Leeds United’s scouts have now reportedly been spotted keeping close tabs on a Champions League talent who just helped shock Borussia Dortmund.

Leeds join the race to sign Tyrique George

The Whites are beginning to turn their full attention towards the January transfer window. With survival in mind, those at Elland Road have already reportedly set their sights on key attacking reinforcements, who could take Daniel Farke’s from a relegation battle into much-needed Premier League comfort.

Whether one of those reinforcements is Tyrique George will certainly be interesting to see. The Chelsea youngster has struggled for game time at Stamford Bridge this season and desperately needs a move away from West London to get back on track next month.

The 19-year-old isn’t the only name on Leeds’ reported shortlist, however. Alongside the Chelsea youngster, the Yorkshire club have also reportedly set their sights on Barcelona’s Roony Bardghji in what would be a sensational move.

The young La Liga star is one of the best young talents around recently scored his first league goal for Barcelona since arriving in the summer.

Improving Farke’s frontline seems to be the priority at Elland Road next month and that should come as no surprise after Leeds missed out on a number of attacking targets in the summer.

Whilst the likes of Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have got off to impressive starts, the addition of another consistent goalscorer would certainly do Leeds’ survival hopes no harm. And if it’s not George or Bardghji, then it may well be Jens Petter Hauge who arrives in January.

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The Bodo/Glimt winger is reportedly on Leeds’ radar, with the 49ers joining their Premier League rivals in the race to secure his signature when 2026 arrives.

Leeds scouts spotted watching Jens Petter Hauge

As reported by TeamTalk, Leeds scouts have now been spotted keeping tabs on Hauge ahead of making a potential January move. Joined by Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton in the race for the 26-year-old, the Whites would be landing an impressive coup if they secured Hauge’s signature.

It’s easy to see why there’s so much interest in his signature, too. The Bodo/Glimt star was in clinical form in the Champions League earlier this week, shocking Borussia Dortmund by equalising for his side and securing a 2-2 draw against the odds.

His strike against Dortmund took Hauge’s total for the season to 11 goals in all competitions, which certainly looks good alongside the 11 assists that he’s also provided for the Norwegian side.

Having returned to his best form with a return to Bodo/Glimt in the summer, reports are now suggesting that Hauge wants to complete a Premier League switch in a major boost for Leeds and others.

Dubbed “exceptional” by Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank earlier this season, Hauge could earn redemption away from Norway after previous struggles at AC Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt on Europe’s top stage.

Anita 2.0: Farke signing already looks like he’ll never make it at Leeds

No room for Cephas Zhuwao, Wellington Masakadza and Tarisai Musakanda in the group, which will be trimmed for the four-ODI series against the UAE

Liam Brickhill25-Mar-2019Zimbabwe have picked three uncapped players in a squad of 27 to train together in preparation for the home ODI series against the UAE, to be played next month. Star batsman Brendan Taylor, whose stint with Lahore Qalandars in the PSL was cut short by a calf injury, is also part of the squad, suggesting that he will have returned to full fitness ahead of the first ODI on April 10.Two of the uncapped players – left-arm spinner Ainsley Ndlovu and middle-order batsman Charles Kunje – play for Matabeleland Tuskers, while offspinner Tony Munyonga debuted for Rising Stars last season and has since moved to Eagles.The 27-man training squad

Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Brian Chari, Solomon Mire, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Peter Moor, Sikandar Raza, Timycen Maruma, Regis Chakabva, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Richard Ngarava, Chris Mpofu, Donald Tiripano, Brandon Mavuta, AinsleyNdlovu, Richmond Mutumbami, Charles Kunje, Natsai M’shangwe, Ryan Burl, Elton Chigumbura, Tendai Chisoro, Roy Kaia, Carl Mumba, Tony Munyonga

Some familiar names from the fringes also returned to the mix: batsmen Roy Kaia and Timycen Maruma, wicketkeepers Richmond Mutumbami and Regis Chakabva, and legspinner Natsai M’shwangwe have all been recalled on the strength of their performances this season in franchise cricket.Kaia, Chakabva and Maruma all scored hundreds in the Pro50 tournament, while Maruma was also the leading runscorer in the Logan Cup, where he guided Mountaineers to the title with 409 runs at 81.80.Also returning to the national frame is fast bowler Carl Mumba. Mumba was on the sidelines for a year after seriously injuring his knee during Zimbabwe’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2017, but marked his return to professional cricket with 8 for 24 in a Logan Cup match at the beginning of the season, and could now force his way back into the national team.The experienced core of the national team is in place: captain Hamilton Masakadza, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Tendai Chatara, Kyle Jarvis, Elton Chigumbura and Craig Ervine, who will head into the training camp in red-hot limited overs form. Ervine stormed through the Pro50 and Domestic T20 competitions, averaging 211 at better than a run a ball as he topped the local fifty-over batting chart, and carried that form into the T20s, during which he was again leading run-scorer as he powered Tuskers to the title with 328 runs at a strike rate of 154.71.There were also a couple of notable absences from the squad, with hard-hitting opener Cephas Zhuwao overlooked and left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza unable to force his way in despite decent domestic limited-overs returns. Batsman Tarisai Musakanda has also fallen out of favour after an unspectacular season, while seamer Daniel Jakiel has not been called upon despite topping the Pro50 bowling table with 13 wickets at 11.84.The ODIs against UAE are scheduled for April 10, 12, 14 and 16, all at Harare Sports Club. Before the series gets underway, UAE will face Zimbabwe A in a 50-over warm-up match at Old Hararians Sports Club on April 8, two days after their arrival in the country.

ScorecardUmesh took seven wickets in 12 overs to run through Kerala, scuttling them for 106 all out in 28.4 overs. Faiz Fazal then steered Vidarbha’s reply with 75, taking them to 171 for 5 in 45 overs, with the lead standing at 65 runs.Kerala’s position was ameliorated by late strikes, when Sandeep Warrier accounted for Fazal and Atharva Taide, while Basil Thampi ensured nightwatchman Rajneesh Gurbani’s stay lasted only six balls. Vidarbha were in command at 170 for 2, but lost three wickets in 2.2 overs, including Taide off the last ball before stumps.Fazal had won the toss and put Kerala in on a spicy pitch at Krishnagiri Stadium in Wayanad. This was the same venue where Kerala had beaten Gujarat in the quarter-finals, with no team scoring more than 185 and seamers accounting for 34 of the 38 wickets that fell to bowlers.Jaffer had come into the game with 969 runs, and though he was out for 34 to a good catch at slip by KB Arun Karthik, it was enough to take him past 1,000 runs in the season. It was exactly ten years after he had made 1260 runs for Mumbai in 2008-09, and even at almost 41 years old, Jaffer showed that he was well up with modern memes in acing the #10YearChallenge.On the day though, Vidarbha’s batting was held together by the other veteran in the team. Fazal’s strokeplay on a pitch that offered something to seamers was compact and assured. His wicket did precipitate a mini-collapse, but Vidarbha’s lead in what is potentially a low-scoring game is already significant, and they have the assurance of unleashing Umesh in the second innings.Kerala’s batsmen had failed to handle Umesh’s pace and hostility in the first innings, and among the top order, only captain Sachin Baby (22) reached double figures. Vishnu Vinod, batting at No. 7, hit out to score 37 not out, adding 25 runs for the last wicket with MD Nidheesh while farming the strike. That stand took Kerala into three figures, but they couldn’t go much beyond that.Umesh’s latest performance came on the heels of his nine-wicket match haul ” target=”_blank”>against Uttarakhand in the quarter-finals, for which he was named the man of the match. He hadn’t been available for Vidarbha in the league stages as he was on national duty.Rajneesh Gurbani, who shared the new ball with Umesh, took the other three wickets, doubling his tally for what has been a sub-par season so far. Vidarbha didn’t need to give their spinners any overs, despite the pair of Aditya Sarwate (44) and Akshay Wakhare (27) being their leading wicket-takers this season.
ScorecardShreyas Gopal raises his bat•PTI

Karnataka were left to rue two bad periods of batting that bookended the day. They had been reduced to 30 for 4 after Jaydev Unadkat’s first spell of 7-3-19-3. Their middle order fashioned a recovery, but from 232 for 5, they collapsed again to end the day on 264 for 9.Unadkat made light of losing the toss at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, tearing through a star-studded Karnataka top order. His victims were R Samarth, lbw to the third ball of the match, KV Siddharth, Karnataka’s highest run-getter this season, and Mayank Agarwal, India’s newly minted Test opener.Fellow left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya, the 20-year-old who had made his debut this season, was rewarded for his tight lines and subtle movement with Karun Nair’s wicket.However, captain Manish Pandey came out with positive intent and combined with vice-captain Shreyas Gopal to stabilise Karnataka. Pandey had spent the previous two days polishing his attacking game in the nets, and he brought his full repertoire to the middle, driving and flicking with élan. He got to a half-century at quicker than a run-a-ball, and forced Unadkat to pull back from all-out attack to slightly more in-and-out fields.At the other end, Shreyas was more patient, and showed his batting chops. Pandey looked like he would play the defining knock of the innings, but Unadkat came back after lunch and bent his back to bowl with a bit more pace, getting him to be late on the ball before it thudded into the stumps.The fifth-wicket pair had put on a century stand but at 136 for 5, Karnataka were not yet safe. However, wicketkeeper-batsman S Sharath, playing only his fourth first-class match, showed great composure to string together another substantial stand with Shreyas. While Pandey had chosen to counterattack, both Sharath and Shreyas were more cautious, and built steadily.However, they seemed to have decided that among the Saurashtra bowlers, Kamlesh Makvana’s gentle offspin was the one to target, and that eventually led to Karnataka’s undoing. Makvana had leaked runs at a higher rate than Saurashtra might have liked, but when Shreyas had a lapse in concentration on 87, he missed a ball that went with the angle from around the stumps and bowled him.Karnataka’s lower order seemed intent on following Pandey’s method, but without the accompanying skill to execute it. K Gowtham was out to a casual waft three balls after being reprieved when Unadkat dropped a catch, while both Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun were dismissed slogging across the line.Sharath remained unbeaten on 74, but he now has only No.11 Ronit More for company.

Juan Soto was one of the last New York Yankees players to leave the dugout after the team lost the World Series in a 7-6 Game 5 defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.

In the biggest of moments, the Yankees couldn’t deliver, and now Soto could be looking for his next team amid rampant speculation over his future.

Soto’s teammates and coaches have made their opinion clear: “Stay with us,” Giancarlo Stanton said in a postgame media session. But Soto, who joined the Yankees this past December, is primed to test free agency this offseason.

The star slugger was asked if he expected the New York Mets to pursue him in free agency, and he gave a telling response.

“I don't know what’s the teams that are going to come after me,” Soto said. “But definitely, I’ll be open to this and every single team. I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that. I’m gonna be available for all 30 teams.”

Not a good indication of his chances of staying in the Bronx.

Soto, 26, helped the Yankees reach their first World Series since 2009, slashing .288/.419/.569 with 41 homers and a league-leading 128 runs during the regular season. He's reportedly expected to earn a contract in excess of $500 million.

In the wake of the Yankees’ crushing World Series loss, Soto elaborated on his time with the team and discussed whether the Yankees had an advantage in his upcoming free agency.

“Leaving any place that is a winning team is always hard. This place was really special. It’s been a blast for me. I've been really happy,” Soto said. 

“I feel like every team has the same opportunities when I go into free agency. I don’t want to say anyone has an advantage because at the end of the day we’re gonna look at what they have and how much they want me,” continued Soto.

The Juan Soto free agency saga of this offseason has finally ended.

On Sunday, Soto and the New York Mets agreed to a massive 15-year, $765 million contract, according to multiple reports. It marks the largest deal in professional sports history.

The superstar outfielder received interest from the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, but the Mets ultimately emerged victorious in the bidding war.

Soto, 26, joined the Yankees in December 2023 and enjoyed a dominant season in which he slashed .288/.419/.569 with a career-high 41 home runs. 

The four-time All Star will now leave the Bronx to team up with NL MVP runner-up Francisco Lindor in Queens. The Mets went 89-73 in 2024 and made a surprising run to the National League Championship Series, where they were eliminated by the Dodgers in six games. They'll now get Soto to hopefully make many more postseason runs for the next decade and a half.

Scott Harris had quite an awkward moment during an appearance on MLB network on Monday.

While being interviewed, the Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations was asked about a report from Jon Morosi that his team was interested in signing free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. The ensuing discussion was a bit awkward, as Harris was put squarely on the spot.

All things considered, he handled that pretty well.

Here's the original tweet from Morosi:

The Tigers have been looking for first base help and Goldschmidt would make sense. The 37-year-old is a seven-time All-Star, has won five Silver Slugger Awards and four Gold Gloves. He was named National League MVP in 2022, though he hasn't been the same hitter since.

In 2024 for the St. Louis Cardinals, he slashed .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs and 65 RBIs in 154 games. He had career-lows in batting average (.245) and OPS (.716) and tied a career-high with 173 strikeouts.

The Milwaukee Brewers season began on Thursday for the first time since former MLB catcher and longtime Brewers announcer Bob Uecker died in January, but his memory certainly wasn't forgotten on Opening Day.

There were numerous tributes for Uecker on Opening Day as the Brewers faced the New York Yankees to start their 2025 campaign. As Brewers infielder Vinny Capra hit the first home run of the season for Milwaukee, broadcaster Lane Grindle paid tribute to Uecker with his call of the play.

"Get up, get up, get outta here, gone for Vinny Capra," Grindle called, referring to one of Uecker's longtime sayings.

Before the game, the broadcast team aired special video in honor of Uecker. "No one loved the game, nobody loved the Brewers, nobody loved Milwaukee more than Bob Uecker," Bill Schroeder said during tribute. "He cherished every day at the ballpark. Had integrity, loyalty, class. Had time for everybody and anybody."

Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich continued to honor Uecker by arriving at Opening Day wearing a plaid suit, a homage to Uecker's love of plaid sports coats. Yelich also used a special bat during spring training with Uecker's classic saying. The Brewers will also honor Uecker's love of plaid throughout the 2025 season by wearing a plaid patch on their uniforms.

Hitting two triples in one MLB game is rare. It's not four home runs in a single game rare, but it's not something you see everyday. Unless it's yesterday when Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Corbin Carroll hit triples in a 6-4 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Carroll led off the game for the Diamondbacks with a triple in the bottom of the first. He ran so fast that the official MLB X account posted a video clocking him at 11.02 seconds and noted it was the "fastest home-to-third time in the Majors this season."

This distinction lasted a little more than an hour before Carroll hit his second triple of the game in the 7th inning and was clocked at 10.87 seconds. This inspired a second and third post from the MLB account. First one asking, "What's faster than fast?" and then another with both triples featured.

So what's faster than Corbin Carroll? Not much except for probably Elly De La Cruz. The Cinninati Reds shortstop was clocked at a slightly faster 10.84 seconds from home to third back in 2023.

Think about how fast Elly De La Cruz is. Then think about how fast Corbin Carroll is. Now think about how fast both guys have to be to be considered as fast as each other. That's really, really fast.

The Washington Nationals announced they were calling up Bruce the bat dog for his MLB debut against the Miami Marlins on Saturday afternoon at Nationals Park.

Bruce, a 21-month-old golden retriever, gets his first career assignment in the big leagues after making an unforgettable impression with the Rochester Red Wings, the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate. Bruce made his professional debut for the Red Wings last September, recording countless stolen hearts and leading the league in total bats retrieved (a lot of them). He's also been a huge factor in improving dugout morale due to his natural good looks and irresistible charm.

Check out Bruce's priceless reaction to finding out he was getting promoted:

While some fans may refer to Bruce as an ace or a phenom, the tail-wagging rookie prefers the term, "good boy."

Nationals Park will host an honorary bat retrieval ceremony as well as a press conference for Bruce's major league debut this Saturday.

"Our fans and front office are always excited to see our players get promoted to the Nationals, but Bruce's promotion is a historic call-up to the big leagues that he richly deserves," said Red Wings GM Dan Mason. "He'll put on a doggone great show for Nats fans on June 14."

Kyle Schwarber had a monster night at the plate on Monday as he crushed his 39th and 40th home runs of the season, with the latter being a grand slam hit at Citizens Bank Park.

Schwarber's first homer of the night made him the HR leader in the National League, so Phillies fans were prepared when he came up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning when the bases were loaded. The baseball park erupted in "MVP" chants for Schwarber, and he answered their cheers by providing an electric grand slam.

A video was posted by MLB on Monday night highlighting the sounds at Citizens Bank as Schwarber was up at the plate, and then it showed how loud the stadium became once the 390-foot homer soared in the air.

Chills.

Schwarber currently has the third-best odds in the NL for winning the MVP award this season. Shohei Ohtani is leading the race to win his third-straight MVP title (-700) with Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong in second with +900 odds, via ESPN. Schwarber follows them with 10-1 odds.

Monday night's game definitely helped Schwarber's MVP case, that's for sure.