Barcelona have contacted the representatives of Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero regarding a potential summer transfer worth up to £53m.
The Spanish club are actively exploring alternatives to Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni due to the prohibitive cost of securing the Italian.
Representatives for the Catalan giants have already reached out to the Argentinian’s camp ahead of the upcoming window.
The World Cup winner is currently sidelined with an injury that has ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Barcelona seek defensive reinforcements
Bastoni remains the primary target for the Camp Nou hierarchy, but financial constraints are forcing them to assess more accessible options.
The former Serie A defender could be available via a specific release clause inserted into his current contract.
Romero signed a new long-term deal with the north London club last year, tying him to the Premier League side until 2029.
Release clause details emerge
Victor Romero, the player’s father, recently confirmed the existence of a buyout option during an interview with Cadena3.
“He has two or three more years on his contract with Tottenham and a very high release clause.”
“The English club isn’t going to let him go for free; it’s between $50-70m [£37.8m-£53m].”
“For me, they’ll want to recover what they invested.”
Spurs would likely demand the upper limit of that £53m valuation to consider parting ways with their influential vice-captain.
Losing the combative centre-back would create a significant leadership void in the Tottenham defence ahead of next season.
Max Verstappen has given his full blessing to race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase’s upcoming departure from Red Bull to McLaren, insisting he would be an “idiot” to block the career move.
Red Bull confirmed earlier this month that their highly rated technical specialist will leave the team when his current contract expires in 2028.
The announcement arrived shortly after it emerged the engineer had decided to pursue a fresh opportunity with their Formula 1 rivals.
A significant shift in stance
The three-time world champion had previously indicated he would have no appetite for racing if his trusted confidant was no longer communicating over the team radio.
Following his maiden title triumph in 2021, the Dutchman famously declared that he would retire from the sport as soon as his engineer stepped away.
However, the 27-year-old has significantly mellowed his position and acknowledges that circumstances have evolved since that initial declaration.
“I will have to work with someone else, but I think times change, and the offer that he got, I would be an idiot to try and keep him,” Verstappen told reporters.
Looking toward the future
Lambiase has been a valued member of the reigning constructors’ champions since joining in 2015, forging a famously direct working relationship with his driver.
McLaren have already praised their future signing as a top talent, while Red Bull remain committed to securing further championships before the eventual separation.
The current championship leader stressed that an open dialogue within the team made processing the transition incredibly straightforward.
“It’s not only about me all the time, it is also about his career and moving forward, so for me, it was a no-brainer to be honest,” he explained.
Long-term commitment unaffected
The Red Bull star noted that the pair maintain an honest relationship and that there are absolutely no hard feelings regarding the transfer.
When questioned on whether this high-profile technical departure impacts his own long-term future with his current employers, the driver was unequivocal.
“It has got nothing to do with it,” Verstappen stated firmly.
Tyrese Maxey and Paul George combined for 53 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 106-93 on Thursday night to overcome a 3-1 series deficit and force a deciding Game Seven.
Maxey scored 30 points to lead the charge, while a resurgent George added 23 in what was Philadelphia’s most complete performance of the campaign.
The hosts led from start to finish to set up a winner-takes-all showdown in Boston on Saturday.
The Sixers have found new life following the early return of Joel Embiid from an appendectomy, rebounding emphatically from two earlier blowout defeats.
George finds vintage form
The 35-year-old George has endured a tumultuous season, missing 25 games due to suspension and struggling with injuries since signing his lucrative four-year contract last summer.
However, the veteran forward delivered a throwback performance when it mattered most, hitting five three-pointers to stretch the advantage.
His standout moment came in the third quarter with a dazzling behind-the-back pass to rookie VJ Edgecombe, who finished with a thunderous dunk to extend the lead to 15 points.
Embiid, still recovering from his early April surgery, contributed 19 points as the offence flowed smoothly through the supporting cast during his periods on the bench.
Celtics sweat on Tatum fitness
The momentum shift in this first-round matchup is a stunning turn of events given how comfortably the Celtics dominated their three earlier victories.
Boston’s night was further compounded by an apparent calf injury to star forward Jayson Tatum, who left the game in the third quarter after scoring 17 points.
Jaylen Brown was also hampered by early foul trouble, managing just 18 points as the Eastern Conference heavyweights went more than four minutes without scoring late in the third period.
The Celtics now face immense pressure to protect a flawless historical record, having won all 32 best-of-seven series in franchise history in which they have held a 3-1 lead.
The New York Knicks have set an NBA playoff record by establishing a 47-point halftime lead against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 of their first-round series.
Holding their opponents to just 36 points in the opening two quarters on Thursday, the visitors forced 14 turnovers during a ruthless defensive display.
At the other end of the court, the Eastern Conference franchise enjoyed their most productive offensive half of the postseason, shooting over 60% from the field to amass 83 points.
Anunoby outscores entire Atlanta roster
Forward OG Anunoby spearheaded the remarkable scoring surge, finishing the second quarter with 26 points to his name.
At one stage in the contest, the British-born wing had individually registered more points than the entire opposition lineup.
Mikal Bridges also found his rhythm following a difficult start to the series, contributing a crucial 16 points to comfortably surpass his previous high of 11 in Game 1.
Shattering historical postseason benchmarks
Atlanta initially led 11-9 in the opening minutes before suffering a devastating collapse, being outscored by 53 points over the subsequent 18 minutes of action.
The previous playoff benchmark for a halftime advantage stood at 41 points, a milestone jointly held by the 2025 Indiana Pacers and the 2017 Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York remarkably reached that 41-point margin with more than seven minutes remaining in the second quarter.
According to historical data, this represents the fastest any team has built a 40-point advantage in the play-by-play era.
The relentless pressure continued as the lead swelled to 50 points by the 4:39 mark, setting another unprecedented milestone since tracking began in 1998.
Cameron Young fired a bogey-free 64 to take a one-shot lead at the Cadillac Championship in Miami on Thursday, as PGA Tour players digested the news of rival circuit LIV Golf losing its Saudi financial backing.
The recent Players Championship winner excelled on the greens at the Blue Monster Course at Trump National Doral.
He accumulated a staggering 97 feet of putts and rolled in eight birdies during a flawless opening round.
“I feel like I made a billion feet of putts, which I think works most places. It’s just one of those days that each mistake I made I was not penalised as much as I could have been.”
Cameron Young
Spieth and Smalley lead the chasing pack
Fellow Americans Jordan Spieth and Alex Smalley trail the leader by a single stroke on seven under par.
Canadian Nick Taylor sits alone in fourth place, while Colombia’s Nico Echavarria remains well in contention on five under.
World number one Scottie Scheffler has work to do after dropping two shots on the back nine to sign for a one-under-par 71.
“I would have liked to have been a little sharper today. Got off to a good start, but I kind of struggled from then on.”
Scottie Scheffler
English duo navigate mixed fortunes
Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Fitzpatrick carded opening rounds of two under and level par respectively.
Fitzpatrick secured his permanent PGA Tour membership only last week after a famous victory alongside his brother Matt at the Zurich Classic.
Former Open champion Shane Lowry matched that level-par effort.
Meanwhile, Justin Rose carded a two-over 74 as the Ryder Cup veteran debuted his newly manufactured McLaren irons.
LIV Golf funding withdrawal dominates discussion
Off the course, the golfing world was rocked by confirmation that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will end its financial support for LIV Golf after 2026.
The sovereign wealth fund stated that the massive investment required to sustain the breakaway league is no longer aligned with its future strategy.
This shock withdrawal leaves the rebel circuit urgently seeking new long-term financial partners to guarantee its survival.
Attention has immediately shifted to whether major champions such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm will be permitted to return to the traditional American circuit.
Spieth expressed reservations regarding the reintegration of defectors, suggesting the return pathway should not automatically be identical for all returning players.
George Russell has dismissed the significance of Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s early Formula 1 championship lead ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old Italian currently holds a nine-point advantage over his British counterpart heading into the fourth round of the 2026 season.
Antonelli recently became the youngest championship leader in the sport’s history and is chasing a hat-trick of race victories in Florida.
However, Russell insists the internal dynamic at the Silver Arrows remains unchanged despite his younger colleague’s impressive sophomore campaign.
Marathon mindset for Mercedes
The 28-year-old driver compared the grueling length of the modern Formula 1 calendar to the London Marathon when questioned about the current standings.
“The guy who’s running the London Marathon, after three miles, you’re not thinking about the finish line, because you’ve got 23 miles to go.”
Russell was eager to point out that the championship battle is still in its absolute infancy.
“We’re in race four, so it’s not even a consideration, although of course he’s done an amazing job so far this year.”
The former Williams racer suffered misfortune in the previous round but pointed to solid recovery drives, including a second-place finish in China and a fourth-place result in Japan.
Development race heats up
The British driver remains confident that a smooth weekend will yield a race victory very soon.
“You’re always going to have these difficult weekends, but I hope every difficult weekend results in either P2 or P4.”
Meanwhile, the Brackley-based squad are taking a distinctly different approach to car upgrades following a five-week break in the calendar.
While rivals Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have brought major new parts to the United States, Mercedes will split their crucial developments across the upcoming double-header.
Lewis Hamilton has declared himself “fired up” for the resumption of the 2026 Formula 1 season as Ferrari aim to close the performance gap to championship leaders Mercedes at the Miami Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion returns to the track this weekend following an enforced April break.
Ferrari currently sit second in the Constructors’ Championship, trailing their Brackley-based rivals.
Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc occupy fourth and third respectively in the drivers’ standings, behind the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
A tall order to catch the Silver Arrows
The Italian marquee had shown promising signs during the opening three races of the new regulatory era.
However, the British veteran acknowledges the immense challenge of overhauling the current pace-setters.
Hamilton believes his team is facing a power deficit compared to both Mercedes and the new Red Bull-Ford power unit.
“Everyone’s had more of an intense time to work on refining the car,” said Hamilton.
“Just feel fired up for the second stab at it.”
Upgrades crucial for development race
Most teams are expected to introduce significant aerodynamic upgrades when practice begins in Florida on Friday.
The Scuderia are also banking on potential engine development opportunities in the upcoming additional upgrade window.
Despite acknowledging the factory’s relentless effort during the spring break, the former Mercedes driver remains realistic about the speed of progress.
“I’m really grateful for all the hard work. I’ve been back at the factory every week during this break and seeing how hard the team has been working in bringing an upgrade,” he explained.
“To close that gap, that means we have to do double that development each time of others, which is a really tall order.”
“You have to assume everyone’s developing at a similar sort of rate because it’s new rules, so if a team brings a tenth, we need to bring two.”
An investor group led by Grant Gustavson has submitted a formal offer to acquire the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the Major League Soccer franchise to Las Vegas.
The 30-year-old businessman aims to privately finance a new stadium in Nevada to house the team if the proposal is successful.
A temporary venue would host matches until the permanent facility is completed, though initial locations currently remain unspecified.
Any potential sale and relocation must receive approval from both current ownership and the league’s Board of Governors.
Franchise future in doubt
The Canadian club has been actively seeking new investors since December 2024 without success.
Despite engaging in serious discussions with more than 100 interested parties, no viable local bid has materialized to keep the side in British Columbia.
Stadium economics at BC Place, which is owned by a provincial crown corporation, remain the primary obstacle for potential domestic buyers.
The team recently signed a new lease with improved financial terms, but the revenue-sharing model has evidently proven insufficient to secure local ownership.
Rival interest and private funding
While league officials prefer to maintain the team’s current geographical footprint, they have actively begun exploring alternative markets.
A subcommittee of owners met earlier this month to discuss potential moves, with a consortium from Phoenix also expressing strong interest.
Any successful bid to move the franchise outside of Canada would also incur a significant, yet currently unspecified, league relocation fee.
The Nevada-based bid is heavily backed by the wealth of Tamara Gustavson, a billionaire with an estimated net worth of $8.6bn (£6.8bn) through her major stake in Public Storage.
The prospective buyers released a statement confirming their independent funding model.
“The investment group will privately finance this endeavor and is not connected to any of the recently announced arena ideas in Las Vegas.”
Gustavson investor group
The consortium added they look forward to working towards a positive outcome for the game, fans and the league while respecting ongoing deliberations.