Barcelona are looking for a 30-goal strike bundle next season to replace LewandowskiAs we move closer towards the start of the new season, Barcelona are still yet to find a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski.Julian Alvarez is the obvious pick, but Atletico Madrid have made things quite difficult for the Blaugrana and are not willing to sell their star player to a direct rival.To make things worse, Ferran Torres is reportedly keen on a move to PSG, with Barcelona not expected to go out of their way to keep hold of the Spaniard.That leaves Barcelona with an uphill task: find a strike combination that can replace the productivity offered by both Ferran and Lewandowski last season.Barcelonas major objective in the marketBarcelona are looking to fill Lewandowskis void. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)As reported by Diario SPORT, Barcelona are essentially searching for a bundle of goals to make up for those that have departed, with a new centre-forward the key piece of the puzzle.Lewandowski, even in a below-par final season, still scored 19 goals, while Marcus Rashford chipped in with 14 during his loan from Manchester United. That amounts to 33 goals that have now vanished from the squad, and Barcelona must find a way to replace them.Some of that void has already been addressed on the wings. Anthony Gordon arrived after scoring 17 for Newcastle, 10 of which came in the Champions League, while Karim Adeyemi added 10 for Borussia Dortmund. Together, the pair contributed 27 goals last season, though their combined 11 assists fall short of the 14 Rashford provided.The real focus, however, remains the number nine, and getting that signing absolutely right.Why Alvarez remains the dreamAlvarez continues to be the standout target, and Barcelonas technical staff are convinced he would thrive in Flicks system.The Argentine scored 20 goals for Atletico last season, narrowly bettering Lewandowskis tally, and also registered nine assists to the Poles four. Alvarez remains the dream target for Barcelona. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)While that figure is some way short of Lewandowskis 30-goal average across his four years at the club, Barcelona believe the Spider would see his numbers rise significantly in a far more attacking setup than Diego Simeones.At 11 years younger, Alvarez would also offer far more in terms of pressing and link-up play, making him the ideal profile for Flicks demands. Barcelonas formal offer of close to 100 million remains on the table, though the club acknowledge it cannot stay there forever.The alternativesShould the Alvarez pursuit ultimately fail, Barcelona have alternatives lined up, though each comes with its own caveats.Eli Junior Kroupi had been considered Plan B, but that option has fallen apart following an injury to the Bournemouth forward, who scored 13 goals last season. A name gaining significant traction is Fisnik Asllani, the Hoffenheim striker who managed 11 goals and 13 assists in the Bundesliga and is said to be prioritising a move to Barcelona.Finally, there is the experienced option of Dusan Vlahovic. The 26-year-old endured an injury-hit campaign at Juventus but still scored 10 goals, and is currently available as a free agent.

Infantino eyed an XXL salary with his FFE project (The Times)Revelations keep coming!As the hours go by, more and more is being revealed about the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) project, which has now been scrapped by FIFA.According to revelations from The Times, Gianni Infantino could have earned an annual salary of $30 million, or around 26 million, if he had taken charge of FIFAs future commercial company.As a reminder, FIFA published its financial report in June 2026, which showed that Gianni Infantino received $4.6 million during 2025. The FIFA president would therefore have benefited from a 525% salary increase if the FFE project had been approved.A colossal sum that has reignited criticism surrounding a project that was ultimately abandoned under pressure from several major confederations, including UEFA, Concacaf, and the AFC.For its critics, FFE would have opened the door to ever-increasing commercialization of world football.FIFA, however, rejects these accusations. The governing body insists that this initiative had only one goal: to increase commercial revenue in order to boost the funds redistributed to its 211 member associations, and not to sell football.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in here.

In the end, he left the way we all knew he would, to play with the rich kids, to star in the land of movie stars. Didnt matter that he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers, developed by the Tigers or elevated to greatness with the Tigers.Once Tarik Skubal became the best pitcher in baseball, he was no longer ours. The gods of money, greedy agents and big markets took over, pushing mere mortals in smaller markets aside.Skubal became the pretty girl you knew was going to leave you for the football star, the startup genius you knew was going to get lured away by Google. Now hes the object of that Drifters song, There Goes My Baby, moving on down the line.There goes our baby. A little before midnight on the first day of August, Scott Harris, the Tigers' president of baseball operatons, traded Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers for three prospects: two pitchers and an outfielder, none of whom rank higher than fifth in LAs farm system.FANS REACT: MLB lockout omen? Reaction to Tarik Skubal trade has fans feeling darkIf anyone is supposed to start a sentence today with Im so excited, just look at what the Tigers got were waiting to hear it. Prospects, no matter what scouts tell you, are just prospects, and none of these new ones outfielder Zyhir Hope, right-handed pitcherRiver Ryan or right-handed pitcher Brady Smith are even in the top 20 in MLB.Skubal, 29, is the best in the business.But he's somebodys elses best this morning. And you know what? We should be glad its over. Because if you arent sick of this entire escapade by now, your tolerance level is up there with Job.A season on the train tracksGRADING THE TRADE: How did Detroit Tigers fare in blockbuster?Even before this season started, all we heard was how the Tigers have to trade Skubal because theyd never be able to afford him in free agency after this year.Then in April, once they won six straight at home, people whispered how they might be a serious playoff team, and maybe they should keep him and go for it all.Then May came, the Tigers sank, and we were back to no choice but to trade him.Then June came and the Tigers surged, and we were back to maybe we should roll the dice.Then July came and they sunk again, and we ping-ponged back to the must deal him square.Enough. This isnt sports. Its the stock market. The Dodgers, who have the most money, the best roster and the last two World Series in their pocket, now get Skubal, the back-to-back American League Cy Young winner and the finest pitcher the Tigers have had since Justin Verlander, whom, you recall, was also traded for a dubious package of prospects who didn't pan out as stars.Skubals potential departure hung over every start this season, and more recently hung over every Tigers outing: Did they win a couple in a row? Maybe we keep Skubal. Did they lose a couple? We cant keep Skubal.No wonder A.J. Hinch told the media last month the Tigers having been playing Game 7 every night. They were on daily probation. One wrong move and the big guy gets shipped.Apparently, they made enough wrong moves. The Tigers enter Sunday at five games below .500, and are only mathematically still in the AL Central and wild-card races because the AL and the Central are awash in mediocrity.Its worth noting that the Tigers were only 9-7 in games that Skubal started this year. But they were 44-51 in the games other pitchers started. So if it feels like Detroit just threw the rest of this season on the train tracks, you understand why.There goes our baby.This is baseball ... and economicsNow, no doubt, fans will jump all over Harris and owner Christopher Ilitch especially the fans who feel this was a paltry return. There was a soundbite last week of former New York Mets GM Steve Phillips suggesting the Tigers could get a four-player package from the Milwaukee Brewers that included the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Jess Made. We have no idea if that was ever real, but since when does that stop fans from arguing?Still, before you put this all on ownership, lets point a finger at Skubal himself and agent Scott Boras. No one held a gun to Skubals head to hire Boras. He did it because Boras gets you the most money.And despite the fact that Skubal has told the media, I love Detroit and I want to be a Tiger for a very long time, he never told Boras to make a deal to stay here no matter what. He could have. He could have taken a new deal closer to $300 million than $400 million and played out his career in the town he supposedly loved.Instead, Skubal is playing this out the way they all play it out: Lets pit teams against each other and see how rich we can get.No complaints. Thats baseball. Or rather, free-market economics. But we dont have to attach our hearts to it. Just see if for what it is. A business. Hey, in a world where LeBron James, arguably the NBAs best-ever player, just made his fifth franchise move, we cant be surprised at anything.Departed for the cool kids' tableStill, if this doesnt send the message to baseball that they need to shut down until some financial equity can be constructed, I dont know what will. How many more players can the Dodgers scoop up? Their TV money is insane compared to MLB's other markets. Their spending is unbridled. Without a salary cap, rooting in baseball has become an exercise in hoping Dodgers get injured, rather than cheering on your home team, which clearly cant keep pace.The Tigers, who are not the Dodgers, may not be done dealing. With Skubal gone, 2025 All-Stars Casey Mize and Gleyber Torres could also go before Monday's trade deadline. Its called retooling, if not rebuilding. And you have to believe the current Tigers endured a huge gut punch seeing their best pitcher dealt away. Its hard to imagine they will feel the same about this season now.We shouldnt either. What stinks is that Detroit is once again made to feel lesser-than, that we dont rate amongst towns where the best players in their sport want to play and stay. We are told: Be glad that the Tigers didnt have to tie up $400 million on a soon-to-be 30 year-old pitcher, but that only makes you glad if no other team is willing to do it. Once the Dodgers or Yankees or a handful of other teams commit to playing in these ultra-rich sandboxes, what choice do the lesser markets have besides envy and glum acceptance?Not much. Skubal leaves the Tigers with incredible numbers a 61-42 record, just over 1,000 strikeouts and an ERA at 2.80 or lower the last four seasons and some memorable postseason heroics, including a 14-strikeout game against Cleveland in last season's AL wild-card series.Still, he will forever be recalled as the rabbit who ran ahead of the field, better at his job than other Tigers were at theirs, and gone before the rest could get up to snuff. The Tigers werent good enough, the franchise wasnt rich enough and the player himself wasnt devoted enough to staying here for less. Or at least thats what the Tigers believed.There goes our baby. We are the high schoolers watching our former best friend take a seat at the cool kids' table, or the bar band that sees its lead singer signed away by a man from the record company. Its going to feel truly weird watching Tarik Skubal, raised as a Tiger, pitching for the Dodgers in a few days. We can only hope its a West Coast game and we sleep through it.To paraphrase Billy Joel, say hello to Hollywood, say goodbye our baby. Not to be crude, but this whole ugly process was exhausting, and Id rather watch Little Leaguers than endure it again.Contact Mitch Albom:malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates on his charities, books and events atMitchAlbom.com. Follow @mitchalbomon x.com.This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mitch Albom: Losing Tarik Skubal is rough, but the process was worse

The Washington Commanders have a day off on Sunday before putting on the pads for the first time in training camp on Monday. Through three practices, it's clear to some who've attended Washington's early practices that the Commanders still need a No. 2 receiver opposite Terry McLaurin. Four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs remains a free agent, despite interest from around the NFL, including the Commanders. Could that change soon?Three teams have stood out as potential options for Diggs this summer: the Commanders, Ravens and Chiefs. Diggs wants to play, but he's been clear that he'd love to play for Washington, his hometown team. However, something happened on Saturday that could lead Kansas City to make a move for Diggs. Starting wide receiver Xavier Worthy left practice on a cart with what was believed to be a shoulder injury. Fellow wideout Cyrus Allen was also injured in Saturday's practice. That led to some panic amongst Chiefs fans. Fortunately for Kansas City, it received a positive report on Worthy and Allen. In addition to this positive injury news, Xavier Worthy (shoulder) is believed to be OK. https://t.co/ZBQcXNoT7Z Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 1, 2026But should this cause Washington general manager Adam Peters to make a move for Diggs now? There will be more injuries. Diggs is the best available healthy receiver, and it's not particularly close. He led the AFC champions in receiving last year. Diggs proved he can still play at a high level. When you consider the Commanders' need at receiver and more teams potentially needing a receiver in the coming days and weeks, now may be the right time to make a move for Diggs. The 49ers had no interest in reuniting with Deebo Samuel until injuries to Christian Kirk and Ricky Pearsall led them to bring him back. Now there will be teams you may not think would consider Diggs who would be calling him if one of their starting receivers goes down in practice. It's quite possible that Peters doesn't think Washington needs to add Diggs. Many would disagree. This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Could Chiefs' news lead Commanders to sign Stefon Diggs?

La Familia has made its first run to The Basketball Tournament's championship game in its third year competing in the summer event.The Kentucky basketball alumni squad defeated JHX Hoops, Kansas' alumni team, 78-65 on Wednesday, July 29, in a TBT semifinal matchup. Former UK guard Archie Goodwin led La Familia in scoring, putting up a game-high 28 points.Former Wildcats and others will face Davis Steel, a collection of former college basketball players from schools across the country, which came out of the "non-alumni" side of the bracket. Davis Steel competed in previous years as Eberlein Drive and eliminated La Familia in the round of 16 last summer.The winner of the game, which takes place at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, will take home the $2 million prize. The money distribution is determined by the team and its players."To be able to win this like, the money is cool, but to be able to do this for the school, I think is dope, because it just shows, like, 'Hey, even though (these) guys aren't in the NBA, they still are really good, and they're able to compete,'" Goodwin said. "That's kind of my mindset going in: I wanted to show that we still have that caliber whether it's NBA or not with our group, and I think we're doing a good job of that."So hopefully, we can continue to do that and win one more."Last summer's TBT winner was the AfterShocks, a Wichita State alumni team that fell in this year's quarterfinal game to JHX Hoops.What time is the TBT Championship between La Familia and Davis Steel?The La Familia/Davis Steel game will take place at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 2, at Memorial Coliseum.How to watch TBT Championship between La Familia and Davis Steel on TVThe TBT Championship game will be airing on Fox and streaming on the Fox Sports App.TBT Championship tickets at Memorial ColiseumTBT Championship tickets start at $30.40 as of 5 p.m. Friday, July 31.Reachsports trending writer Alaina Morris atamorris@gannett.comand follow her on X at @alainammorris.This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: What channel is Kentucky basketball TBT championship game on today?

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Rhian Edmunds' Commonwealth Games campaign has come to an abrupt end after the Welsh cyclist crashed heavily in her opening keirin heat on the final day of competition.Edmunds, 23, has now been ruled out of the keirin repechage as she is not fit to race, bringing her Games in Glasgow to a premature end after an impressive haul of one gold and one bronze medal.Emma Finucane, aiming for an historic fourth Games gold in Glasgow, eased through to the next round by winning her heat, while Lowri Thomas will compete in the repechage.William Salter, William Perrett, William Roberts qualified for the men's 40km points race.

Messi had 12 goal involvements for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup [Getty Images]Lionel Messi returned to action on Saturday following Argentina's World Cup final defeat by Spain, coming on as a substitute for Inter Miami in a 2-2 draw with Columbus Crew as team-mate Casemiro scored an own goal.Messi had not played competitively since captaining his country in their 1-0 loss on 19 July. The 39-year-old scored eight goals and registered four assists during the tournament.The forward was given a huge ovation by the Inter Miami home fans when he came on in the 53rd minute of the Major League Soccer match, although he missed two chances to score.Miami had taken the lead through Luis Suarez's audacious long range chipped strike for his seventh goal in four games.Brazil midfielder Casemiro, who joined Miami in July after leaving Manchester United, inadvertently equalised for Columbus when he put the ball into his own net when trying to make a clearance.But Noah Allen headed the home side back in front before Brais Mendez curled in an 84th minute free-kick on his debut to earn Columbus Crew a draw.Follow your club with BBC SportListen to the latest Football Daily podcastGet football news sent straight to your phone