Sports
Football gossip: Kolo Muani, Mainoo, Silva, Anderson, Tchouameni, Trafford
Liverpool could move for Randal Kolo Muani, Kobbie Mainoo verbally agrees to new Manchester United deal and Bernardo Silva is on Arsenal and Barcelona’s radar.
Liverpool have identified France international Randal Kolo Muani, 27, as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah but face competition from Juventus for the Paris St-Germain forward. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external
England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 21, has verbally agreed to a new five-year contract with Manchester United. (Sun), external
Arsenal and Barcelona have emerged as possible destinations for Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 31, when he leaves Manchester City at the end of the season. (ESPN Brazil – in Portuguese), external
Nottingham Forest‘s England midfielder Elliot Anderson, 23, and Real Madrid and France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, 26, are being eyed by Manchester United as they look to replace the departing Casemiro. (Telegraph – subscription required), external
Brighton could offer England goalkeeper James Trafford, 23, a route out of Manchester City in the summer. (Florian Plettenberg), external
Manchester United and Galatasaray are ready to battle it out for 28-year-old Juventus and Netherlands midfielder Teun Koopmeiners. (Tuttosport – in Italian), external
Barcelona are leading the race for Eduardo Conceicao, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle also interested in the 16-year-old Palmeiras forward. Any move to Europe could not happen until he turns 18 next year. (TeamTalk), external
West Ham are willing to let Greece defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, 28, leave this summer amid interest from the Bundesliga, but will demand a big fee. (Football Insider), external
Chelsea and Manchester United are among the clubs keeping tabs on Bournemouth‘s 22-year-old English midfielder Alex Scott. (Caught Offside), external
Leeds are planning to hand Wales midfielder Ethan Ampadu, 25, a new contract at the end of the season. (Teamtalk), external
LeBron James shone as the Los Angeles Lakers took charge of their NBA play-off series while Victor Wembanyama was concussed during a San Antonio defeat.
The Lakers were without leading scorers Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique), but 41-year-old James continued to show his class.
The 22-time All Star claimed 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead the Lakers to a 101-94 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
Fellow veteran Kevin Durant returned for Houston after missing the opening game of the series and scored a team-high 23 points but turned the ball over nine times and claimed just three points after half-time.
The Lakers now lead 2-0 in the first round of the post-season, with the Rockets hosting the next two games in the best-of-seven series.
Wembanyama had scored five points for the San Antonio Spurs when he was injured midway through the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The 7ft 4in France international, who has been named this season’s defensive player of the year, hit his face on the floor after being knocked off his feet during a drive to the basket.
The Spurs said he had entered the concussion protocol and would not return to the game. They confirmed after Portland’s 106-103 win that he had sustained a concussion.
Speaking to BBC Sport NI before the North West 200, Storm Stacey opens up about mental health, loss and the importance of racing.
Apr 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami hits a home run in the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Rookie Munetaka Murakami homered for the fourth straight game, Colson Montgomery went deep for the third straight and the Chicago White Sox slugged four homers in an 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix on Tuesday.
Murakami, Michael Vargas and Montgomery hit consecutive solo shots with two outs in the second inning to help stake Sean Burke (1-2) to a 7-0 lead.
Murakami, who has nine homers in 23 games, reached base four times, adding two infield singles and a walk. He singled and scored in a four-run first off Merrill Kelly (1-1).
Vargas homered for the second straight game, Montgomery and Sam Antonacci notched two hits and three RBIs apiece and Tristan Peters had three hits. The White Sox have won three of four and scored 33 runs over that span.
Arizona’s Ildemaro Vargas had a three-run homer in the ninth to extend his season-opening hitting streak to 16 games, the longest in the majors. Dating back to the end of the 2025 season, Vargas has hit in 18 straight. Alek Thomas had two hits, including his first homer of the season for the Diamondbacks, who had won 10 of 14.
The White Sox have 11 homers in their last three games and 14 in their last five.
Antonacci had a two-run inside-the-park homer in the ninth when his ground ball inside the bag at third appeared to be touched by the ball boy along the left field line. Left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. did not immediately attempt to field it as Antonacci circled the bases for his first career homer.
Burke gave up two runs on five hits in six innings in his first road victory since a 4-0 decision at Detroit on Sept. 28, 2024. He struck out three and walked one. Kelly gave up eight runs and 10 hits before leaving with one out in the fifth. He struck out five and walked three in his second start of the season after opening on the injured list.
The first four White Sox batters reached in the first. Andrew Benintendi singled, Murakami reached on an infield single, Vargas walked and Montgomery doubled in two. Everson Pereira hit a sacrifice fly and Antonacci tripled for a 4-0 lead.
Murakami, Vargas and Montgomery homered in the second for a 7-0 lead after 13 batters.
–Field Level Media
Delhi Capitals suffered a heavy 47-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL 2026 clash on Tuesday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Batting first, SRH piled up a mammoth total of 242/2 in 20 overs, with opener Abhishek Sharma emerging as the chief architect of the innings. Facing just 68 deliveries, Abhishek remained unbeaten on a sensational 135, dismantling the DC bowling attack with ease. In reply, DC were restricted to 195/9 despite valiant efforts from Nitish Rana and Sameer Rizvi. Following the loss, DC opener and wicketkeeper KL Rahul has come under intense scrutiny for his sluggish knock of 37 off 23 balls.
Rahul’s innings, which included just one boundary and three sixes, failed to provide the momentum required in a steep chase, as DC managed only 59 runs in the powerplay. Former India opener Aakash Chopra was critical of Rahul’s approach, questioning his intent while chasing a daunting target of 243.
“I think the question needs to be asked. He faced 23 balls for the 37 runs he scored, but how many attacking shots did he actually play? In my humble opinion, when you’re chasing a 240-plus total and fail to capitalise on the powerplay, there’s a 99.5 percent chance you’re going to lose the match. It’s a mountain to climb anyway, but the intent felt missing. I didn’t feel they gave it everything they had while chasing such a massive total,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“He may have been carrying a niggle; it did seem like that. But once again, this is the same mistake LSG made the other day. If you don’t go all out and instead adopt a conservative approach while chasing such totals, you’re going to lose anyway. The question then is-did you give your best? Not enough, in my opinion,” he added.
Chopra also raised concerns about Rahul’s wicketkeeping, pointing out a crucial error behind the stumps that handed Abhishek Sharma a vital lifeline during the match.
“KL Rahul does keep wickets for India in the ODI setup as well, but let’s be very honest-he is a batter who keeps wickets, not the other way around. Most wicketkeepers are keepers first and then contribute with the bat,” Chopra said.
“Mistakes can happen to anyone, but when it’s KL Rahul, you do start questioning the overall value. If, as a keeper, you miss chances, it sometimes nullifies whatever contribution you make with the bat,” he concluded.
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DENVER — Nicolas Roy scored on a rebound 7:44 into overtime and Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves, including a penalty shot, as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round NHL playoff series.
Roy put the winner through the legs of defenceman Brandt Clarke and into the net to set off a wild celebration.
The game was halted for roughly 17 minutes in the second period when a pane of glass shattered behind the Kings bench, sending pieces raining on interim coach D.J. Smith. The incident occurred right after Quinton Byfield was stopped on a penalty shot by Wedgewood and fans began to celebrate by pounding on the glass. It gave way as Smith covered his head and then brushed the glass off his suit.
Colorado is 17-2 in playoff series when taking a 2-0 lead since relocating to Denver before the 1995-96 season. Los Angeles is 3-12 in post-season series when facing an 0-2 hole.
The Kings took the lead on Artemi Panarin’s power-play goal with 6:56 remaining. Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog tied it with 3:35 left when he got loose in front of the net.
Game 3 is Thursday night in Los Angeles.
This was a showdown between Wedgewood and Anton Forsberg, who both turned in sensational saves. Forsberg stopped 34 shots.
It was a physical game, too, that featured 52 hits, 52 blocks, 11 penalties, plenty of skirmishes and lots of hard feelings.
Colorado thought it had a goal after a shot from Sam Malinski seconds into the third. The horn went off and the fans erupted, but it was quickly ruled that the puck stuck into the side of the net and never went in.
Forsberg and his defensive teammates did their part. Mikey Anderson broke up a 3-on-1 with a slide across the ice in the second when Martin Necas elected to pass, and Drew Doughty made a similar sliding play later in the period.
Apr 21, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) hits a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-Imagn Images Jeff McNeil and Shea Langeliers hit home runs as the Athletics defeated the host Seattle Mariners 5-2 Tuesday night, clinching a series victory against their American League West rivals.
The teams will wrap up the three-game set Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez (2-1) earned the victory by allowing two runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Right-hander Jack Perkins pitched the final two innings for his first save of the season.
Cal Raleigh homered for a second consecutive night for the Mariners, who have dropped six of their past eight games.
The A’s broke a 2-2 tie against reliever Eduard Bazardo (0-1) in the sixth. Tyler Soderstrom led off with a double off the wall in center field and Jacob Wilson followed by grounding a run-scoring double past diving third baseman Leo Rivas and into the left-field corner.
The loss was the first of Bazardo’s six-year career after eight consecutive victories.
Langeliers made it 4-2 with a solo shot to center with two outs in the seventh off Gabe Speier. It was Langeliers’ second homer in as many nights. The A’s added an insurance run in the ninth off Cole Wilcox. Nick Kurtz and Langeliers led off with singles and advanced on Carlos Cortes’ chopper down the first-base line. The Mariners intentionally walked Soderstrom to load the bases. Wilson lined a single to center to complete the scoring.
The A’s scored in the first inning as Kurtz drew a leadoff walk, stole second and came home on Soderstrom’s two-out double to right.
The Mariners tied it in the third as Rob Refsnyder lined a leadoff single to center and Raleigh grounded a single into left. Refsnyder took third on Julio Rodriguez’s lineout to left and scored on Josh Naylor’s sacrifice fly to center.
The A’s responded in the top of the fourth as McNeil went deep to right-center with two outs. Raleigh’s solo shot to left-center with one out in the fifth tied the score at 2-2.
Mariners starter Luis Castillo went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits. The right-hander walked two and struck out six.
–Field Level Media
Knicks drop Game 2, Danny drops Top 10 teams that MUST hit this NFL draft 🔥📉
Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes, Chris Broussard, and Danny Parkins react to the New York Knicks dropping Game 2 to even the series at 1-1, breaking down what went wrong and what it means moving forward. Danny then unveils his Top 10 teams that must hit in the upcoming NFL Draft, highlighting the franchises under the most pressure and why this draft could define their future. Willie Colon and Coach Eric Mangini join the debate in the Front Office segment, highlighting top prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft and where they could land.
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As rapper Drake rolls out the latest promotion for his upcoming “Iceman” album, it appears he’s also taking a jab at Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in the process.
The Canadian artist posted a photo on Monday of himself rocking a Green Bay Packers jacket in front of blocks of ice that were set up in downtown Toronto with the release date of his highly anticipated album hidden inside. The promotion led to fans trying to speed up the melting process of the heavy blocks.
A streamer who goes by “Kishka” ended up finding the envelope, took it to Drake’s home in the area, and the May 15 release date was eventually revealed for all to see.
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Rapper Drake performs onstage during the Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 9, 2022. (Prince Williams/Wireimage)
The Packers even reposted the pictures of Drake, with a simple “Hi” in their caption while tagging the famous rapper.
So, where does Caleb Williams come into play here?
Well, as Williams helped lead the Bears to the playoffs, he claimed himself the “Iceman” after coming from behind for dramatic wins during a remarkable 2025 campaign.
Then, Williams took it to another level, trying to trademark the nickname in March, though he received scrutiny not from Drake, but Basketball Hall of Famer George Gervin. The four-time scoring champ and 12-time All-Star was called “Iceman” throughout his career.
But now, Drake is claiming himself the “Iceman.” And while it could just be a coincidence Drake was wearing the Packers bomber jacket, he is quite known for jabs at his “foes,” whether straight-forward or through subtle things like his attire.
Drake performs live on stage during day two of Wireless Festival 2025 at Finsbury Park in London on July 12, 2025. He is headlining all three nights of the festival. (Simone Joyner/Getty Images for ABA)
Drake has been hinting at this new album for some time now, slowly releasing promos since last summer. Considering his love for sports, he made sure to play that up to build anticipation for the album.
At Scotiabank Arena, the home of the Toronto Raptors, Drake had fake icicles placed on the two courtside seats that he usually sits in when he attends NBA games. They were spotted on April 12 — a 136-101 blowout win for the home team.
Meanwhile, Bears fans have learned to enjoy “Iceman” Williams, even if the games are rollercoasters at times. The 24-year-old threw for 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions, while leading the team to the playoffs with an 11-6 record.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 4, 2026. (David Banks/Imagn Images)
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The Bears eventually fell to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round in an overtime thriller. It wasn’t Williams’ best game, throwing for two touchdowns, but three interceptions in the loss.
But feelings around the Bears are that the No. 1 overall pick is the right guy to continue leading the franchise, especially when it comes to defeating divisional opponents like the Packers.
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The Los Angeles Lakers expect to be without star guard Luka Dončić for the remainder of their first-round series with the Houston Rockets, but Austin Reaves has returned to on-court activity and could return late in the series, according to ESPN, if it reaches that point. The Lakers have a 2-0 lead after a 101-94 win in Game 2 on Tuesday night in L.A.
Dončić suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain during the Lakers’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2 and has been ruled out indefinitely. Prior to the playoffs, Dončić went to Spain to undergo special treatment on his hamstring. He has since rejoined the team, but his timeline to return to play remains unclear.
Reaves went down with a Grade 2 oblique strain in the same game against the Thunder, but is closer to a return than his backcourt mate. Here’s more from Shams Charania:
“The sense around the Lakers is that Austin Reaves is actually the one that’s further along than Luka Doncic in their respective rehab processes. I am told Austin Reaves has started 1-on-1 on-court work. The next step for him is to continue to go through the progression of 3-on-3, 5-on-5. Remember, early April he had a four-to-six week timetable, so theoretically that puts him on track late in this series, potentially early in the next series.”
The Lakers caught a real break with the schedule for their first-round series, which is why there’s optimism that Reaves could play against the Rockets. There were two full days off between Games 1 and 2, and there will be another full two days off between Games 2 and 3 and Games 4 and 5. Here’s a look at the unique schedule, which will stretch into May if it gets to six games.
- Game 3: Lakers at Rockets, April 24
- Game 4: Lakers at Rockets, April 26
- Game 5*: Rockets at Lakers, April 29
- Game 6*: Lakers at Rockets, May 1
- Game 7*: Rockets at Lakers, May 3
*If necessary
The Lakers winning Games 1 and 2 could change the team’s thinking some here. The Rockets lost Game 2 even with Kevin Durant back in the lineup, but the series could certainly be lengthened as it shifts back to Houston. Again, Reaves got hurt on April 2, and the initial timeline was four to six weeks, so it certainly would be conceivable that he could play by Game 6 or Game 7.
Getting Reaves back would be a massive boost for the Lakers. He averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game on 49/36/87.1 shooting splits and put up career highs in both scoring and rebounds. He was second on the team in scoring and would have been 18th in the league if he had played enough games to qualify for the official leaderboard.
While they got a huge night from Luke Kennard in Game 1 (27 points, four rebounds and three assists on 9 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 5 from 3-point range) and an outstanding performance from Marcus Smart in Game 2 (25 points, seven assists, five steals) they can’t count on that every night. Reaves, even at less than 100%, would give their offense another top-level creator who could get his own shots and take pressure off everyone else.
If the Lakers get Reaves back and pull off an upset in this series to advance to the second round, that would give Dončić time to get back on the floor.
The Premier League could boast six clubs in the Champions League for a second season running if all the right pieces fall into place.
The extra fifth place was sealed after Arsenal reached the Champions League quarter-finals. It is the second consecutive year that the Premier League has earned an additional spot, with the English top flight at the top of the European Performance Standings (EPS).
Last term saw an unprecedented six English clubs qualify for the Champions League; five by their league position, and with Tottenham earning their place in the league phase after winning the Europa League.
The same could happen again this term, with the Premier League appearing as one of the more prominent beneficiaries to the competition’s expansion to 36 teams that came into effect at the beginning of 2024/25.
Here’s what needs to happen:
Why six Premier League teams could qualify for the Champions League
As with every season, the top four clubs in the Premier League table are guaranteed a spot in the 2026/27 edition – but like last year, England have earned an additional place.
That fifth spot is earned by being one of the best-performing two nations in each season’s European club competitions. English teams performed particularly well in the Champions League league phase, which boosted their points tally in Uefa’s standings, and while last-16 exits of Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham threatened their ranking, Arsenal’s success has eased any fears of the Premier League being limited to four berths next term.
The Premier League will therefore definitely have a quintet of Champions League teams by the end of the campaign. But wait, there’s more! The winner of the Europa League is also awarded a place in the Champions League – and Aston Villa will be playing Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals, with Freiburg and Braga on the other side of the draw.
What happens if Aston Villa win the Europa League?
Aston Villa are the favourites to lift the title. Unai Emery is a serial winner of the competition and Villa stormed past Bologna 7-1 on aggregate to reach the semi-finals, where they will face a Nottingham Forest side that is also battling relegation this season.
Villa are currently fourth in the Premier League, way ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea. As it stands, they are looking on course to qualify for the Champions League anyway. If Villa win the Europa League and finish fourth, the Premier League will stay with five teams in the Champions League.
But if Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth the additional place in the Champions League awarded by the EPS will drop down to the team that finishes sixth in the Premier League.
This is of interest to several Premier League teams, with the race for sixth extremely competitive this season. There are just three points separating sixth-placed Chelsea to Fulham, in 12th.
What happens if Nottingham Forest win the Europa League?
Forest are embroiled in a relegation battle at the other end of the table so their requirements are more straightforward; if they win the Europa League, a sixth spot in the continent’s premier competition will be sealed, just like Tottenham last season.
The Premier League could have had an unprecedented seventh seat at Europe’s top table, which might have come if an English team won the Champions League but also finished outside of the top five.
However, after how things panned out in the quarter-finals, that is no longer possible. Liverpool, who are fifth in the Premier League, were knocked out by holders Paris Saint-Germain, while Arsenal – still in the competition and set for a semi-final tie with Atletico Madrid – cannot mathematically finish outside the Champions League qualification places, sat 22 points ahead of sixth at the top of the English top flight.
Vafaei beat Barry Hawkins in the first round at the Crucible last year before losing 13-10 to Mark Williams.
An injury wrecked the start of this season but an intensive physio programme got him back playing, although he then had a poor run of results following his return.
“With my injury, I took two or three months [out] and after that I lost my form,” he added. “It was a shoulder problem, it was hurting my fingers and all the nerves on my left side.
“It was tough to get back my form and to find something and the struggles started from there.
“I’m under lots of pressure. I’m not having a good season. A lot of people have been like ‘where is he? what’s he doing?’. They’re thinking I’ve stopped playing snooker.
“I’ve had a tough year mentally, personally, and everything.”
But there has been some encouragement on the table as before his success at qualifying, he beat Williams and Zhang Anda to reach the quarter-finals of last month’s World Open where he was beaten by Trump.
However, he said news from back home meant he was often not focused on snooker.
“You get a bad text in the day and you can’t focus on your job. How can I focus?” said Vafaei.
“No-one knows how tough it is but hopefully it will be over soon, then the safety comes back to my country.”
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