Manchester United hold a favourable position should they attempt to sign one of their reported midfield targets

Manchester United may have taken a step closer to signing top target Alex Scott after securing Champions League football at the weekend. The Bournemouth midfielder is wanted by Old Trafford chiefs with Casemiro on his way out this summer.

And with Andoni Iraola a frontrunner to take over if Michael Carrick does not get the manager’s job permanently, he could be followed by one of his favourite players. Scott has previously explained that he would only leave Bournemouth if a Champions League club came calling – which United will be next season.

Speaking to Transfermarkt in February, Scott said: “At some point, of course, I’d love to be playing Champions League football. Obviously playing non-league just over six years ago, it’s all happened very quickly so I had to grow up very quickly. But that’s definitely helped me.”

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The midfielder, who was brought to Bournemouth by boss Iraola three years ago, added: “Everyone wants to play at the highest level and be one of the best players in the world, in the league and play for their country. They’re definitely dreams of mine. They were dreams from when I was a kid. I’d also love to be playing in the major tournaments for England.”

The financial aspects of qualifying for Europe could play a pivotal role in the club’s transfer plans as football finance expert Kieran Maguire revealed that United could bank at least £70million thanks to the competition.

Maguire explained: “You’ll get a minimum of effectively £30million just for rocking up. Then it works out as €2million per match if you get a victory, €700,000 if you get a draw in terms of prize money. And on top of that, you’ve got gate receipts.

“You’re guaranteed four home fixtures, potentially could be seven to eight home fixtures. For a club the size of United, they should be looking to get £8million per match in gate receipts. So you’ve got a minimum of £30million from gate receipts, another £30million for participation.

“So that’s £60million minimum. They’ll get the Adidas [kit supplier] bonus of £10million, so that’s £70million. And as you progress through the tournament, you can start adding the numbers.

“I think there’s around about €150million for winning it last year. Now that was for a club with a fairly good UEFA coefficient, which United don’t have these days because they’ve not been as good as they have been, but even so, I think you’d be looking at €120million and of course if you win the tournament, you qualify for the next FIFA Club World Cup, which made Chelsea £80million. It really does ratchet up.”

The midfielder’s partnership with Iraola is set to end following this season. The Spaniard announced his decision to leave the club last month following the expiry of his contract. The 43-year-old has yet to make a decision on the next step of his career but has routinely been linked with the Manchester United job.

However, with interim boss Michael Carrick enjoying a stellar stint at his former club, it remains to be seen whether the Englishman may be offered the permanent job come the summer.

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

Back in 2008, a Wales Under-20s side went deep into the Junior World Championship and hinted at what was coming. Sam Warburton, Justin Tipuric, Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb, Jonathan Davies and Halfpenny were in that side.

Grand Slams, titles and World Cup semi-finals. For a time, the best team in the world.

One by one, they’ve gone. Halfpenny is the last.

The numbers are strong. Some 101 caps, 801 points – third behind Neil Jenkins and Stephen Jones – but they don’t quite explain him.

He was unassuming, almost bashful, and the last person looking for credit.

Yet the one everyone trusted.

Nobody has a bad word to say about him. In this game, that’s rare.

His former Wales coach Warren Gatland called him the best defensive full-back the game has seen. At his peak, especially with the British & Irish Lions in 2013, he was probably the best full-back. Full stop.

The UK government says it is in “discussions about supporting potential bids” for the Olympics and Paralympics in the 2040s.

It added that “initial work examining whether the UK could host the Games for the first time since London 2012 will assess key factors such as potential cost, socio-economic benefit and [the] chance of success”.

Ministers say they are also considering whether to support bids to stage golf’s Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup in the 2030s.

The last time the two team competitions were staged in the UK was in 2014 and 2019 respectively, both at Gleneagles in Scotland.

In recent months there has been growing momentum behind a possible attempt to bring the Olympics back to the UK for a fourth time.

Last year London mayor Sadiq Khan said he wanted the city to bid for the 2040 Games.

With Los Angeles in the US and Brisbane, Australia hosting the 2028 and 2032 Games respectively, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is yet to choose cities to stage the events in 2036 and beyond.

In December, the chair of funding agency UK Sport told BBC Sport a bid “has to be an aspiration”, suggesting Liverpool and Manchester could be co-hosts.

In February, a group of political leaders urged the government to ensure any future bid would be based in the north of England, saying there was a “compelling” case for it to host the event.

The Ryder Cup takes place every two years with 24 of the best players from Europe and the USA going head-to-head over three days in matchplay competition. The two continents take it in turns to host the event.

In March, it was revealed that Bolton is bidding to host the Ryder Cup in 2035. If successful it would be the first time in more than 30 years that the event is staged in England.

Last year England Golf urged the government to underwrite its bid to stage the Solheim Cup – a contest between the leading female golfers of Europe and the US – in the country for the first time.

As part of a new ‘sporting events framework’, the government says it will look to make it a criminal offence to resell tickets for specific major sporting events without authorisation such as Euro 2028, claiming it “will make it easier to bid for, secure and deliver major sporting events”.

England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland are hosting Euro 2028, while the UK is the sole bidder to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup.

In November, the government announced legislation to outlaw the sale of tickets to sports events at inflated prices – but it did not apply to football.

“The Jet” Kevin Knight can be seen flying above the pro wrestling ring for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on Wednesday and Saturday nights on “Dynamite” and “Collision” respectively.

Knight is the AEW TNT champion and was a trios champion with Adam Page and “Speedball” Mike Bailey and with Bailey and Místico. It’s only been about seven years since Knight started to get into the industry and his meteoric rise has led him to become one of the stars in AEW.

The 29-year-old recalled in an interview with Fox News Digital that he moved to Seattle out of college to get started in the business.

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Kevin Knight enters the ring during New Japan Pro-Wrestling at National Yoyogi Gymnasium in Tokyo on May 17, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

“Who Kevin Knight, ‘The Jet,’ is – a lot of things rolled up into one,” he said. “I’m originally from Brooklyn, New York. Raised down in Atlanta. I started my wrestling career when I moved to Seattle after college. And about six months in, I moved to LA to join the New Japan LA Dojo. For those that don’t know, it’s like a Japanese style-based training.

“So, I was living a Japanese lifestyle in LA during the pandemic. So, it was a lot of different factors going on. I think that’s why I call myself ‘The Jet,’ because I have so many different flavors from every different city in the world just all rolled up into one. I live in Orlando now. Just a cool, fly guy who just loves to do cool stuff.”

Knight called training during the coronavirus pandemic an “adjustment period,” but he acknowledged that he could be doing anything he wanted.

He said there were certain intricacies of pro wrestling that drew him in – from the superhero appeal of the wrestlers themselves to the pageantry in the sport.

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“I could be doing anything. I could be flipping burgers, I could be going to space or something, I don’t know,” he told Fox News Digital. “But just about pro wrestling, I just loved the presentation of it. I love the showmanship, the pyro, everything about it. It just seemed like real-life superheroes coming down the ramp.

“You saw the commentators, you saw the action. And then, people have cool theme songs and cool costumes. I know what it was immediately and I just like the pageantry of it and it was like my version of watching superheroes or Spider-Man or whatever. I wasn’t too much into superheroes when I was young. But wrestlers, they were my superheroes growing up. So, that’s what attracted me to it.”

Knight made waves in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), but for a split-second, he became a free agent. Any company could have signed him – and really, Bailey as well.

Last March, Knight and Bailey both decided to sign with AEW. Knight explained the X-factor that AEW had to make the promotion stand out above the rest.

Kevin Knight competes inside the ring during New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on May 15, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

“AEW allows freedom, freedom of expression, to be yourself and you can walk right up to Tony (Khan), talk to him, have regular conversations with him,” he said. “It’s not like, you have to walk on eggshells. It was just be yourself and being yourself is just a great gateway to just being creative and being your best self. There’s no extra added pressure of, ‘Oh, I gotta say hi to 50 other people that I just saw earlier today,’ and all of that stuff.

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“So, AEW, just in the fan base, the roster, the catering, man, everything about AEW is like 10 out of 10. I can’t complain. In my free agency, I explored all my options and I feel like this was just the best fit.”

Knight won the vacant TNT Championship in a six-man casino gauntlet match at Dynasty last month. It was the first singles title of his career and the 32nd champion altogether, following the likes of Darby Allin, Kyle Fletcher, Christian Cage, Jack Perry and others.

“It’s been the workhorse title. It’s been the title that people do the open challenges for. The best wrestlers in the world have held this title, the TNT Championship,” he said. “For me to be able to hold this and for this being my first-ever singles championship in my career, was an amazing feat especially on the one-year anniversary of my AEW pay-per-view debut.

“Like it’s just shown in the short amount of time, just how fast you can rise up in the ranks just by believing in yourself, hard work, discipline and just being in the right place at the right time. It’s been an amazing journey and we’re just getting started.”

Kevin Knight enters the ring during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Wrestling DONTAKU 2023 event at Fukuoka Kokusai Center in Fukuoka, Japan, on May 3, 2023. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

Now, Knight earned a shot at the AEW World Championship on Wednesday night on “Dynamite” against Allin. He defeated Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) to earn the shot while Allin defeated Brody King to retain the championship last week.

For Knight, he suggested it was a full-circle moment for him as he utilized Allen’s advice when he was getting started in the industry.

“This match means a lot to me because I came from the same school that Darby Allin came from up in Seattle – the Buddy Wayne Academy,” Knight told Fox News Digital. “And when I first met Darby, maybe I was 3-4 months into my career, and the No. 1 thing that he told me was do not waste time, do not waste time. And, I feel like I did just that with my time in AEW. Here we are, a year later, I’m already a champion. I’ve won the trios titles twice already.

“So, I feel like I’m just listening to what he said and it’s all coming to fruition. It’s coming to a head this Wednesday. Definitely not going to waste any time. I think this would be the first time there would be a world championship and a TNT Championship on the arms. So, I’m ready for it.”

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But don’t expect MJF to get another shot at the world title any time soon.

“Honestly, he’s in the back of the line. He’s in the back of the line. He lost against Darby. He lost against me as well. He’s had two losses in a row. So, I’m not sure what his resume speaks for to get a shot at the title,” Knight said. “I know he’s gonna try to ringworm his way into the title picture again. If it’s up to me, the first person that’s getting a title shot is ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey. MJF, back of the line.”

Some admissions, some confessions, and a little bit of reflection, that was Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel’s post-match presentation ceremony after the defeat against the Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday. Axar admitted his side was below par in their eight-wicket loss to CSK in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, conceding that the team was 10-15 runs short with the bat, and on a sticky pitch, they missed the point of difference a set batter could offer. On a pitch that was offering some assistance to bowlers, Axar said that he “missed his partner” Kuldeep Yadav, despite the chinaman spinner bowling 3 overs for 34 runs in the game.

“Obviously, the way the wicket was playing in the first innings, I felt that yes, 155 was a good score. But since we were playing with eight batters, I felt we were about 10-15 runs short,” Axar said after the match ended, with Sanju Samson hitting an unbeaten 87 in a successful chase for CSK.

Reflecting on the surface, Axar said conditions eased out for set batters but remained tricky for new ones. “I feel it got a little better, but I think the difference was made by the set batter. When a batter is well set, it feels like there is nothing in the pitch, but I still feel there was something in it.

“For a new batter coming in, it was not easy. Yes, it wasn’t easy for new players because, you know, the length balls were holding up, sometimes staying low, and occasionally even bouncing after holding. So I feel it was very difficult for new batters. But when set batters were playing, it looked easier. You could see the way Sanju took the game forward.”

Despite the defeat, Axar took positives from the batting efforts of Sameer Rizvi (40 not out) and Tristan Stubbs (38) despite the top five batters’ collapse. Kuldeep, who hasn’t had the best of IPL 2026 campaigns, looked ineffective with the ball on the day. Though Axar didn’t criticise the left-arm spinner for the lack of wickets, he made his feelings known about his ineffectiveness.

“Yes, obviously, considering our batting, I think that’s a positive. Even after losing five wickets, the way we finished at the end was good. So yes, that is a positive. But I feel in bowling, I missed my partner Kuldeep (lethaleness).”

With the playoff race tightening, Axar stressed the need for clarity and urgency, especially with DC to face Kolkata Knight Riders in another home clash on Friday. “Yes, obviously, we cannot afford any mistakes now. So we have to go in with a clear mindset that whatever time or chances we get, we must win.”

With IANS Inputs

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The Seattle Seahawks weren’t supposed to sprint to the Super Bowl last year, and they especially weren’t supposed to win the whole thing. But they did — and now NFL.com has sized up five squads that could replicate that path. Wouldn’t you know it? The Vikings are among them.

Minnesota’s path is obvious: defend like crazy, get enough from Kyler Murray, and let Kevin O’Connell steer it.

That’s the word from Tom Blair, who claimed last week that the Vikings could follow a Seattle-like path to Super Bowl LXI.

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Blair on the Vikings as a Super Bowl Dark Horse

Blair named five teams that could follow in Seattle’s footsteps: the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers — and the Vikings.

On Minnesota, he explained, “Do they have a Dark Side? Brian Flores’ famously formidable defense was as effective as ever in 2025, ranking seventh in EPA per play (-0.14) and points allowed per game (19.6) and third in yards allowed per play (4.7), but the offense could not keep up, with a season-long point differential of plus-11 matching perfectly with Minnesota’s 9-8 finish.”

“Like the Texans, the Vikings have a defense that could drive true dominance, with just a little more support from the offense. Like Seattle, Minnesota has been fitfully competitive over the past few years. The Vikings have plenty of talent, and I have confidence in the coaching regime.”

The Vikings’ defense also added four new rookies in the first three rounds of the draft last month.

Blair added, “If they were also working with the same level of front-office stability that the Seahawks have enjoyed under Schneider, I’d feel better about giving them the top spot.”

“Whoever takes over as full-time GM might knock the job out of the park, but the late-January firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah brings some uncertainty to the team-building portion of the equation.”

The Defense Checks the Big Box

Looking for reasons to agree with NFL.com? Look no further than the Vikings’ defense, led by Flores. Flores’s men ranked third in the NFL per defensive DVOA in 2025, fully hitting their groove in December and January — when it should have mattered the most — and propelling Minnesota to a five-game win streak to close out the season on a high note.

In fact, since Flores arrived in the Twin Cities three years ago, he has fostered the league’s second-best defense per EPA/Play, only trailing the Cleveland Browns, a club that somehow has featured great defense with nothing tangible to show for it.

Minnesota’s defense has checked all boxes as a Super Bowl contender — going on four seasons now — so it’s all up to head coach Kevin O’Connell and the offense, which, should, in theory, be O’Connell’s personal baby.

Wait and See at QB

On the offense, well, the Vikings’ quarterback play must improve in 2026. Finishing 9-8 a year ago, Minnesota showcased the NFL’s fifth-worst dropback EPA, a short way of saying the quarterback production stunk compared to the Vikings’ NFL peers. Winning nine games with the fifth-worst quarterback efficiency isn’t a normal outcome. Therefore, the sky could be the limit if Minnesota showcases average-or-better quarterback play in 2026.

Insert Kyler Murray.

Minnesota scooped Murray from free agency for just over a million bucks, and he’s in town to make the Arizona Cardinals look bad. Comically, the Cardinals are paying Murray to play for the Vikings. It’s how Minnesota got away with such a dinky contract. Murray has been compensated for 2026 based on the guaranteed money from his 2022 contract extension.

O’Connell either needs Murray to produce decent numbers or rip the lid off and go full Pro Bowl-caliber. If he achieves the latter, Murray can indeed lead the Vikings deep into the postseason.

Run the Football?

Meanwhile, O’Connell must run the football. Remember the five-game win streak in December? That happened because O’Connell got the memo about running the football. When quarterbacks struggle, a smart playcaller cannot load up and throw the rock 40 times per game. It’s a recipe for utter disaster — Minnesota started 2025 with a 4-8 record, remember?

So, O’Connell must commit to his rushing offense, and even more than last year, when his team ranked 19th per rush playcall percentage. Nineteenth was a step in the right direction for O’Connell — Minnesota ranked 30th in the same metric in 2022 and 2023 — but now that percentage ranking must enter the top half of the league.

If the Vikings play their usual level of defense, empower Murray to play like prime Murray, and run the football, there’s no doubt they’ll reach the playoffs and bring to life Blair’s dark horse Super Bowl contendership talker. It’s actually pretty simple.

David Benavidez rose the pound-for-pound rankings with a sensational stoppage of Gilberto Ramirez, and ‘The Mexican Monster’ has revealed what boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez told him after the fight.

A former champion at super-middleweight and a reigning light-heavyweight ruler, the 25lb jump up to cruiserweight was expected to push Benavidez to the limit and provide him with a new kind of test. The Arizona-born operator passed with flying colours.

Benavidez dominated ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in a statement performance before a stoppage in round six brought the beatdown to an end, earning him the WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles.

Soon after the win, Benavidez spoke with Chavez, and in a clip captured by Premier Boxing Champions, the newly crowned unified champion revealed that the Mexican fighting icon told him that he is now convinced by his skills.

“He just said that I finally convinced him. I said, ‘oh, I barely convinced you [before]?’. I thought, I was f***ing doing my best! But, this is what I am here for, people doubt me all of the time, people say that I can’t do nothing and I rise to the occasion.

“Just like this [fight]. Tonight, I came in at 202lbs, I only gained two pounds! I am just very happy and very grateful. God is good.”

Before the fight, Benavidez declared that he would return to the light-heavyweight division, but a challenge for the undisputed cruiserweight title could be possible, whilst rumours of a possible heavyweight move are also being mentioned.

While Jadeveon Clowney makes a whole lot of sense for the Minnesota Vikings’ roster in 2026 — he was damn effective in 2025 — free-agent outside linebacker Leonard Floyd might be the familiar fit due to his connection to head coach Kevin O’Connell.

Minnesota needs one more pass rusher, and Floyd checks the price, production, and familiarity boxes.

O’Connell won a Super Bowl with Floyd in 2021, and current Vikings outside linebackers coach Thad Boragus served as the Los Angeles Rams’ assistant linebackers coach on the same squad.

Floyd’s Experience Would Fit behind Van Ginkel and Turner

Would you endorse Floyd to Minnesota?

The Need for an OLB3

On Friday, April 24th, the Vikings sent Jonathan Greenard and a 7th-Round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 3rd-Round pick and a 2027 3rd-Round pick. The trade transformed the Vikings’ OLB room from the strongest and deepest spot on the depth chart to one that needed attention. That is — with Greenard in the mix, Minnesota EDGEs were fantastic; now, they’re decent but one injury away from sheer panic.

Therefore, probably from free agency, Minnesota needs an OLB3 to complement Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner.

Thanks to his aforementioned ties to the Vikings’ coaching staff, Floyd has the preexisting link that is often present when a free agent signs with a new team. Think of it this way: O’Connell can probably call Floyd tonight without any unfamiliarity.

Floyd’s Background

Floyd is battle-tested; let’s just get that out there. He started 15 games for the Atlanta Falcons last year and is also one of the most durable veteran EDGEs in the league.

Here’s his Pro Football Focus resume, with grades and yearly pressures:

2025: 60.1 (ATL) | Pressures: 36
2024: 53.9 (SF) | Pressures: 44
2023: 58.7 (BUF) | Pressures: 45
2022: 65.7 (LA) | Pressures: 54
2021: 73.8 (LA) | Pressures: 73
2020: 69.5 (LA) | Pressures: 55
2019: 69.6 (CHI) | Pressures: 39
2018: 69.6 (CHI) | Pressures: 39
2017: 63.8 (CHI) | Pressures: 36
2016: 66.3 (CHI) | Pressures: 36

And sacks per season:

2025: 3.5 (ATL)
2024: 8.5 (SF)
2023: 10.5 (BUF)
2022: 9.0 (LA)
2021: 9.5 (LA)
2020: 10.5 (LA)
2019: 3.0 (CHI)
2018: 4.0 (CHI)
2017: 4.5 (CHI)
2016: 7.0 (CHI)

With these numbers, the man might be the perfect OLB3, especially at this late stage of his career.

Back in March, after the first initial wave of free agency, Fox Sports linked Floyd to the Carolina Panthers, noting, “This is ideal, as in ‘ideal and reasonably within their budget.’ They’re not all $20 million signings, and Carolina is barely under the cap entering free agency.”

“Edge rusher is arguably the biggest positional need, and Floyd played well with the Rams in 2020-21 when Evero Eijro was there. Last season was a down year, but he’d gotten at least eight sacks in five straight years before that, and could bounce back as a solid value impact for an improved Panthers defense. Only two NFL teams had fewer sacks than Carolina’s 30 last year, with no Panthers player getting more than five.”

The Price

During free agency of 2025, the Falcons scooped Floyd off the open market for $10 million. Playing 15 games with 36 pressures was probably worth the investment for a club that needed a veteran outside linebacker.

At the moment, Minnesota is arguably in the same position. Spotrac estimates Floyd’s market value at $8.9 million, which checks out, given an extra year of age for an EDGE who probably won’t start for the Vikings in 2026, instead providing depth behind Van Ginkel and Turner.

Minnesota has about $16 million in cap space as of May 6th, money that will be heavily allocated to a draft class nine players deep. Still, the Vikings can restructure a contract or two or perhaps extend some veterans while lowering their 2026 cap hits.

Floyd at $8 million or $9 million is very doable, and the value is undeniable.

Other EDGEs on the Market

What’s more, if the Vikings want another outside linebacker, but Floyd isn’t the best option, there are still a litany of decent routes. Excluding Floyd, the free-agent EDGE market looks like this:

• Joey Bosa
• Jadeveon Clowney
• Cameron Jordan
• Von Miller
• Kyle Van Noy
• A.J. Epenesa
• Marcus Davenport
• Denico Autry
• Derek Barnett
• Haason Reddick
• Michael Danna

Clowney would also be a remarkable option, after he totaled 8.5 sacks with the Dallas Cowboys last year while playing about one-third of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps.

Based on coach ties, though, Floyd remains the safest predictive bet. He’ll turn 34 right after Week 1 in September.