Football News

2:06 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester City have agreed a deal with Leeds United to sign Kalvin Phillips, sources have told ESPN. City are set to pay an initial £42 million to sign the midfielder with another £3m due in add-ons. Midfielder Darko Gyabi, 18, will join Leeds in a separate deal worth £5m. –

4:30 AM ET Lionel Messi is celebrating his birthday on Friday as he turns 35. 2 Related Messi is also entering the final 12 months of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (though the club have the option of adding another year) in what could prove to be a significant period as he starts to wind

12:56 PM ET Wayne Rooney earned praise for his work at Derby after battling two separate points deductions for entering administration. Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images Wayne Rooney has told Derby County that he wishes to leave his role as manager with immediate effect, the club announced Friday. The news comes after Derby were relegated from

10:54 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Barcelona hope Tottenham can convince Clement Lenglet to move to the Premier League to kickstart a summer clearout at the Catalan club, sources have told ESPN. Tottenham and Barca have been in talks for weeks over a loan deal for the France international, who is not part of

6:48 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent A dividend payment being made to Manchester United owners the Glazer family has been branded “indefensible” by the club’s independent supporters’ trust. The Glazers, including executive co-chairmen Joel and Avram, are set to receive the bulk of an £11 million payment being made to shareholders on Friday. – Insider Notebook:

7:00 AM ET Four players, teams and tournaments to watch for this summer, from left to right: Lieke Martens, Netherlands, the Euros; Alex Morgan, USA, CONCACAF W Championship; Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria, Africa Women Cup of Nations; Debinha, Brazil, Copa America Femenina. Illustration by ESPN Ahh, summer — ’tis the season for the beautiful game’s biggest and

4:00 AM ET Erik ten Hag played a key role in Ralf Rangnick’s sudden exit from Manchester United — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: Why Man City are happy to lose Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus this summer. Jump to: Liverpool receive FA support | Why City are happy to lose Sterling, Jesus

9:45 AM ET When U.S. Soccer sends out press releases to announce upcoming match rosters, there are always a few stats and facts included. But I think this bullet from the announcement of the 23-player roster for CONCACAF’S World Cup qualification tournament sums up the state of the U.S. women’s national team perfectly: Honestly, when

2:36 PM ET Oliver McBurnie, pictured, and teammate Rhian Brewster were charged with common assault by the Nottinghamshire Police on Thursday. Getty Images Sheffield United duo Rhian Brewster and Oliver McBurnie were charged with assault by Nottinghamshire Police on Thursday following the disorder that marred their Championship playoff semifinal at Nottingham Forest last month. The club

12:29 PM ET Associated Press FIFA has approved bigger 26-man squads for the World Cup in Qatar, deciding Thursday to extend football’s relaxation of rules that help coaches and players during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move was expected from the FIFA Bureau — comprising the presidents of FIFA and football’s six confederations — after 23-player

9:18 AM ET The European soccer season ended in May, and there’s no major men’s international tournament on deck this summer. The NBA season just ended, and the NHL season is about to. Happily distracted by the Men’s and Women’s College World Series? The latter is over, and the former will be soon. Granted, the

8:21 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Barcelona have made a first offer to Bayern Munich for Robert Lewandowski and would also like to sign Sevilla‘s Jules Kounde to bolster their defence, sources have confirmed to ESPN. Bayern want more than €40 million for the Polish striker, who has expressed a desire to leave, but