Argentina midfielder Exequiel Palacios has become the first World Cup winner to sign for Ipswich Town after joining from Bayer Leverkusen.

Palacios, 27, left the Bundesliga club for an undisclosed fee and has signed a four-year contract with the Premier League newcomers.

He was part of the Argentina side that both won the World Cup in 2022 and reached the final this summer while he also won the Copa America twice with his country.

“This is a club with great ambition and I am excited to play football in England and compete against some of the best clubs and players in the world,” Palacios said.

Palacios, Ipswich’s 11th signing of the transfer window, started Argentina’s 3-1 win against World Cup debutants Jordan in the group stage in his only appearance at the 2026 tournament.

Ipswich manager Gary O’Neil added: “He is a player who has had real success at the top level of the game, winning the biggest prize of all in the World Cup, as well as major trophies at club level.

“That experience will be vital for us as we continue to work to improve the squad this summer.”

NEW YORK — New York Yankees star Aaron Judge said he doesn’t plan on going on a rehab assignment before returning from the fractured right rib that has kept him out of the lineup since June 2.

“Why waste at-bats?” he said Thursday afternoon, speaking to reporters in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium before the finale of a four-game series against the Houston Astros.

“Why waste anything down in a minor-league game? I’ve been doing this for a while now, and I’ve got a sense of what I need to do on the field and how to manage it.”

Judge pointed to how he missed nearly two months with a toe injury in 2023 and didn’t do a rehab assignment. After he returned that season, he posted a .966 OPS in 57 games.

“We’re in a good spot,” he said. “There haven’t been any setbacks, which has been the greatest thing.”

Judge said he doesn’t expect the Yankees to fight him on not playing in any rehab games. Cody Bellinger played in just two rehab games after missing nearly a month with a strained left hamstring.

“I feel like if I tell them I’m ready to go play,” Judge said, “I think we’re ready to go play. I’m not a pitcher. I’m a position player. I get my reps down here in the cage, and I’ve been to every game. I’ve been sitting there in the dugout watching every game.”

“He said that to me, too,” manager Aaron Boone said. “If and when we get to that point, we’ll work through all that.”

Boone cautioned that part of playing in rehab games is also “just building guys up and getting them used to playing and stuff.”

“There’s also creative ways of doing that, too, though,” Boone said. “As we get closer to that point, we’ll make that decision collectively.”

The Yankees’ bats have missed Judge badly. They went into Thursday ranked 26th in runs scored (290) and second-to-last in wRC+ (89) since their first game with Judge out of the lineup on June 2.

Judge also said he expected to return to the lineup as a full-time right fielder and that he’ll “play smart” when it comes to diving. The 6-foot-7, 282-pounder suffered the injury diving for a fly ball but tried to play through the pain for weeks.

“I’m going to still go out there and make every play I can,” he said.

He added that even if he doesn’t return with the same amount of power or bat speed after being away so long, “even if it’s a tick off, I think it’s still better than nothing.”

The 34-year-old said he believes he’ll be able to substitute rehab games with a bevy of other workouts, including facing a Trajekt pitching machine, which uses a screen to imitate specific MLB pitchers’ deliveries and pitch movement. He said he could also stand in while rehabbing pitchers face live hitters.

“There’s plenty of options to get that timing back,” he said. “I’m not really expecting it to take me too long to get the timing back. Hopefully it’ll be quick and we’ll get back out there.”

Boone said it’s been good for him knowing that Judge hasn’t had any setbacks.

“The biggest thing now is, again, not so much even the injury as it is building the body up to handle the rigors,” the manager said. “Because, again, being down for a month and a half and not doing much other than riding a bike. … So, it’s getting that running up to speed. Getting all the strength in line. Getting used to swinging 20, 30 (or) 50 times a day. Getting all those muscles used to that. That’s the biggest thing. So far, seems to be going well.”

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck publicly confirmed his request for a trade in a post his agent shared Thursday on X.

“Several months ago, I privately requested a trade. I have tried to handle the situation quietly and respectfully while giving the organization time to explore its options,” Hellebuyck said in the statement his agent, Ray Petkau, shared. “With training camp approaching, I felt it was important to publicly confirm my request.”

Statement from Connor Hellebuyck: pic.twitter.com/hW8sNw1LJi

— Ray Petkau (@RayPetkau) August 27, 2026

Hellebuyck’s dissatisfaction with the Jets’ direction was first made public in April during his exit interviews. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff acknowledged that Winnipeg was listening to trade offers before the NHL Draft in June. In anticipation of potentially losing Hellebuyck, the Jets signed Stuart Skinner in free agency in July to be the team’s starting netminder.

Hellebuyck’s statement puts his status for training camp in doubt, although he did not specifically indicate that he is preparing to hold out until a trade is completed.

“My position has not changed, and I believe moving on is the best path forward for me and my family,” the statement read. “I appreciate everything Winnipeg Jets fans have meant to me throughout my career and hope a resolution can be reached soon.”

Hellebuyck has five years remaining in the seven-year, $8.5 million AAV contract extension he signed on Oct. 9, 2023, long before 2024 free agency. He won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender and the Hart Trophy as its MVP in the first year of his extension, but struggled last season. He was spectacular for Team USA as they won gold at the Olympics but posted an .895 save percentage as Winnipeg missed the playoffs.

Speaking at his exit interviews, Hellebuyck indicated that he doesn’t see Winnipeg as a Stanley Cup contender.

“Can you get the pieces that you need? Will the players come? These are always questions that you have in Winnipeg. I’ve made it my home, and I like it here, but the majority of the league doesn’t feel the same way,” Hellebuyck said.

To request a trade two years into a seven-year extension indicates a dramatic change in Hellebuyck’s plans. If the severity of that change is difficult to comprehend, consider Hellebuyck’s point of view when he initially signed his contract. His decision to sign was rooted in Winnipeg’s ability to compete for the Stanley Cup. He talked about gathering “a ton” of information about Winnipeg’s plans for the future, with Cheveldayoff opening up about “what he was willing to do to win.” In short, the Jets organization sold him on its ability to contend with him on board.

It appears that Hellebuyck has lost the faith he once had in Winnipeg’s odds of winning.

“For me, it’s winning a Stanley Cup. That’s my goal, and that’s all I have left,” he said in April. “I don’t play this game for the money; I don’t play it for the fame. I do it for my own personal fun, and part of that is winning a Cup. For me, I’m just looking at … How can I get that? How can I get there?”

This is not the first time a high-profile player has asked to be traded from Winnipeg. Hellebuyck is unique in his quality but follows Pierre-Luc Dubois, Patrik Laine and Jacob Trouba, among other top players who have put the Jets in this position. Cheveldayoff has previously made the best of those situations, most recently acquiring Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and a second-round pick for Dubois from what seemed like an untenable position.

He is now challenged to do the same with Hellebuyck: Acquire compensation for an elite player at a position where inconsistent results are normal, and some teams have stopped spending substantial cap space or assets. This trend includes the most recent Stanley Cup champions — the Carolina Hurricanes — who are one of several Cup contenders who appear to need a goaltending upgrade. Other examples include Florida, Vegas, New Jersey and Buffalo — the team most closely connected to the Jets in trade talks.

For Winnipeg, their biggest needs are a top-six forward and a goaltender who can help ease Hellebuyck’s loss. The forward would ideally be a centre or right wing who can help Cole Perfetti and top prospect Viggo Björck on Winnipeg’s second line, while the goaltender could be a “1B” in a timeshare with Skinner.

“You’re looking for someone to step up and take the bull by the horns at second-line center,” Cheveldayoff said before the draft.

History hasn’t always been kind to teams moving top goaltenders. It’s rare for a netminder of Hellebuyck’s caliber to be moved at all, but past examples including Ryan Miller, Roberto Luongo and more indicate a return including a lesser goaltender, a mid-tier roster player and a first-round pick. To that end, the Sabres appear best stocked: Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are options in goal, while any of Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod and Jack Quinn would help Winnipeg’s forward group.

None of this means that a trade is imminent. Hellebuyck’s public declaration likely seeks to increase the pressure on Winnipeg to make a trade, but August is a time for optimism, and it takes two teams to consummate a trade. No one on the Sabres, Devils, Hurricanes or any team has had the opportunity to see their own goaltenders fail. Meanwhile, Cheveldayoff’s track record indicates patience to the point of stubbornness.

It may take a holdout and the start of the NHL season to create the kind of pressure that forces Cheveldayoff to make a trade. Hellebuyck’s statement indicates that he has been quiet and patient to this point. Making it is a change in tack; time will tell whether it’s enough to convince Winnipeg to move him quickly — or Winnipeg’s rivals to step up and force Cheveldayoff’s hand in a deal.