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A European giant has contacted Liverpool over a January transfer.

We are only just over a month into the new season, but already clubs across the globe will be thinking about how they can improve their squads.

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The January window is still far away. We’ve got months until Richard Hughes can get to work again. It’s moot whether he will make a move.

Injuries could force his hand. There’s a question mark already whether Liverpool might enter the transfer market given Giovanni Leoni’s injury with the Italian unlikely to play again this season after an ACL injury.

The Reds obviously missed out on Marc Guehi on the final day of the window, so they were already a centre-back short than they would have preferred heading into the rest of the campaign.

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January is going to be an opportunity for Hughes to perhaps accelerate a move for Guehi or make another signing.

However, it could also lead to Liverpool letting go of one of their own stars and their longest serving player in Joe Gomez.

The England international has been at the club since the Brendan Rodgers era. He’s spent a decade at Liverpool but he was close to leaving in the summer window.

AC Milan made a late attempt to sign him on the final day of a hectic conclusion to the transfer deadline. In the end, Milan opted to pull out of the deal with Gomez not having enough time to complete his medical.

In hindsight, that ended-up being a blessing for Liverpool given what happened with Guehi and Leoni’s injury.

But that doesn’t mean Milan have given up in their pursuit of Gomez. In fact the Italian giants still desperately need centre-back reinforcements and they are ready to return for him.

According to MilanLive.it the club’s sporting director Igli Tare is already making further steps to secure the services of Gomez and has recently made contact with Liverpool over a potential move in January.

The report claims that everything hinges on Liverpool’s pursuit of Guehi, who the Reds are expected to return for in January. If they can get that deal over the line, the report claims Milan could sign Gomez for as little as €7m.

That seems like a really low figure for a centre-back of Gomez’s ilk and it feels difficult to believe Liverpool would agree to that.

Nonetheless, the possibility of Gomez leaving definitely still remains.

It’s a World Cup year, he’ll be wanting to play regularly, and if Guehi or another centre-back comes to Liverpool in January, his chances of playing will be severely restricted.

Even now, he’s not been getting a lot of playing time. So, his future is definitely something to keep an eye on.

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The NFL’s default position on short-week football is that the injury rates are no different when playing seven days apart than when playing four days apart. This overlooks an important reality.

Some players who were injured on a Sunday could be ready to go the next Sunday. By Thursday, however, they’re not where they need to be physically.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is the latest example of that dynamic. He injured his toe in Week 1 against the Saints. He missed two games. He played on Sunday, against the Jaguars. And now he’s trying to get himself ready to face the Rams on Thursday night.

“Playing might lead to some soreness and stuff, so sort of expected it, but with a quick turnaround with a Thursday night game and everything, it’s just tougher,” Purdy told reporters on Tuesday. “You don’t have as many days to get right and heal up and feel better.”

Would he be ready to play if the game were on Tuesday night? “No,” Purdy said, “but I have two days.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan made clear the standard for determining whether Purdy will play: “[I]t’ll come down to do we feel he could play to 100-percent of his ability and do we feel that he can protect himself with it.”

“If I can play this game, I’m going to play,” Purdy said. “Obviously, I want to get right and get healthy and everything, but we need to win this game against the Rams.”

If the game were on Sunday, Purdy would be more likely to play. This week, however, he doesn’t have the luxury of the usual break between games. Which means it could be Mac Jones (whose knee injury has healed) when the 3-1 49ers face the 3-1 Rams.

The Indianapolis Colts announced on Tuesday that the team has claimed Dallas Cowboys linebacker Buddy Johnson off Jerry Jones’s practice squad and waived fellow linebacker Cameron McGrone in a corresponding roster move on the final 53-man roster.

The former 2021 4th round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been well traveled in his early NFL career, having also spent time with the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, and most recently, the Cowboys organization.

Meanwhile, McGrone was a former 2021 5th round pick of the New England Patriots. He’s been with the Colts organization since late in the 2022 season. He’s appeared in 26 career games for Indianapolis, recording 13 tackles (8 solo). He played in 4 games for the Colts so far this season, making 2 tackles (1 solo).

The Lawrence Central native was in the mix for the starting linebacker job at the Will alongside reigning All-Pro Zaire Franklin, and ended up in the 1st-team defense linebacker rotation to begin the season.

The Warriors just brought the Eastern Conference’s finest rivalry to the Bay Area, and nobody’s talking about what that actually means.

Jimmy Butler and Al Horford spent years trying to destroy each other in some of the most physical, intense playoff basketball we’ve seen this decade. Now they’re teammates in Golden State, playing alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green in what might be the franchise’s last legitimate championship window. How did we get here?

The Heat-Celtics battles from 2022 to 2024 weren’t just playoff series. They were statements about what winning basketball looks like when everything’s on the line. Butler brought that Miami mentality, the kind where every possession feels like warfare. Horford anchored Boston’s defense with the type of intelligence that makes offensive game plans disintegrate in real time.

These weren’t regular season matchups where teams go through the motions. This was postseason basketball where every screen matters, every rotation gets exploited, and every weakness becomes a target. Butler and Horford knew each other’s games intimately because they spent three separate playoff runs studying how to win against each other.

Now they’re on the same side. That knowledge doesn’t vanish. It transforms. Golden State needed this exact combination after Klay Thompson’s departure created an identity crisis. The Warriors couldn’t just replace Klay’s shooting. They needed to reinvent what their roster could accomplish in Steph and Draymond’s final competitive years.

Enter two players who understand exactly what championship basketball requires because they’ve spent their entire careers living it. Horford brings floor spacing that didn’t exist after Kevon Looney’s exit. At 39, he’s still shooting 36% from three while providing the defensive versatility that makes Steve Kerr’s switch-heavy scheme functional. Those aren’t flashy numbers, but they’re exactly what this roster needed.

Butler adds something more difficult to quantify. He’s a closer who’s proven he can carry offensive responsibilities in playoff environments where everything tightens up. Golden State hasn’t had that consistent secondary creator since Kevin Durant left (unless you count Jordan Poole), and watching teams trap Steph in the playoffs exposed that vulnerability repeatedly.

The fascinating element isn’t just what these players bring individually. It’s what they bring as former rivals who respect each other’s approach to winning. They know how to make each other uncomfortable because they’ve spent years doing exactly that. Now that knowledge gets weaponized against Western Conference opponents who have no blueprint for defending this combination.

Steph turns 38 in March. Draymond’s 35. Horford’s 39. Butler’s 36. This roster doesn’t have time to develop chemistry over multiple seasons. But maybe that’s the advantage. Everyone here understands the urgency because they’ve all experienced what happens when championship windows close permanently.

The Warriors are betting that two former Eastern Conference rivals can help save the dynasty’s final chapter. If this works, Golden State gets one more legitimate title run. If it doesn’t, we’ll remember it as the moment they tried everything possible before time ran out.

Either way, it’s happening right now.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The Big 12 has certainly gone Down Under to get a leg up in the punting game. Nine of the conference’s top 15 punters this season hail from Australia.

Crikey! That’s a lot of booming Aussie punters, mate.

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“Punting is a natural thing for us,” explained Colorado’s Damon Greaves, who’s from Busselton, a small city in the southwestern corner of Western Australia. “You guys grow up throwing it. … We grow up punting it.”

Statistically, the league’s best Aussies include Finn Lappin (Kansas), Liam Dougherty (Houston), Max Fletcher (Cincinnati), Orion Phillips (Utah), Jack Burgess (Texas Tech), Sam Vander Haar (BYU), Greaves, Oliver Straw (West Virginia) and Ethan Craw (TCU).

Combined, the Australian contingent is averaging 44.1 yards per boot this season. They’ve also pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line on 55 occasions. Craw has the long punt of the bunch this season at 69 yards.

The influx of Aussies can be attributed, in part, to Australian rules football, which is a blend of running with the ball (think tailback) and kicking (punter). Just like American football, Aussie version uses an oddly shaped ball (in their case, an oval).

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Most players can kick with either foot and roll out either way to rocket a punt — just in case it’s needed.

The transition between Aussie rules and American football, though, takes some time.

That’s where Prokick Australia enters the picture. The development academy teaches burgeoning punters the proper technique, skills and strategy. Not only that, but the program gets prospective players used to playing with a helmet and pads.

There are roughly 85 players from Prokick Australia in American college or pro football. Among those are Broncos rookie Jeremy Crawshaw (Florida), Bears punter Tory Taylor (Iowa) and Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (Texas).

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The program has produced Ray Guy award winners and numerous All-Americans since it was started in 2007 by former Australian Football League player Nathan Chapman.

“We’re instinctively good at kicking. But there’s not much that needs to happen for it to go wrong, so we still need to practice it,” Chapman said in a phone interview from Australia. “It’s part of what we’ve grown up doing and this is where we start to just utilize some of those skills to bring it into the American game.”

The Big Ten had an influx of Aussie punters in 2022.

Now, it’s the Big 12’s turn.

“If we put a dominant punter in the Big Ten or the Big 12 or the SEC and a coach plays against one of our players and says, ‘I want that,’ we need to give them someone who’s going to compete against that level,” Chapman explained. “We’re really selective on who we give the opportunity to kick at that level and they do a lot of training to get through our processes to make sure that we feel like they can handle the demands of SEC football or the Big 12.”

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Greaves grew up playing high-level Australian rules football before making the switch to punting. He started his career at Kansas and then transferred to Colorado.

The path to college was a winding one for the 28-year-old Vander Haar. He spent a number of years selling swimming pools for his dad’s company before attending a tryout with Prokick Australia. He learned the nuances of punting and it turned into an opportunity to kick for Pittsburgh and now BYU.

“I never even thought I’d go to university,” Vander Haar said. “I looked at some jobs, but I didn’t have a degree, and so that kind of stumped me a little bit. But then obviously I felt like I could punt the football a little bit, and so I joined Prokick.”

It’s forged friendships, too.

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On Friday, when the Cougars (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) host West Virginia (2-3, 0-2) it will be a momentary reunion for two close friends. Straw was in Vander Haar’s wedding.

Last weekend, Vander Haar had the chance to catch up with Greaves in Boulder.

“It’s like a Prokick pipeline,” Vander Haar said. “There’s a bunch of us and it’s kind of cool.”

It even extends beyond the Big 12.

Vander Haar connected with another Prokick alum, Tomas O’Halloran of East Carolina, before their game on Sept. 20. Vander Haar didn’t know the punter but received a message from O’Halloran on social media.

“He was like, ‘What’s up? It would be cool to hang out,’” Vander Haar recounted. “You just have that bond — you all came from the same program.”

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AP freelance writer Monica Costello contributed to this report.

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Golden State Warriors wing Jonathan Kuminga isn’t going anywhere after all.

Kuminga reached a two-year, $48.5 million deal to return to the Warriors on Tuesday afternoon, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal includes a team option that is designed “to be ripped up and renegotiated next summer.” The new contract came after months of a contract dispute between the two sides that felt like it was going nowhere.

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Kuminga, according to Charania, chose this deal over a three-year deal worth around $75 million in order to maintain control over his immediate future. He will be eligible to be traded in January, too, which is something that is still likely to be explored.

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The Warriors selected Kuminga with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, taking him one spot ahead of the Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner, who showed All-Star potential prior to an injury last season.

Kuminga has not consistently shown the same promise, though he has flashed glimpses of the athleticism and creativity that made him one of the highest-upside players in his draft. He has averaged 15.8 points (on 50/31/71 shooting splits), 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game over the last two seasons.

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It is no secret that the Warriors have long been shopping Kuminga in various trade scenarios, as he completely fell out of their playoff rotation in a seven-game, first-round series with the Houston Rockets.

Most recently, the Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings have been linked as suitors for Kuminga.

For his part, Kuminga wants a consistent role, which he believes will grant him the chance to be great.

“Things take time, but I feel like I’m at the point where that has to be my priority, to just be one of the guys a team relies on,” he told the Athletic. “Aiming to be an All-Star. Multiple times. Aiming to be great. … Wherever I’m going to be at, it don’t matter if it’s the Warriors or if it’s anywhere else, it’s something I want. I want to see what I could do. I know I got it. So I want to really see. I’ve never got that chance.”

It has been difficult on a Warriors team that now boasts Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, both of whom have earned their share of scoring opportunities. Butler also plays the same position as Kuminga, whose commitment to defense and sharing the ball within Golden State’s motion offense have raised concerns.

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For all the concerns, though, when Kuminga was thrust into a higher-profile role — as Curry was sidelined to injury over the final four games of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves — he stepped up, averaging 24.3 points on 55/39/72 shooting splits in 31 minutes a night.

It is that potential for which he received this lucrative contract.

“Mini Ngannou” is staying on UFC 320.

Yesterday, top Middleweight prospect Ateba Gautier lost his opponent, Ozzy Diaz, to a mysterious but serious illness. But he didn’t have to wait long for a new dance partner. Gautier will now collide with Octagon newcomer Treston Vines in the UFC 320 “Prelims” headliner this weekend (Sat., Oct. 4, 2025) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The four-day short-notice booking was announced by Vines’ management team, Iridium Sports.

Gautier (8-1) has been violently flawless since earning his UFC contract on Contender Series, demolishing both of his opponents in under four minutes. That includes a devastating finish of Jose Medina at UFC Mexico City (watch highlights) and a crushing knockout of Robert Valentin at UFC 318 (watch highlights). This will mark Gautier’s third fight of 2025 as he looks to keep his meteoric rise alive.

Vines (10-3), meanwhile, enters the promotion riding a four-fight win streak with three stoppages — two of them in the first round — highlighted by a knockout victory over former Bellator fighter Ethan Hughes. The 32-year-old has a 70 percent finish rate with six knockouts and has fought in LFA, CFFC, and Ares Fight Series.

He steps in as a massive underdog; the opportunity represents the biggest moment of his young career. That said, Vines has been knocked three times in the first round … and Gautier boasts five first-round knockouts of his own.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 320 fight card, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 320: “Ankalaev vs. Pereira” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

The Brazilian National Boxing Council has handed Wanderlei Silva, Acelino Freitas, and their cornermen lengthy suspensions after the brawl that unfolded immediately after the main event of Spaten Fight Night 2 this past Saturday in Sao Paulo.

Members from both teams entered the ring after former PRIDE champion Silva was disqualified for numerous fouls against the experienced boxer, which led to a brutal knockout suffered by Silva.

CNB informed MMA Fighting that both Silva and Freitas were given 180-day suspensions and are banned from any event sanctioned by CNB. The entity said they will also inform other commissions of the suspension.

Acelino’s son Rafael Freitas, the man who knocked Silva unconscious, was not suspended since he was not a cornerman, therefore he can’t be sanctioned by the commission. CNB said, however, that they will recommend his ban for indefinite time from boxing events.

Andre Dida, Silva’s longtime coach, was hit with a 365-day suspension. Dida landed at least two clean punches to Freitas’ face during the brawl. It remains to be seen if MMA commissions in Brazil will also follow the CNB suspension and ban Dida for that period.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, who was in Silva’s corner and threw punches in the brawl, was not sanctioned by CNB.

Luis Claudio Freitas and Iago Gutierrez Freitas, members of Acelino’s team, were also hit with 180-day bans, while Lucas Pontes da Silva received a 90-day suspension.