Fiorentina in talks with Manchester United for Joshua Zirkzee loan

Published

2 hours ago

August 27, 2026

Fiorentina are in talks with Manchester United over an initial loan move for forward Joshua Zirkzee.

The Netherlands international can leave Old Trafford this summer and has attracted interest from across Europe.

Talks are taking place between Fiorentina and United over what would be a loan until the end of the season with an option to potentially make the transfer permanent next summer.

Zirkzee, who has three years remaining on his contract, is open to move to the Serie A club.

An agreement is not described as close at this stage but there is optimism that a deal can be reached before transfer deadline on 1 September.

Zirkzee joined United from Bologna for £36.5m in 2024 having won Serie A’s Under-23 player of the season for 2023-24, and scored on his debut in a 1-0 win over Fulham.

But he has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular making just 27 starts among 75 appearances during his two season at the club.

The 25-year-old, who made just five Premier League starts in 2025-26, has scored nine goals in all competitions for United.

Bill Belichick: European franchise a question for the NFL, says legendary coach

Published

1 minute ago

August 27, 2026

qasimgillani

Belichick highlighted that the possibility of the Jacksonville Jaguars relocating to London and Wembley had been explored in the past, but they ultimately stayed put and built their own new stadium in Florida.

He did, however, believe the travel involved would not stop a franchise being developed in Europe.

“It would certainly be a little bit of an adjustment coming here, but it’s not a whole lot different than coming from the east coast to the west coast in the USA,” Belichick added.

“Time-wise it’s a long trip, but going from New York or Boston or Philly to LA or Seattle, it’s about the same.”

After 23 years in the NFL, Belichick said it was “important” for him to give back to the sport that “has been good to me and my family”.

“American football is a great game, fans around the world love it.

“There’s not a lot of it being played outside of the US, but I know when I visited places like Croatia or Germany there are a lot of local teams who play in their own leagues.

“It’s super-popular. Anything I can do to give back to the game, whether that is in our country or internationally, I want to be part of that and I want to do it.”

When asked if he would ever return to the NFL in a coaching capacity, Belichick said his full focus was on North Carolina.

“I recruited these kids and I want to help them,” he added.

“I had a great experience in the NFL but I’m very happy to be at North Carolina and I’m excited about the future of our programme.”

Sports

How to watch Royals vs. Blue Jays: TV channel and streaming options for August 27

Published

8 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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The Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals meet on Thursday at 7:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre, attempting to break a 1-1 series tie. Spencer Arrighetti (7-6, 4.73 ERA) gets the start for the Blue Jays, who are 65-69 this season and fifth in the AL East. Noah Cameron (8-8, 4.02 ERA) is the expected starter for the Royals, who are 59-75 and fifth in the AL Central.

How to watch Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays

Royals vs. Blue Jays odds

Favorite Moneyline: Blue Jays -110
Underdog Moneyline: Royals -110
Total: 8.5
Total Over Odds: +100
Total Under Odds: -120

Injury reports

Blue Jays

Josh Smith: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Luis Urias: 10 Day IL (Quadricep), Jonatan Clase: 10 Day IL (Foot), Shane Bieber: 15 Day IL (Back), Jameson Taillon: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Trey Yesavage: 15 Day IL (Knee), Cody Ponce: 60 Day IL (Knee), Anthony Santander: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Jake Bloss: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Bowden Francis: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joe Mantiply: 60 Day IL (Knee), Addison Barger: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Yimi Garcia: 60 Day IL (Elbow), José Berrios: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Patrick Corbin: 60 Day IL (Shoulder)

Royals

Maikel Garcia: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Tony Gonsolin: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Beck Way: 15 Day IL (Back), Jonathan India: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Cole Ragans: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Luinder Avila: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Alec Marsh: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Carlos Estévez: 60 Day IL (Foot), Nick Mears: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Stephen Kolek: 60 Day IL (Flexor), Connor Seabold: 60 Day IL (Lat), James McArthur: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Michael Massey: day-to-day (Head)

Stats to know

Toronto’s Ernie Clement is slashing .282/.307/.398 this season with nine home runs, 43 RBIs and an OPS of .705. He has a 9.8% strikeout rate and a 3.4% walk rate in 522 plate appearances, and he has scored 54 total runs.
In 503 plate appearances, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has hit seven long balls, tallied 46 RBIs and scored 62 runs. He is batting .262/.334/.353 and has posted a 12.9% strikeout rate and a 9.3% walk rate. Guerrero has recorded seven steals on 10 attempts.
Bobby Witt Jr. has hit 16 home runs this season. He has also tallied 48 RBIs and has scored 72 runs. In 508 plate appearances, he has recorded a .288 BA, .366 OBP and .458 SLG with a 10.8% walk rate and a 17.7% strikeout rate. He has been effective on the base paths, recording 35 steals on 42 attempts.
In 473 plate appearances, Jac Caglianone has hit 22 long balls, tallied 60 RBIs and scored 59 runs. He is batting .274/.326/.486 and has posted a 26.2% strikeout rate and a 6.1% walk rate.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

Sports

How to watch Brewers vs. Mets: TV channel and streaming options for August 27

Published

15 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

qasimgillani

Aug. 27, 2026 11:14 am EDT Updated

The Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets play a rubber match on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET, with the series deadlocked at 1-1. Jacob Misiorowski (13-5, 1.68 ERA) will start for the Brewers, who are 82-51 this season and first in the NL Central. Sean Manaea (4-5, 4.31 ERA) is expected to start for the Mets, who are 60-73 and fifth in the NL East.

How to watch Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Mets

Brewers vs. Mets odds

Favorite Moneyline: Brewers -208
Underdog Moneyline: Mets +170
Total: 7
Total Over Odds: -115
Total Under Odds: -105

Injury reports

Brewers

Abner Uribe: 15 Day IL (Forearm), JoJo Romero: 15 Day IL (Appendix), Joel Kuhnel: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Brandon Woodruff: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Rob Zastryzny: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Brian Fitzpatrick: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Angel Zerpa: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Quinn Priester: 60 Day IL (Wrist), Dustin May: day-to-day (Shoulder)

Mets

Mark Vientos: 10 Day IL (Hand), Jorge Polanco: 10 Day IL (Ankle), Juan Soto: 10 Day IL (Calf), Cionel Perez: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Devin Williams: 15 Day IL (Shoulder), Tylor Megill: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Justin Hagenman: 60 Day IL (Rib), Reed Garrett: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Bo Bichette: day-to-day (Hand)

Stats to know

Brice Turang is hitting for a .259 BA, .354 OBP and .436 SLG with a 24.6% strikeout rate and a 12.9% walk rate. His OPS is .790 and he has scored 79 runs. In 560 plate appearances, he has hit 17 home runs and driven in 79 runs (18th in MLB). Turang has been crafty on the base paths, recording 18 steals on 23 attempts.
In 476 plate appearances, Jake Bauers is hitting .272/.382/.501 with a .884 OPS and nine steals on 13 attempts. He has hit 23 long balls, driven in 75 runs and scored 76 times.
Carson Benge is hitting for a .281 BA, .341 OBP and .429 SLG with a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 7.2% walk rate. His OPS is .770 and he has scored 68 runs. In 525 plate appearances, he has hit 16 home runs and driven in 53 runs. Benge has recorded 19 steals on 23 attempts.
In 568 plate appearances, Bo Bichette has hit 14 long balls, tallied 66 RBIs and scored 64 runs. He is batting .264/.312/.393 and has posted an 18.1% strikeout rate and a 6.5% walk rate.

This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

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Aug 27, 2026