Chelsea considering Florian Wirtz move, Felix Nmecha open to England return and Aston Villa among Nick Woltemade suitors.

Chelsea are keeping tabs on Liverpool‘s Florian Wirtz – who starred under new Blues boss Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen – but any potential deal for the Germany playmaker, 23, depends on Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez, 25, leaving Stamford Bridge. (Football Insider), external

Germany midfielder Felix Nmecha is open to leaving Borussia Dortmund and both Liverpool and Manchester United are interested in the 25-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

Newcastle could be willing to sell Germany striker Nick Woltemade, 24, with Aston Villa, Dortmund and Atletico Madrid among his suitors. (AS – in Spanish), external

Brighton have made an improved offer for Tottenham‘s 19-year-old Croatia centre-back Luka Vuskovic worth up to £45m, including add-ons. (Mail), external

RB Leipzig expect Paris St-Germain to submit an offer for Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, 19, after turning down Liverpool‘s opening bid of 100m euros (£87m). (Bild – in German), external

If England midfielder Elliot Anderson, 23, joins Manchester City it could spark a domino effect, with Nottingham Forest signing 26-year-old Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi from Inter Milan, who in turn will look to complete a deal for Liverpool‘s England midfielder Curtis Jones, 25. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Bayern Munich will look to renegotiate Michael Olise’s contract amid interest from Real Madrid and PSG in the 24-year-old France winger. (AS – in Spanish), external

Real Madrid have denied reports they have already made contact with Olise’s camp. (Sport – in Spanish), external

Juventus are willing to sell Canada forward Jonathan David, 26, and have set an asking price of 30m euros (£26m). (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external

PSG want 40m euros (£35m) for Randal Kolo Muani and the 27-year-old France forward is keen to return to Juventus, who are also considering a move for Atletico Madrid’s Norway striker Alexander Sorloth, 30. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external

Manchester City are close to reaching a financial settlement with Chelsea that will enable them to appoint Enzo Maresca as their manager. (Guardian), external

They arrived with kilts, songs and endless optimism. They leave behind unforgettable memories. For one week, Boston belonged to the Tartan Army. As Scotland’s supporters head to Miami, their next World Cup destination, they say goodbye to a city that embraced them from day one. 

The 2026 NBA Draft is less than a week away, and trade rumors are heating up. All eyes are on the Milwaukee Bucks and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is expected to be dealt this summer. At the same time, numerous other teams will be active in the weeks ahead. 

That includes the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, who finished first and second, respectively, in the Eastern Conference last season, but had disappointing showings in the postseason. Both teams know they need to shake things up to contend with the reigning champion New York Knicks. 

Ahead of the draft and the ensuing free agency period, let’s take a look at some of the latest updates on the trade market. 

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Bucks’ ask for Giannis ‘unrealistic’

The Bucks would prefer to keep Antetokounmpo, but if he makes it clear that he won’t sign an extension in October, they will trade him rather than let him walk in free agency for nothing next summer. And if they are forced to trade one of the best players in franchise history, they’ll want a major return to jumpstart their rebuild. 

But according to Jake Fischer, some teams think the Bucks are asking for too much. Here’s his latest on the Antetokounmpo trade talks:

I heard the same word several times this week when talking to NBA personnel from teams that have engaged with the Bucks on a potential Antetokounmpo deal. Several sources have conveyed that Milwaukee GM Jon Horst has established especially ambitious asking prices in Giannis talks.

The word that keeps coming back: “Unrealistic.”

The Bucks naturally want as much as they can if they’re parting with their Face of the Franchise, so what constitutes unrealistic? Sources say Milwaukee has been asking teams for returns that would leave any club acquiring Antetokounmpo too barren to contend for a championship. Which is the precise opportunity Giannis is known to be seeking if he’s going to finally leave Brewtown after 13 seasons and commit to a long-term contract extension with a new team.

The Bucks should ask for a massive return for Antetokounmpo, who, despite some injuries in recent years, remains one of the best players in the NBA. But they may ultimately have to accept a lesser deal because Antetokounmpo has just one guaranteed year left on his deal, and the market for him isn’t the same as it would have been last summer or two years ago. 

If the Bucks do end up trading Antetokounmpo, it will be fascinating to see the actual return. 

NBA trade rumors: Latest on Giannis Antetokounmpo, plus possible backup plans for Celtics, Heat, Wolves

Jasmyn Wimbish

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Pistons’ Stewart expecting to be moved

Isaiah Stewart was one of the best backup bigs in the league last season, when he averaged 10 points, five rebounds and 1.6 blocks on 55% shooting. He was one of several Pistons who struggled in the playoffs, however. He put up just four points and 2.4 rebounds in the postseason and had largely lost his spot in the rotation to Paul Reed by the end of the second round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which the Pistons lost in seven games. 

The Pistons are expected to make big changes this summer after their early exit, and Stewart could be on the move. In fact, he’s expecting to leave Detroit, according to Fischer:

League sources say that the Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart is not merely available but outright bracing for a trade that sends him elsewhere this summer as part of any move that the Pistons make to bolster their shooting and playmaking depth.

Despite his poor showing in the playoffs, the 25-year-old Stewart will have suitors in part because of his reasonable contract, which has two guaranteed years at $15 million per year, including a team option for 2027-28. Per Fischer, the Bucks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs have all expressed interest in Stewart. 

Celtics expected to be active this summer

The Celtics are in the mix for Antetokounmpo, but it’s unclear if they’ll be willing to make that big of a swing, which almost certainly would require parting ways with franchise pillar Jaylen Brown. Derrick White has also been the subject of rumors. Boston is expected to be active this summer, per Fischer. 

I already reported on Wednesday night that Boston has shown interest in moving up from its No. 27 slot in the draft. And while I don’t believe that the Celtics are actively shopping Brown or Derrick White, it’s certainly believed that they have listened on trade inquires for both key cogs from the title team more intently than ever before.

As for White: It would also be a surprise, sources say, if the Celtics cut ties with him. The 31-year-old is a beloved member of the organization on top of the fact that his two-way backcourt work has put him in annual All-Star contention as a Celtic.

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Everyone expected last season to be a “gap year” for the Celtics. But despite losing Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and Al Horford and playing the first 62 games without Jayson Tatum, they won 56 games and finished second in the Eastern Conference. They blew a 3-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs to the Philadelphia 76ers, however, which led president Brad Stevens to call for an “honest assessment” of the roster. 

“Our margin for error needs to get bigger, and at the same time, I don’t think we’re, like, way far away,” Stevens said in May. “But we’ve lived it here. Again, this is where the honest assessment part has got to come in, right? We’ve been to six Eastern Conference finals, a couple Finals in the last few years. We’ve won one. And when you get beat in the first round, you’re not there. …

“You have to consider the other teams that are at those levels, and I think the other thing that you have to consider, especially for next year, is there were a lot of teams in the NBA that were playing for draft positioning this year,” Stevens continued. “That will not be the case next year. So, the league’s gonna be a lot better. The regular season could be a lot harder, and it will probably give you a better indication of what everybody really is.” 

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — It’s easy to get caught up in the serious stuff at golf tournaments, especially the U.S. Open, which this week has featured politicized debates on distance, equipment, and the punishment of throwing clubs. But on rare occasion, USGA partner Sentry tabs a junior reporter to remind us that we’re all living a pretty good life out here. Their wide eyes and curious minds always provide some much-needed levity. 

Case in point: Tuesday morning, when 12-year-old Paighton interviewed Kristoffer Reitan on the driving range, asking him what superpower he’d like to have to compete better at this week’s tournament. 

What a simple, sufficient, inventive question. At finicky and difficult Shinnecock, all these boys would love to have a superpower. Reitan played along and suggested he’d want to be The Flash, with the ability to essentially teleport to wherever his ball ended up, saving the energy he’d normally spend walking. Paighton suggested super strength, to hit the ball as far as can be. Wouldn’t it be nice? 

The days at Shinnecock can be long, tough, and grinding for everyone — USGA staffers, media members, even the players who were thrown off schedule by a fog delay that affected the first two rounds. Major weeks are tough! But it was genuinely uplifting to see the pep Paighton brought to the media ranks for a morning. She loves golf. She loves Rory McIlroy. She loves hitting driver. We all loved hitting driver. And she loved preparing questions for her day of interviews. 

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It all kicked off with Adam Scott’s press conference, where Paighton asked him for advice he’d give to junior golfers, getting the stoic Scott all smiley. 

“Young golfers, I think they need to,” Scott began. “I watch my kids play a little bit, and I think if they can enjoy chipping and putting, then golf becomes really easy for young kids. Of course hitting the ball is hard, and everyone likes to hit it far, but I’ve watched my kids enjoy chipping and putting, and I think it’s easier for kids to play on a shorter golf course or hit shorter shots and just have fun that way. I think it’s more enjoyable.”

Paighton’s curiosity abounded in ways that delivered real journalistic goods. She asked Xander Schauffele what he was most proud of in his career and the answer surprised me:

Schauffele has won a bunch, earned a ton of money, competed on the biggest stages and given plenty to charity. But he’s most proud of the fact that he’s done it with basically the same team over the years. His uncle is his manager. One of his best friends is his longtime caddie. His putting coach has been the same for years. The success feels better when you can deliver it alongside those you care about. 

It was a perfect answer for me, who hadn’t heard Schauffele articulate that before. It was a perfect answer for Paighton, too, who was flanked by her family the entire day. They had driven out from New Jersey and Staten Island before dawn, all so she could have an epic golf experience. It ended in a way that tugged at the heart, too.

While we were wrapping up our morning together, a couple dozen of her friends from the local First Tee happened upon us and were so compelled by the parade of cameras flanking her that they figured their pal had gone platinum. Each of them had her sign their U.S. Open gear, sometimes multiple pieces, as if she were competing in the tournament. You couldn’t help but notice the smiles on their faces as Paighton signed their shirts next to the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Sam Burns and others. 

It was a reminder that there’s a lot more happening at these golf tournaments than we’ll ever truly appreciate. 

The Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Kyler Murray in March, and three months later, some traction suggests he could be a dark horse for the NFL MVP award in 2026.

Vikings fans will be content with Murray playing well enough to reach the postseason and win a playoff game, two, or a few, but NFL.com insists that Murray cannot be ruled out of the MVP race.

Vikings’ Offense Gives Murray a Real Stat-Friendly Setup

Dan Parr: Murray Is an MVP Dark Horse

Parr of NFL.com sized up nine MVP dark horses, and Murray showed up on the list at No. 8, one spot ahead of Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and seven spots below dark horse “frontrunner” Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback.

He explained, “We saw what Kevin O’Connell did with a reclamation project two years ago, when he flipped the career arc of Sam Darnold by helping him become a Pro Bowl QB (and earn a few points in the MVP voting) in his lone season with Minnesota. Now I’m fascinated to see what the QB guru can do with Murray, who’s looking for the O’Connell bump after cratering in Arizona.”

“He still has to beat out 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy for the starting job, but if Murray’s able to tap back into the dual-threat ability that earned him consecutive Pro Bowl trips a few years ago (2020-2021), it shouldn’t be much of a competition. While it might not pop off every corner of the page, the supporting cast in Minnesota looks strong on paper, led by one of the league’s top players in WR Justin Jefferson.”

No Vikings — or any non-quarterback — has won the award since 2012. It’s time.

Parr continued, “If Jordan Addison and Jauan Jennings stay healthy, that could be a tough trio of pass catchers for defenses to match up against. The offensive line is solid, anchored by LT Christian Darrisaw. They’re not the most dynamic at tight end (T.J. Hockenson) or running back (Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason), but all in all, it’s a respectable group. Murray has demonstrated a propensity for making defenses look silly.”

“He was doing it not too long ago, albeit too infrequently. If O’Connell helps him unlock peak form, the Vikings could be surprise contenders in the NFC North, and the heat from the QB’s MVP campaign might turn snowmen into puddles across Minneapolis next winter.”

Well, the Career Production Is There

It might feel like a really bold take in June to proclaim Murray as an MVP candidate, but a peek under the hood of his career production shows that it wouldn’t be strange at all if he nibbled at contention.

Every starts 17, Murray averages this stat line:

And those numbers are with sometimes poor Cardinals teams that were limited by suspect defense. If one assumes that Murray experiences a statistical bump upon arriving in Minnesota, well, his statistics would absolutely mandate MVP consideration, not unlike Darnold’s 2024 pit stop in the Twin Cities.

Just Stay Healthy?

Here’s the kicker for Murray to be truly viewed as an MVP candidate: his availability.

Since 2019, when Arizona picked Murray with the first overall pick, he has missed 26% of all games to injury. That percentage could be slightly inflated because of his “soft benching” by the Cardinals in 2025, or so goes the theory, but as a whole, Murray usually misses about a quarter of all starts.

It would be tricky for Murray to be classified as an MVP candidate while, for example, playing 13 games in 2026. He could miss a game or two, but MVP voters evaluate health as well, since availability is a factor in value.

Therefore, Murray has a mission: stay healthy, play efficiently in Kevin O’Connell’s offense, and let Brian Flores’s defense take care of the rest — as it usually does.

The Real Frontrunners

Back to reality, these are the true leaders in the MVP race with the regular season less than three months away:

• Josh Allen: +550
• Lamar Jackson: +650
• Justin Herbert: +1000
• Joe Burrow: +1000
• Patrick Mahomes: +1000
• Drake Maye: +1100
• Dak Prescott: +1300
• Caleb Williams: +1400
• Matthew Stafford: +1400
• Jordan Love: +1500
• Jayden Daniels: +2000

Maye and Stafford battled to the very end in 2025, with Stafford prevailing by a whisker. Sportsbooks believe Allen is due to win the award for a second time.

Murray was in the mix to win the MVP award in 2021, but the league ultimately honored Aaron Rodgers during his penultimate season in Green Bay.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

Turns out some folks outside of Minnesota recognize the abilities of Vikings defender Josh Metellus. Admittedly, he had a reasonably poor 2025, but much of that was due to injury. Seeing him bounce back should be the expectation.

On The Athletic, Ted Nguyen assembled a list of the most versatile players in the NFL. Scroll down a bit — journeying past names such as Kyle Hamilton, Puka Nacua, and Christian McCaffrey — means arriving at Mr. Metellus. Per Nguyen, Metellus is a “glue guy” who lets the defense as a whole to thrive.

Vikings Defender Earns Praise for Versatility

Start off with some general observations about how the Minnesota Vikings like to play defense.

“For Brian Flores’ wacky scheme to work,” Nguyen begins, “versatility is key. Offenses can’t get the usual tells based on where defenders line up. Josh Metellus isn’t a household name but he lines up everywhere on the Vikings’ defense.”

On a down-to-down basis, Josh Metellus is capable of embodying the Flores ethos.

From the same piece: “On one play, he’ll line up as the deep safety. On the next, he could play press coverage on a tight end. On third down, he could be blitzing on the line of scrimmage. He’ll even rotate into the box and play linebacker. It’s hard to play all the positions he does in a regular defense, but in Flores’ defense, he has to learn how to do multiple things within each spot.”

And finally: “His ability to make open-field tackles is essential for a defense that blitzes as much as the Vikings. If you miss open-field tackles on blitzes when the quarterback finds a hot route, it’s a recipe for disaster. Though he doesn’t make a ton of splash plays, Metellus is a glue guy for the Vikings.”

Both before and after the snap, Coach Flores is looking to create chaos and confusion. He can achieve that broad goal by deploying a pile of players capable of doing various things well.

Nguyen is bringing up a good point that having sturdy tacklers — while always important — is especially necessary due to the overall aggression. Sending so many players toward the quarterback means having less available for a tackle when the ball does get out. Whoever remains needs to be capable of erasing the ball carrier with minimal help, if any at all.

Per PFF, Metellus missed 8 tackles last year, a brutal number. He’ll be looking to rectify the issue.

More positive is that he got shuffled around quite a lot.

Most prominently, Metellus had beefy workloads at free safety (350 snaps) and in the box (315 snaps). He was a slot corner for 124 snaps, a wide corner for 35 snaps, and along the d-line for 43 snaps. Metellus isn’t the athlete Harrison Smith was, but he has done a nice job of stepping into that Smith role.

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Considered as a whole, the Vikings’ defense boasts a ton of versatile players. Other than Josh Metellus, Andrew Van Ginkel and Byron Murphy come to mind. Last year, Eric Wilson had a career year, largely due to playing well as an off-ball linebacker and as an edge rusher. Rookie Jake Golday is viewed as a “Swiss Army Knife” by some. Other players could surely be included, as well.

Look for Minnesota’s defense to continue being the strength of the team in 2026.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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A female AEW star recently posted a cryptic message on social media. This post quickly spread like wildfire all over the internet. Many started making wild speculations about her status with the Jacksonville-based promotion.

The star is none other than the ROH Women’s World Champion, Athena. The former WWE star has been one of the top names in the AEW women’s division for the past few years. However, for a while, she has been facing lackluster bookings in the company. This week, Athena took to X to say that she is not feeling right about something. While the star did not reveal exactly what, she said that she will explain it someday.

Many X users believed that The Fallen Goddess was trying to express her disappointment over her booking through this social media post. Also, many fans speculated that Athena could be asking for her release from the Jacksonville-based promotion. Furthermore, some people started asking Tony Khan to book her to win the AEW Women’s World Title at All In this year.

There were some fans who were advocating for Athena’s return to WWE down the line. On the other hand, there were a few people who believed that her time would come eventually in All Elite Wrestling. Overall, fans were in a split where some wanted The Fallen Goddess to remain with Tony Khan and his company, while others wanted her to join WWE in the coming years.

Athena suffered a brutal loss on AEW Collision

This week’s AEW Collision is already taped following the end of Dynamite. Therefore, the spoilers from the show are out online. Athena was slated to square off with Maya World in the semi-finals of the Women’s Owen Hart Cup tournament. Heading to the event, The Fallen Goddess was not only the favorite to win the match, but she was the favorite to win the entire tournament.

However, as per the spoilers by PWInsider, World went on to defeat Athena in the semi-finals. Fans were clamoring to see the former WWE star getting the main event push in the company. Many believed that she could be the one to face Thekla for the AEW Women’s World Title at All In. But her loss has put into question Tony Khan’s booking for Athena.

Now, only time will tell what the ROH Women’s World Champion would be doing in All Elite Wrestling from here on. With All In coming in August, Tony Khan needs to create a solid plan to feature the former WWE star in the programming.