Colwill, Chelsea will have a solid centre-back foundation to help in their quest to return to the Champions League. Read More Chelsea and Barcelona push for Kylian Mbappe player-plus-cash transfer deals Football rumours: Tottenham name Harry Kane price as Bayern Munich prepare bid Chelsea have a Conor Gallagher problem and Tottenham could be the perfect solution Chelsea agree fee with Monaco for France international defender Axel Disasi Football rumours: Chelsea make revised offer for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo England’s attack goes from tired to inspired as new-look front three devastates China

Klay Thompson, Pt. II.

In today's Steelers rumors, Pittsburgh looks inward for a Matt Canada replacement. Calvin Austin blows off steam, and Kenny Pickett gets benched.

Max Verstappen on Thursday rejected the notion, rumoured and reported in recent days, that his Red Bull team were considering approaching Lewis Hamilton to partner...