Raheem Sterling is closer than ever to leaving Manchester City.
The English winger is interested in a possible transfer to Chelsea and is impressed with new Blues owner Todd Boehly’s ambition, reports Rob Dawson of ESPN.
With Sterling set to enter the final year of his contract, Manchester City are reportedly eager to sell him for a fee this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing next year. The reigning Premier League winners have placed a price tag of between £50 million to £60 million for the 27-year-old, Dawson adds.
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are also reportedly interested in Sterling, who’s believed to be intrigued by the possibility of playing in one of Europe’s other top five leagues.
It’s understood that City won’t stand in Sterling’s way if he requests a transfer this summer, though a final decision has yet to be made.
Doubts over his future at City are based on Sterling’s reported reluctance to extend his contract amid the belief that he isn’t a central part of manager Pep Guardiola’s plans for the future.
Sterling joined Manchester City in 2015 from Liverpool in a move worth an initial £44 million. He played an important role in helping the club win four Premier League titles and enjoyed the best scoring season of his career in 2019-20 when he recorded 31 goals – including 20 in the league.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:
1. QB evaluation: Robert Saleh is a media-savvy coach who knows how to control the message, and that’s exactly what he tried to do with this comment about quarterback Zach Wilson: “He doesn’t need to be Tom Brady this year.”
It was an exaggerated way of saying it’s unfair to expect stardom in Year 2 even though he was the second pick in the 2021 draft.
Perhaps trying to contain outside expectations, which have grown amid a bountiful offseason, Saleh provided a reality check at the conclusion of the offseason. It also may have been a notice to Wilson, who too often tried to play hero ball as a rookie.
“People are forgetting that he’s got a young offensive supporting cast,” Saleh said as minicamp wrapped up. “His receivers are young, his backs are young, the O-line is just jelling together. He’s young.”
That led to the Brady quote.
“Now if ends up being [Brady], that’s awesome, but that’s not the expectation for him,” Saleh said. “The expectation is for him to continue to climb that mountain.”
Over four weeks of practice, Wilson delivered some Tom Brady, with a little Brady Quinn mixed in. In other words, his performances ranged from very good to choppy.
His decision-making, command and overall feel for the progression-based passing scheme are significantly better than last season, according to the coaching staff. He looks like a different quarterback than the rookie who was so overwhelmed at times that he wasn’t able to recognize his own mental mistakes. Now he doesn’t need the coaches to point out when he messes up; he knows it immediately. That shows a greater understanding of the position.
On the flip side, Wilson still misses too many routine throws. This was an issue last season, when his completion rates on throws behind the line of scrimmage (74%) and within 0-9 yards (62%) were the worst in the league, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Saleh called it a “rough” rookie year. The coaches believe those numbers will increase as Wilson improves his eye discipline, which is a fancy way of saying he needs to do a better job of getting his eyes in the right spot at the right time. That’s atop his to-do list. A quarterback can’t afford to miss that many lay-ups.
The Jets are expecting second-year QB Zach Wilson to make progress, not take a transformative leap. Rich Schultz/Getty Images
Don’t be alarmed. It’s only June, but Wilson’s consistency level should spike as the year progresses. No one expects a miracle turnaround, but he has to be better than a 56% passer, his overall completion mark.
“I really do have a lot of confidence in myself,” Wilson said. “Obviously, I think I can be one of the best. If anybody doesn’t say that, they’re not a true competitor.”
2. Unstoppable? The fans are excited about the team, and so are the players. Speaking of the receiving corps,
Bayern Munich reached an agreement with Liverpool on Friday to sign Senegalese forward Sadio Mane for an initial €32 million, The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano reports.
Bayern could pay an additional €8 million in bonuses, according to Romano.
Liverpool reportedly allowed Mane to leave after completing a potential €100-million deal for Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez. Mane had already agreed to personal terms on a three-year contract with the reigning Bundesliga champions.
The Reds rejected two bids before hashing out a deal with Bayern on Friday.
Mane informed Liverpool of his decision to leave shortly after the Champions League final May 28, according to Romano. Liverpool lost 1-0 to Madrid in Paris.
The 30-year-old could replace Robert Lewandowski, who’s pushed to leave Bayern amid reported interest from Barcelona. The Bavarians had told Lewandowski to honor his contract – which runs for another year – but may now soften their stance.
Mane compiled an impressive resume over the last six seasons with Liverpool. He won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup while racking up 120 goals and 38 assists in 269 appearances for the Merseyside outfit.
His contract with Liverpool was set to expire in June 2023.
That’s certainly the trend in professional sports.
More than a few players in the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB have followed in the footsteps of their dads. In fact, in three of those four sports, the number of second-generation players has increased notably this century.
Second-generation players*
League
1981
2001
2021
NFL
1.0%
1.8%
3.4%
NHL
1.9%
1.5%
6.1%
MLB
1.9%
2.9%
1.9%
NBA
1.3%
1.6%
4.9%
*Minimum one game played
The NHL tops the list as 6.1% of players who took part in at least one game last season have a father who played in the league, up from 1.5% in 2001. The NBA is next with 4.9% (up from 1.6%) and the NFL was at 3.4% last season (up from 1.8%). MLB had the most second-generation players in 2001 (2.9%) but dropped to 1.9% in 2021.
What was it like to grow up with a father who played sports professionally? Did they push their sons to carry on their legacy? Did the kids have any advantages in their goal to become professional players?
“I just spent every moment with him,” Melvin Booker said of his son, Devin, when he was home during offseasons and Devin was a child. Courtesy Melvin Booker
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Devin moved to Mississippi from Michigan to attend high school — and so his dad could train him. For the next few years, Melvin was more than a dad. He was a coach, trainer and mentor.
“We were like best friends, together every day,” Melvin said. “I missed a lot of Devin’s life because I was overseas, and those seasons are like 10 months long over there. So, whenever we were together, it was like catching up.”
Melvin was sharing NBA-level coaching with his son — something not many, if any, of Devin’s peers in Mississippi were receiving. Melvin taught his son how to lift weights, how to eat right, how to put in time after practice with one-on-one drills.
It helped that Melvin was always one of Devin’s coaches, whether it was a head coach or an assistant on his high school or AAU teams. He’d give Devin in-game adjustments, dissecting the game and information at a pro level. And Devin soaked it all in.
Devin was the definition of a “Basketball Jones.” Being an NBA player was all he wanted to be, and Melvin used his career as a blueprint for Devin, who has gone on to be an NBA All-Star. He also made sure to not push Devin too hard.
“There’s a thin line,” Melvin said. “I understand that as well.
“We never had one bump in the road along the way.”
It all hit Melvin on the bus from the hotel to the 2015 NBA draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. He sat by himself as the bus inched along in traffic, giving Melvin time to reflect on the moment.
“I’m like, ‘My son’s dream is about to come true,'” Melvin remembered.
He started to tear up.
Now, whenever Melvin watches Devin in person or on TV, he still sees the little boy who’d dribble around the house and talk about making it big.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Melvin said. “It’s hard to even explain it in words.
“He’s a professional basketball player, so it worked out for him.” — Josh Weinfuss
Carolina Hurricanes center Max Domi (left) thought it was totally normal to hang out with NHL greats like Mats Sundin when he was a kid and his dad, Tie (right), played in the league. Courtesy Max Domi
The Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning are facing off in the Stanley Cup Final. You can watch all seven games on ABC, ESPN+ and in the ESPN App.
