The European transfer window has only just closed, but it seems Liverpool are already looking ahead to their next move.
The Reds have reportedly made contact with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot’s agent (his mother) regarding a move next summer, sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens.
Rabiot was linked with a move away from Parc des Princes this summer, with Barcelona at one point said to be leading the chase for the talented 23-year-old. However, the Frenchman ultimately remained at the club, thanks in no small part to Les Bleus’ stubborn stance.
Now, though, Rabiot is in the final year of his contract in the French capital, and he has thus far rebuffed suggestions of signing a new deal. From January, he will be able to commit to joining a new club on a free transfer.
The flowing-locked midfielder previously revealed he was fond of Liverpool as a youngster, Laurens notes, but Jurgen Klopp will face stiff competition for the player he has reportedly admired since his Borussia Dortmund days. Though Rabiot’s wages would likely be significant, securing a player of his quality without having to pay a transfer fee would be hugely attractive to clubs around Europe.
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Doug Pederson said quarterback Carson Wentz is “close” to a return from ACL and LCL surgery, and apparently, Pederson is so encouraged by Wentz’s progress that he held out on officially naming a starter for Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons until the last possible moment.
Doug Pederson said he was upset because the media scooped him on telling Carson Wentz that he wouldn’t start in the opener, but he said the QB is in a “great spot.” AP Photo/Matt Rourke
“The decision was not made at the time,” Pederson said. “I still wanted to hear from our medical team, I wanted to see exactly where Carson was at, and so if I came off a little abrasive, that was part of the reason.”
After the Falcons game, the Eagles play at the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sept. 16 before returning home to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 23.
Wentz has been pushing hard to return from a multi-ligament knee injury suffered against the Los Angeles Rams in December. He had no setbacks during his rehab, Pederson confirmed, and seemingly hit every benchmark that was in his control. But he has not been cleared for contact.
“Obviously more rest and more time off heals the wounds, heals the [surgery],” Pederson said of the medical benefit of holding Wentz back. “But listen, you’ve got to understand, too, Carson’s been out there, he’s been in 11-on-11 drills in training camp and this week, and so we’re just waiting to get the clearance.”
Pederson did not offer a timeline to say how close Wentz is to getting back on the field, but he noted, “He’s had some great workouts here over the last few days.”
The fact that Wentz heard the news through the media instead of the organization, assuming Pederson’s account is accurate, couldn’t have sat well with the franchise quarterback, but Pederson said Wentz remains in a “great spot.”
“Nobody wants to hear it from [the media]. They want to hear it from me,” Pederson said. “And that’s why, again, [I had] the reaction because I want to make sure I’m doing the right thing for both guys, number one, and obviously the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s why my communication with them is very critical, and it’s been open, it’s been honest all the way back since the beginning of April.”
World football’s governing body announced a trio of nominees for The Best FIFA’s Men Player award on Monday, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah, and Golden Ball winner Luka Modric beating out seven others shortlisted for the annual honor.
Barcelona star Lionel Messi and World Cup-winning Frenchmen Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and Raphael Varane are among those not named as finalists, as are Belgian duo Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, and England’s Harry Kane. Messi had been a finalist for the award in each of the last 11 years.
FIFA also revealed the three finalists for the Men’s Coach Award, with the third man to win the World Cup as a player and a manager, Didier Deschamps, joined by fellow former Les Bleus standout and last year’s winner Zinedine Zidane and Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic.
The distinction for best goalkeeper also appears to heavily weigh international exploits over those for club, with France’s Hugo Lloris, Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois, and Denmark shot-stopper Kasper Schmeichel nabbing nods.
Nominees for the Women’s Player Award and Women’s Coach Award were also revealed. Brazilian legend Marta, German midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan, and Norway’s Ada Hegerberg are up for the player’s distinction, while Netherlands’ former winner Sarina Wiegman was named for the coaching honor alongside Lyon gaffer Reynald Pedros and Japan’s Asako Takakura.
The quintet of accolades and the FIFA Puskas Award will be handed out in London on Sept. 24.
ALAMEDA, Calif. — While Derek Carr did not expect Khalil Mack to be traded, the Oakland Raiders quarterback said the team is already over the shock of the two-time first-team All-Pro edge rusher and 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year being traded to the Chicago Bears.
“It isn’t what anybody wanted — I think that’s clear,” Carr said Monday, two days after the Raiders packaged Mack, who had been holding out all offseason, a second-round draft pick in 2020 and a 2020 conditional fifth-rounder to Chicago for the Bears’ first-round picks in 2019 and 2020, a sixth-rounder in 2019 and a third-rounder in 2020.
The Raiders on Monday signed veteran wide receiver Brandon LaFell, days after moving on from wide receiver Martavis Bryant
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“But it is what it is — it’s part of the business,” Carr added. “It’s one of those sucky things that happen. The hardest part for me is, obviously, you lose a good football player, but he’s my brother, man. He’s one of my best friends. I think the hardest part is, I don’t get to see my friend every day.”
Carr and Mack came to Oakland in the 2014 draft, with general manager Reggie McKenzie using the No. 5 overall pick on Mack and the fourth selection of the second round on Carr.
The two had goals of changing the losing culture in Oakland, which had not had a winning season since 2002, and winning games while making the Raiders a desirable destination for free agents.
“And I feel like we did that,” Carr said.
In 2014, their respective NFL careers got off to an 0-10 start. Two years later, the Raiders went 12-4 with a postseason appearance as Carr, despite missing the season finale and playoff loss at Houston with a broken right leg, finished tied for third in NFL MVP voting and Mack was feted as the league’s best defensive player.
Carr said he and Mack had “planned the next 10, 15 years of our life” going forward.
“We both have kind of the same goals; I just don’t want him to win the Super Bowl,” Carr said with an uneasy laugh.
“I’m still going to dunk on him when he comes to my house in the offseason. He can expect that.”
Carr again laughed nervously.
Derek Carr says he and Khalil Mack had “planned the next 10, 15 years of our life” going forward. Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports
The Bears then inked Mack to a record six-year, $141 million deal with $90 million guaranteed after acquiring him, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. Gruden said the Raiders’ offer to Mack, made back at the start of the league year in March, did not come close.
The Raiders, meanwhile, had given extensions to Carr, right guard Gabe Jackson (five years, $56 million) and defensive tackle Justin “Jelly” Ellis (three years, $15 million) in the past year.
“That’s what makes it hard, because we all knew, me, Gabe, Khalil, Jelly, we all saw it coming,” Carr said. “It’s one of those things that you just hope it can work out. We all did our best, I’ll say it that way … it just didn’t work out that way. Honestly, it hurts because we did, we tried, and we were always open.”
Carr added that the shock has worn off “because we’re back to work.”
“I think, obviously, we had the day off that day and so that made it harder because I’m just sitting there thinking about it all day. Whereas now, I’ve got a job to do. Once we showed up and got to work, Coach addressed it with the team, said what he said, invited anyone who needed to talk to him, open door. He understood that a lot of us were close with him,” Carr said.
“It’s one of those situations that sucks — we lost our friend, we lost our brother, but we have games to win, we’ve got a job to do.”
Derek Carr
“It didn’t go away, because he’s your buddy, but at the same time it went away because we have a game to get ready for.”
Still, Carr said he was initially worried about the effect of Mack being traded on the Raiders’ locker room.
But no more. Not with teammates calling to reassure the quarterback.
“It’s one of those situations that sucks — we lost our friend, we lost our brother, but we have games to win, we’ve got a job to do,” Carr said he was told.
“And I think that’s the mark of Mr. McKenzie and Coach Gruden bringing in the right kind of people … handle it like men. You don’t have to like it or agree with it, but we’re paid to win games.”
