Football

4:00 AM ET Real Madrid want to pair Kylian Mbappe with Erling Haaland in a forward line that would be the envy of world football — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: Arsenal have plans to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Jump to: Arsenal’s list of Auba replacements | City goodwill towards Barca in Torres deal

6:42 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — “That’s more like it,” said the presenter as he opened MUTV’s half-time coverage of Burnley‘s visit to Old Trafford on Thursday, and you could almost hear the relief spill out of the TVs dotted around the stadium. The past 12 months have been a tough sell for

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5:09 AM ET Barcelona have just nine first-team players available for Sunday’s trip to Mallorca after confirming that Sergino Dest, Abde Ezzalzouli and Philippe Coutinho have tested positive for COVID-19. A total of 10 players have now been ruled out this weekend with the virus as they isolate at their homes, per LaLiga protocols. Ousmane

5:59 PM ET LONDON — Even when Manchester City fail to hit the heights we have come to expect of Pep Guardiola’s team, they still end up basking on the sunny side of the street. The Premier League champions laboured to a 1-0 win at Brentford on Wednesday, yet they ended the day having stretched

5:17 PM ET Adam Brown Jorginho and Chelsea saw a potential win over Brighton slip through their hands. Robin Jones/Getty Images A win on Tuesday was vital for Chelsea as they looked to keep pace in the Premier League title race, and they looked to have sealed a victory before a late goal saw them drop

2:11 PM ET For the first time since he took the job at Chelsea last January, Thomas Tuchel is looking for answers. He didn’t get the ones he wanted from the Premier League, who declined the club’s request to postpone their eventual 0-0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Dec. 19 after a fresh outbreak of

7:33 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester United have rejected a loan offer from Sevilla for striker Anthony Martial, sources have told ESPN. Martial has told coach Ralf Rangnick he wants to leave in January but United have turned down an approach from the Spanish side because they only offered to cover half of his wages.

5:18 PM ET Harry Kettle Liverpool were left licking their wounds and wondering what could’ve been on Tuesday as they fell to a 1-0 Premier League loss against Leicester City. Jurgen Klopp’s men were all over Brenden Rodgers’ stubborn Foxes for long spells of the game, but after a collection of misses, it always felt

8:33 AM ET Barcelona have completed the signing of winger Ferran Torres from Manchester City, it was announced on Tuesday. Sources told ESPN that Barca were nearing a €55 million ($62m) deal for Torres, with the move now completed. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)– Don’t have ESPN? Get instant access Manchester

5:02 PM ET NEWCASTLE, England — Ralf Rangnick now knows the true magnitude of the job he has taken on as interim manager at Manchester United. When he wasn’t shaking his head on the touchline during a dismal 1-1 draw at Newcastle on Monday, Rangnick was rubbing his forehead in frustration. The only positive for

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7:00 AM ET The January transfer window opens across Europe in just a matter of days (find out when for each league here) and for some players the chance to relaunch their career elsewhere can’t come quickly enough. 2 Related With the COVID-19 pandemic inflicting long-term damage on the finances of clubs throughout the game,

5:30 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has confirmed Anthony Martial has asked to leave the club in January but no club has registered interest. Martial held a meeting with Rangnick last week, and he backed up the claims of his agent, Phillippe Lamboley, confirming that he wishes to leave the

3:21 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Man City’s attacking power is no surprise, but their brief collapse vs. Leicester showed the weaknesses that give the chasing pack hope. James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images MANCHESTER, England — For the first 25 minutes at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day, Manchester City showed why they’re favourites to win the

5:05 AM ET Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has labelled Thursday’s meeting between the Premier League and its managers a “waste of time” and criticised administrators for ignoring mounting concerns over the Christmas fixture schedule. All 20 head coaches held a virtual meeting to discuss player welfare and fixture congestion as English football battles on

8:21 AM ET Romaare in talks to sign Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan during the January transfer window, sources have told ESPN. It is understood the Italian club’s sporting director Tiago Pinto has made contact with Arsenal to explore the possibility of signing the midfielder, who is open to the move. Sources have told

6:37 AM ET Burnley‘s home match against Everton on Boxing Day has been postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak and injuries in the visitors’ squad, the Premier League has said. It becomes the third Boxing Day fixture to be postponed in the Premier League after Liverpool‘s match against Leeds United and the meeting between Wolves