Football

6:57 PM ET LONDON — The start of a new Premier League season brings with it a sense of regeneration and hope, everywhere that is except Arsenal. Nowhere was that optimism and anticipation greater than Brentford, an enclave of west London deprived of top-flight football for 74 years and desperate to fill their new stadium

7:17 AM ET Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he is puzzled by Manchester United‘s transfer business this summer but not surprised by the spending power of Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. United signed Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund for £73 million and have agreed a fee around £34m with Real Madrid to sign

10:41 AM ET Sam Marsden Sid Lowe Is everyone excited for the new LaLiga season? While there have been a few notable exits in the summer transfer window — some guy named Lionel Messi swapped Barcelona for Paris, we hear, and his longtime rival at Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos, joined him in the French capital

2:05 PM ET Destiny is calling for Romelu Lukaku. The 28-year-old has completed a sensational return to Chelsea from Internazionale in a deal that fell just short of breaking the British transfer record for the second time in as many weeks, after Manchester City‘s £100 million signing of Jack Grealish. The financial effects of COVID-19

4:14 PM ET The Premier League, Bundesliga and LaLiga kick off this coming weekend, with Serie A starting on August 21. Ligue 1 is already in action, though the real show there has yet to begin (more on that later). – ESPN+ viewers’ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more Everywhere you look in Europe,

2:45 PM ET PARIS, France — Seb and Ben had been waiting since 5 a.m. They were the first ones to arrive, and the two hardcore Paris Saint-Germain fans, who have had season tickets for years, had an idea to kill two birds with one stone on the greatest day of their lives, as they

12:28 PM ET Sam Marsden Julien Laurens On Monday, Lionel Messi sat at his home in Castelldefels, a beach town in the Barcelona suburbs, waiting for his move to Paris Saint-Germain to develop. It was revealed last Thursday that he could not return to Barcelona — negotiations had been ongoing with the French club since

5:00 AM ET Lionel Messi spoke at his first news conference as a Paris Saint-Germain player on Wednesday and said after a “very hard” end to his Barcelona career, his target is to win the Champions League again. PSG announced Messi’s arrival on Tuesday with the former Barcelona player signing a two-year contract, with the

4:49 PM ET ESPN staff Lionel Messi‘s move to Paris Saint-Germain is complete, and it happened in a style befitting of his status as the world’s best player. Private jets. Crowded streets. Fans massing at the stadium. An elaborate reveal. – ESPN+ viewers’ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more– Stream ESPN FC Daily on

4:18 PM ET Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing of Lionel Messi after the Argentina captain left Barcelona on a free transfer. Messi has signed a two-year contract with the Ligue 1 side, with the option of extending for a further year. – Messi’s tearful farewell on Barcelona’s day like no other– The definitive timeline

6:53 AM ET Sam Marsden Julien Laurens Lionel Messi is flying to Paris on Tuesday to finalise his move to Paris Saint-Germain, sources have told ESPN. The Argentina international is travelling to the French capital following Sunday’s emotional farewell to Barcelona at a news conference. Sources added that Messi has signed a two-year contract at

3:51 PM ET There has never, in the chequered history of Spanish football, been a prologue to a season like this one. Whether the next nine months of LaLiga — watch LIVE all season long on ESPN+ (U.S. only) — can produce drama that lives up to the last handful of weeks, I swear I

4:26 PM ET Euro 2020 ended barely five weeks ago, Copa America barely four. Hell, the Olympics ended last week, and now the new European club season is already here. Ligue 1 is already underway, and the rest of Europe’s Big Five leagues (German Bundesliga, English Premier League, Spanish LaLiga, Italian Serie A) will begin

7:51 PM ET Danny Lewis The summer transfer window is into its final month for the major European leagues, which means the biggest clubs are looking to make a splash in the market before the new season begins. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here. TOP STORY: Where to now

6:00 PM ET ESPN Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email From a tearful Lionel Messi bidding farewell to the only club he has ever known, to an emotional atmosphere at the annual Joan Gamper trophy clash — which just happened to be against Messi’s great rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus! — this was a day

9:25 AM ET Tottenham are pushing to complete a move for Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez after indicating they are willing to meet the club’s €71 million valuation, sources have told ESPN. Spurs and Arsenal are among the clubs tracking Martinez in hope of securing a deal with Inter, who are under pressure to offload

6:25 AM ET A tearful Lionel Messi has said his next move is not confirmed but he is talking about a lot of things, amid speculation he is set to join Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Barcelona. Barca announced on Thursday that Messi, a free agent since his contract expired in June, will not rejoin the

10:15 AM ET Caitlin Murray The U.S. women’s national team will leave the Tokyo Olympics with a bronze medal in hand, and a final performance that looked a bit more like what we all expected to see from the No. 1-ranked team in the world. The bronze medal game was the first in Japan in