Leeds United are expected to lose one of their star men after once again falling victim to the play-offs, meaning that Daniel Farke's side will remain in the Championship next season.

Leeds 0-1 Southampton

Having never been promoted via the playoffs in their history, Leeds looked well placed to end that curse after thrashing Norwich 4-0 in the semi-final, with the Elland Road outfit having comfortably been one of the best three teams in the Championship throughout the season.

But their inability to win at Wembley struck again as they turned in a poor performance against Southampton, which ultimately allowed a first-half Adam Armstrong strike to prove the difference between the two sides and take the Saints back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking, leaving Leeds to lick their wounds in the Championship next season.

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ByKelan Sarson May 27, 2024

"When you come so close after 90 points and a great play-off semi-final, it hurts a lot", Farke told the media after the game.

"It's more important to take it as extra motivation. The supporters deserve a day to celebrate and we feel that pain today. We're disappointed we could not send our fans back with something to cheer about and we're not in the promised land. It'll be difficult to come back stronger because we had 90 points this season."

The chance to come back stronger will be even more difficult as Leeds' grim financial picture is realised, with failure to secure promotion leaving them likely to need to raise cash fast this summer with a worrying financial picture emerging at Elland Road and £73.5m still owed for player transfers before anything can be spent this summer.

Now, news that Leeds fans will be fearing has broken.

Crysencio Summerville expected to leave Leeds

That news concerns the future of star man and Championship player of the season Crysencio Summerville, who had an unusually quiet game at Wembley and was substituted with his side chasing a goal.

Nonetheless, the Dutchman has been in sparkling form all season in England's second tier, with 19 goals and 9 assists in 43 Championship games, and his form has caught the eye of Premier League sides including Liverpool.

He has drawn plenty of praise from Farke too, with the German hailing his hard-work in training and his creative ability.

"Crysencio is a baller. When you see a guy touching the ball like he does it’s heart-warming. We want him to improve his effectiveness. Need goals and assists and end products. The next step in his career. Delivers like this, he is on a good path”, the Leeds boss explained.

“His reaction, not just in possession, because he’s an outstanding creative player, we know this, but also how hard he worked for the team. This is exactly what we need and many compliments to him.”

Summerville's exceptional season (EFL Championship)

Appearances

43

Goals

19

Non penalty goals

15

Assists

9

Shots on target per 90

1.18

Key passes per 90

2.88

Now, his departure seems certain, and The Athletic's Phil Hay has confirmed as much.

"Sales of certain players will be necessary this summer," he explained in reference to potential financial issues, before adding that "Summerville is among those expected to exit" on a permanent transfer before the new season starts.

With two years left on his current deal, Leeds are in a strong position when it comes to a deal, which could well see them take in just shy of a record fee when he does eventually leave Elland Road. But with another season in England's second tier confirmed, it could be only the first in a long line of difficult departures this summer for Leeds.

Chelsea have left themselves with a chance to finish inside the top six in the Premier League as they prepare for their final two matches of the season.

The Blues are currently seventh in the division and only behind Newcastle United in sixth on goal difference, ahead of clashes with Brighton & Hove Albion and Bournemouth this week.

Mauricio Pochettino's side are fighting to ensure that they nail down a place in the Europa League for the 2024/25 campaign, rather than the Europa Conference League.

The London giants did not compete in a European competition this season and they now look set to return to Europe under the Argentine head coach next term.

However, the full focus must be on these next two matches and what they can do to make sure that they come away with all six points, to give themselves the best chance of finishing ahead of the Magpies.

One change the former Tottenham Hotspur boss could make to his starting XI for the upcoming clash with Brighton could come in the right-back position.

Why Trevoh Chalobah should be dropped

Trevoh Chalobah could be ruthlessly binned from the lineup for the Blues after a difficult afternoon up against former Chelsea man Callum Hudson-Odoi against Nottingham Forest.

With Malo Gusto and Reece James now available, having both come off the bench against the Tricky Trees, Pochettino should drop the academy graduate to the bench, unless he decides to move him into a central defensive position.

90min reporter Tom Gott awarded the English defender a player rating of 5/10 against Forest, writing that he looked 'hesitant' throughout the game due to the threat of Hudson-Odoi.

Noni Madueke, who won three of his 13 duels in the game, did not do much to help his right-back out as Chalobah found himself isolated against the former England international far too often.

Chalobah won one ground duel and completed one tackle in the match and Hudson-Odoi, the player he was marking for most of the game, created four chances, including one 'big chance, hit the woodwork, and scored a fantastic goal.

His defensive work, however, is not the reason why Pochettino should look to take him out of the right-back position for these last two matches. It is, instead, his lack of quality in possession that should tempt the manager to shuffle the pack on Wednesday night.

As you can see in the table above, Chalobah has offered very little as a creative force down the flank for Chelsea, with less than one chance created every other game on average.

These statistics show that, as you would expect from a player who typically plays as a centre-back, the 24-year-old dud is not likely to bomb forward to split open opposition defences with killer passes or impressive crosses into the box for the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku.

The player Pochettino should replace Trevoh Chalobah with

Pochettino can brutally bin Chalobah from the starting XI at right-back by unleashing 20-year-old sensation Malo Gusto from the start on Wednesday.

The French whiz recently missed four matches through injury and has come off the bench in the last two matches since making a return from that knock.

He should now be unleashed in the lineup against Brighton as the talented gem has the attacking quality to provide a far greater outlet down the right flank than his English teammate.

In the Premier League this season, Gusto has racked up five assists, 2.75 xA, seven 'big chances' created, and 1.2 key passes per game on average, which means that the £45k-per-week ace averages four times as many key passes per match than Chalobah.

As you can see in the table above, the young star ranks well above average among his positional peers in a host of key attacking metrics in the Premier League this season.

Gusto, who was lauded as "outstanding" by journalist Ben Jacobs earlier this year, has proven that he has the quality to create high-quality chances consistently in the English top-flight, which makes him a dangerous weapon for Pochettino to have in his arsenal.

This is why the former Southampton manager must unleash the 20-year-old wizard from the start against Brighton as he has the potential to offer significantly more than Chalobah in attack, which could help them to secure all three points against Roberto De Zerbi's side.

Gusto has also proven himself to be solid enough from a defensive perspective with a duel success rate of 55% and a ground duel success rate of 59%, which shows that opposition forwards do not find it easy to get the better of him in physical contests.

The alternatives to Malo Gusto

James, who came off the bench against Forest, is also available as a potential option for the manager to call upon at right-back on Wednesday night.

However, he had been out for far longer than the four games Gusto missed and it may not be worth the risk of throwing him back in straight away when there are only two league matches left.

The England international has missed a staggering 38 games through injury this season and has not started in any competition since the 4-1 loss to Newcastle in November 2023.

With Gusto available, there is no need to risk aggravating an injury by bringing him back before he is 100% ready to start and it could make sense to give him the summer and pre-season to be fully prepared to hit the ground running next season.

Instead, James could be used as a super substitute off the bench, which is the role he played to great effect against Forest on Saturday evening.

The full-back came on with 11 minutes to go and assisted the winning goal from Jackson with a fantastic whipped cross to find the striker at the back post, and he may look to have a similar impact this week.

حقق الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة الفوز الخامس على التوالي في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا على حساب بوروسيا دورتموند بنتيجة 3-2 في ألمانيا مساء أمس، الأربعاء.

ويحتل برشلونة المركز الثاني في ترتيب مجموعة دوري أبطال أوروبا برصيد 15 نقطة وبفارق 3 نقاط عن ليفربول المتصدر بالعلامة الكاملة حتى الآن بعد 6 جولات.

اقرأ أيضًا | فليك: أهداف دورتموند بسبب أخطائنا.. وبرشلونة كان جائعًا للنجاح

Mai falla. Mai. pic.twitter.com/TWBOcqZWLW — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) December 12, 2024

فرص ضمان برشلونة تأهله ضمن أفضل 8 مراكز في دوري أبطال أوروبا

فوز الأمس أمام بوروسيا دورتموند أوصل فارق الأهداف إلى 14 هدفًا كافية لإنهاء الجولة السادسة في المركز الثاني حتى لو كان تعادل في ألمانيا.

حيث سجل برشلونة 19 هدفًا واهتزت شباكه 5 مرات فقط في الجولات الست التي خاضها تحت قيادة المدير الفني، هانز فليك.

1- لضمان التأهل على برشلونة الفوز في مباراة واحدة على الأقل إذا فاز على بنفيكا أو أتالانتا، سيرفعون رصيدهم إلى 18 نقطة، بها، سيكون لديه عدد نقاط كافٍ لضمان التأهل بغض النظر عن نتائج الآخرين.

2- التعادل في المباراتين أمام بنفيكا وأتالانتا في شهر يناير المقبل قد يكون كافيًا أيضًا حيث يصل بالفريق إلى النقطة رقم 17.

3- إذا تعرض برشلونة لخسارة في مباراة من المباراتين والفوز في الثانية، يجب ألا يكون فارق الأهداف كبيرًا لأنه يلعب دورًا حاسمًا في ترتيب الفرق المتعادلة بالنقاط في النهاية.

For the past decade, the Tottenham Hotspur faithful have been blessed with the brilliance of Harry Kane.

Their all-time top goalscorer will forever remain a legend of the club, but since his departure last summer, the Lilywhites have lacked his presence.

Richarlison and Heung-min Son have attempted to fill his void, and despite the latter in particular performing well, they’re yet to find a true replacement.

However, that could all change this summer, with Ange Postecoglou keen on acquiring a fantastic number nine to bolster his attack.

Spurs’ search for a Kane replacement

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Spurs are interested in signing Santiago Gimenez.

The Mexican striker impressed last season at Feyenoord, and he’s set to be a target for a handful of clubs this summer, including Liverpool.

However, according to Bailey, Spurs are currently in pole position to acquire his signature, saying:

“I think Spurs like him a lot, they’ve been doing work on him. I’d be making them favourites in that race at the moment.”

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ByMatt Dawson Dec 18, 2023 Why Gimenez would be Spurs’ best striker since Kane

Gimenez is a name that the average Premier League fan may not be aware of, but the Mexican has been making waves across Europe over the past two years.

The 23-year-old Feyenoord striker has been tearing up the Eredivisie and each European competition he’s played in since joining the Dutch side, netting 49 times in 86 appearances.

During the 2022/23 campaign, Gimenez introduced himself with 15 league goals in 21 starts, and this season he’s just gone from strength to strength.

Over 41 appearances across all competitions, the left-footed ace has scored an impressive 26 goals, including two in the Champions League in four matches, which proves he can perform at the highest level.

Starts

29

34

18

Goals

23

17

11

xG

23.01

12.01

9.59

Assists

6

10

4

Big chances created

9

20

3

Shots

3.6

2.4

2.2

Key passes

1

2

0.6

Touches

28.6

42

26.2

Passes completed

8.8

24.9

9.5

It’s no surprise to see that football scout Jacek Kulig has described him as a "machine," especially when you consider his tremendous goal-scoring ability.

Just like Kane, he’s the type of centre forward who only needs half a chance to put the ball in the back of the net, as shown by his xG to goal ratio, which could’ve been the difference this season in Spurs colours.

On top of that, he’s also a source of creativity due to his quality link-up play, picking up six assists and creating nine big chances.

However, his overall play style is to stay on the fringes of the game and influence it when it matters most, often playing on the shoulder of the defender, as displayed via his low touches and passes statistics.

Although Son has been excellent this season, scoring and creating for fun even without his partner in crime, he doesn’t fit the profile of a typical number nine that Postecoglou is looking for.

The introduction of Gimenez could have an astounding impact on how the side plays, particularly in attack, and having a constant threat inside the box would see the performance of the creative outlets such as James Maddison, Pedro Porro, and Brennan Johnson increase significantly.

Overall, the number 29 must be the priority this summer, and he could just be the perfect replacement for Kane…at long last.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes May 31, 2024

This will be the first time the body carries out tests during the IPL, after the BCCI came under its ambit last year

Jonathan Selvaraj25-Aug-2020India’s National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) has joined hands with its counterparts in the UAE and will send teams to be stationed at the three IPL match centres and two training venues, with a plan of conducting around 50 random tests during the tournament. This is the first time NADA will be in charge of conducting the tests during the IPL, after the BCCI came under its ambit in 2019; in previous years the BCCI has conducted its own tests.”This is the first year that dope tests in the IPL will be conducted directly by NADA,” Navin Agarwal, the director general of NADA, told ESPNcricinfo. “We have been conducting tests on cricketers ever since the BCCI came under NADA’s jurisdiction last year.”We were preparing for the IPL to be held in India in April. Of course, because of the situation, we have had to move to UAE. We had planned for the tests in India. But now that the tournament is being held there, we have to do the testing there.”

The tests will be randomised, and be both in competition and out of competition. We will make the appropriate arrangements for carrying the kits or sourcing the kits in Dubai. We have tied up with the UAE anti-doping agency for this purpose as wellNavin Agarwal, NADA director-general

NADA will be sending a total of nine people from India, three officials and six dope-control officers (DOCs), who will form three teams while in the UAE. Each of the three teams, while in the UAE, is expected to be assisted by local chaperones, who will help in sample – urine and blood – collection. Stations will be set up at the three match venues, one each in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, as well as the training facilities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.”The tests will be randomised, and be both in competition (samples to be taken at playing venues) and out of competition (samples to be collected at training centres),” Agarwal explained. “We will make the appropriate arrangements for carrying the kits or sourcing the kits in Dubai. We have tied up with the UAE anti-doping agency for this purpose as well.ALSO READ: 2020 IPL will be ‘more secure’ from corruption”There was no restriction placed on us regarding in the number of the DOC and officials we could send. However, we felt that three officials and six dope-control officers would be enough for the job at hand.”Like the players, support staffers and tournament organisers, NADA personnel will also have to be part of the bio-secure bubbles, put in place to keep people secure from Covid-19, while in the UAE.”We have to protect our DCOs and officials so we will follow the same health and safety protocol in the biobubble just as the rest of the teams are,” Agarwal said. They will also be tested for Covid-19 prior to their departure and on their arrival in the UAE.The pressure on the BCCI to comply with NADA intensified around the middle of 2019, when Prithvi Shaw tested positive for a banned substance. The Indian sports ministry wrote a stern letter to the BCCI – days before the Shaw matter came to light – questioning its authority and its protocols in matters of dope tests.The BCCI agreed to comply with NADA not long after, with then chief executive Rahul Johri saying that the board had to “follow the law of the land”. Prior to that, the BCCi had consistently argued that it was an autonomous organisation and not a national sports federation, and therefore not under NADA’s jurisdiction.

Pakistan’s worries that there may have been a breach of the bubble they are supposed to maintain on tour appear to be over, with Mohammad Hafeez back with the squad, having returned a negative test for Covid-19.Hafeez was placed in self-isolation on Wednesday and underwent testing, but once the results came back negative on Thursday morning, he rejoined the rest of the squad.The Pakistan allrounder breached the regulations around social distancing during a round of golf on Wednesday. It came to light after he posted a picture on social media with a member of the public, a 90-year old woman who was not part of the biosecure bubble. Though the picture showed them maintaining some distance between them, it was evident they were within two metres of each other.The PCB released a statement acknowledging the breach, and announced that Hafeez was being tested and placed in self-isolation until the test results came back. It was termed an “inadvertent mistake”, with no further action to be taken. ESPNcricinfo understands the decision was taken in consultation with the ECB, whom the statement said were “updated of the decision”.The breach has seen the PCB take a significantly less austere approach than in other instances of breaches over the summer.England fast bowler Jofra Archer was stood down for the second Test and entered self-isolation for five days. He was only allowed to rejoin the side upon returning two negative tests.The same was required of West Indies head coach Phil Simmons, who left the team bubble to attend his father-in-law’s funeral.Earlier this week, 19-year old Kent batsman Jordan Cox was dropped for a Bob Willis Trophy fixture after posing for a photograph with young fans.The golf course where Hafeez committed the breach is open to members of the public, though the players have been instructed to maintain social distancing. Hafeez is not part of the Test squad, but will be in consideration for the T20I leg of the tour, beginning on August 28.Malik to join squad on FridayMeanwhile, Shoaib Malik will join the Pakistan squad on Friday, having earlier obtained permission to skip the first four weeks of training on the tour in order to spend time with his family. Fast bowler Mohammad Musa, who was picked as a back-up to the original 29-member Pakistan contingent on the tour, has been released.August 14, GMT 1140 The story was updated with the news of Malik joining the squad.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Seleção olímpica já está escalada para o confronto decisivo dos Jogos Olímpicos de Tóquio, diante da Espanha. O técnico André Jardine contará logo mais, no Estádio Yokohama, com um retorno relevante no setor ofensivo: Matheus Cunha.

RelacionadasOlimpíadasNas mãos de quem? Brasil e Espanha trazem gerações diferentes na meta em busca do ouro na OlímpiadaOlimpíadas06/08/2021

O camisa 9 havia sofrido uma contratura muscular na coxa esquerda no decorrer do duelo com o Egito. Devido ao curto tempo, se tornou desfalque na semifinal contra o México. No entanto, nos últimos dias evoluiu em sua recuperação e mostrou que está em condições de recuperar sua titularidade.

BRASIL ESCALADO! Com Matheus Cunha recuperado, essa é a #SeleçãoOlímpica que vai em busca da medalha de ouro na decisão dos Jogos de Tóquio! Foco máximo e vamos pra cima! 💪🏅🇧🇷

🇧🇷 x 🇪🇸 | 8h30 | #BRAxESP #JogosOlímpicos pic.twitter.com/JghSpwY8bY

— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) August 7, 2021

O Brasil vai a campo com: Santos; Daniel Alves, Nino, Diego Carlos e Guilherme Arana; Douglas Luiz, Bruno Guimarães, Claudinho e Antony; Matheus Cunha e Richarlison.

Everyone involved with Birmingham City next season will have an immediate concern on their minds to put right, returning back to the Championship at the first time of asking, after a dismal relegation down to League One.

The American owners at St Andrew's wouldn't have expected a first relegation down to the third tier in 29 years to come so soon into the infancy of their stewardship of the Blues, having only officially acquired the club last year.

Mammoth plans for a new bumper stadium in the pipeline and much more are now mere afterthoughts to the business on the pitch and the immediate business off it regarding the vacant dug-out, with Birmingham still managerless after the departure of Tony Mowbray.

Dropping all the way down to the third tier doesn't mean SCL won't try and flex their muscles to try and pull off an ambitious Mowbray successor, with this highly regarded Championship boss even in their sights.

Birmingham looking at "brilliant" Mowbray alternative

It has been revealed by Football Insider in the past few days that West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan's representatives have spoken to Birmingham about the job post being available at the neighbouring West Midlands outfit, as the Spaniard shows signs of restlessness in the Baggies hot-seat.

Corberan has also shown a keen interest in the Burnley position, with the Blues having to really sell a project to the 41-year-old to make him drop a division, especially if the Clarets come knocking for his in-demand services.

Corberan

51

22

13

16

Gary Rowett

8

3

2

3

Mowbray

8

4

1

3

Wayne Rooney

15

2

4

9

John Eustace

13

6

3

4

Managing more games just himself than the in-and-out quartet at Birmingham could muster up this campaign, Corberan could be the steady presence the Blues need next season, especially when you consider the former Leeds United assistant manager shone for the Baggies in his permanent manager role to lead them to the Championship play-offs.

Corberan's managerial style

This move could well be viewed as a step down for the current West Brom man considering that achievement is still fresh, but with the likes of Sky Sports commentator Don Goodman labelling Corberan as a "brilliant" manager in the second-tier, the West Midlands outfit would be foolish not to push ahead and try to pull off a coup regardless to send a statement out to their new division.

Corberan would also make Birmingham a far more resolute and well-drilled unit if he were to take over the reins, having made his current Baggies side "horrible to play against" as was further stated by Goodman.

West Brom only shipped 47 goals last season from 46 games, compared to Birmingham's dire 65, and so Corberan could be prepared to win promotion by any means necessary, with more attritional and effective football served up.

It's been the case throughout his successful managerial career in the EFL, with his Huddersfield Town side getting to a Championship play-off final against Nottingham Forest despite never blowing teams away, scoring nine fewer goals than eventual final opponents Nottingham Forest and even beating Luton Town in the semi-finals for a spot at Wembley.

Yet, despite boasting such an impressive track record in the Championship, Corberan has only ever managed to beat Birmingham twice, with the 3-1 defeat he suffered at the hands of the Blues this campaign just finished funnily enough John Eustace's final game in charge of the club before the wheels well and truly fell off at St Andrew's.

Blues chairman Tom Wagner has now finally admitted that that was a decision 'they wouldn't have made' with hindsight now on their side, but with the situation as bleak as it is, Corberan could be the saviour Birmingham need to show to everyone they mean business and aren't going to wallow in their self-pity for too long.

Birmingham eye Mowbray successor who could get James to stay

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ByKelan Sarson May 31, 2024

The franchises had earlier been told to expect the fixtures list by August 20

Shamya Dasgupta26-Aug-2020

With just over three weeks to go for the start of IPL 2020, there is still no clarity on the schedule of the 60-match tournament, to be played across the UAE. The delay in announcing the fixtures list – which the franchises had been told to expect by August 20 – stems from Covid-19-related travel restrictions between the emirates.There has been a spike in infection cases in the UAE, and mandatory checks have been ramped up at the border, making travel into Abu Dhabi more time-consuming than before. ESPNcricinfo understands that the IPL Governing Council members who are in the UAE have been speaking to officials of the Emirates Cricket Board – headed by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s minister of culture, youth and social development – to try and get the matter resolved urgently.It’s not only that the tournament is likely to be split – the plan is to host 21 of the 56 group-stage games each in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and 14 in Sharjah, with the playoffs in the first two emirates. In addition, Abu Dhabi is the base for two teams, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, who will have to cross the border several times.Though officials of the BCCI and IPL Governing Council have so far not commented on this, it seems to be no more than a matter of logistics, of synchronising team travel schedules so they comply with Covid-19-specific border entry regulations. Matt Boucher, the CEO of Abu Dhabi Cricket, believes the border issue, however, should not be too big a problem if everyone concerned follows the protocols put in place by the BCCI (for the event) and of the UAE government.”At the border, it’s either a DPI test or a PCR test, and it’s purely to protect the population of Abu Dhabi. Many hundreds of people are using the border every day, and it’s certainly not a hassle or an issue,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “It just has to be, of course, tailored into the event schedule with rotational testing. But the teams need to be tested in accordance with the protocols of the event, the UAE government, and the BCCI protocols for the event. And if those are in line with the testing procedures at the border, then the facilitation will take place.”The way the UAE authorities want it to work is for all team members – players and anyone else travelling into Abu Dhabi – to return negative tests 48 hours before they get to the border. After that, with VIP lanes and police escorts in place, the delay shouldn’t be as much as some people fear, Boucher felt.”If Sunrisers Hyderabad is staying in Dubai, and playing in Abu Dhabi on a Wednesday, the team rotation for that test needs to take place 48 hours before they travel to Abu Dhabi. And they can then travel seamlessly back to Dubai. It shouldn’t be a sticking point.”The match schedule and the testing of the players need to be aligned. It’s not an easy task, it needs to be thought out, it needs to be calculated, but the safety of the players and others is the most important thing. It’s not an international border, it’s a safety mechanism.”Similar logistics will apply for the Abu Dhabi-based teams, Boucher said. “For example, if Mumbai are playing in Dubai on Wednesday, then 48 hours before that match they need to have the PCR test to return from Dubai. That will be facilitated by a VIP lane and Dubai police escorts and Abu Dhabi police escorts. Upon their return to the Abu Dhabi border, the police will already have all the negative test reports, and they will seamlessly come through the border via a VIP lane.”There have also been murmurs of some teams not being happy about playing games in the afternoon heat, with matches starting at 2pm local time – ten double-headers had tentatively been penciled in by the IPL Governing Council when they announced the decision to shift the tournament to the UAE. Whether that is still a sticking point or not remains to be seen.

Lionel Messi could be in line for a return to the Club World Cup, with Inter Miami open to gracing that event in 2025.

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Expanded event heading to the United StatesHerons may be asked to join the partyArgentine has won trophy on three occasionsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

An expanded version of the FIFA-hosted tournament will be heading to the United States next summer. Some 32 teams will now be taking part in the competition, which is set to be held on a quadrennial basis rather than an annual one.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Seattle Sounders, as winners of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League, will be providing MLS representation on U.S. soil. The United States will also be allowed to send another team on an invitation basis – with it suggested that Inter Miami may get that nod.

WHAT MARTINO SAID

The Herons are an obvious choice as they have eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi on their books, and are in the hunt for MLS Cup glory in 2024. Inter Miami boss Tata Martino has said of accepting an invite if one were to be sent to Florida: “Obviously we would like to. Who wouldn't like to participate in a Club World Cup? We have the objectives for this year, what lies ahead, but the other part and the way of qualifying will be determined by those who have to decide.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Messi has graced the Club World Cup on several occasions in the past, but not since capturing that particular crown in 2015. He claimed said title on three occasions while on the books at Barcelona – with global glory complementing three of his four Champions League triumphs during a record-setting spell at Camp Nou.