near barcelona Tottenham HotspurCristian Romero is on their list to improve their defense ahead of next season.

On 29 April, Game Witness broadcast news The centre-back is Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni as his main option.

Earlier this month, we Covered Claims The Italian is concerned about Barcelona’s interest in the Tottenham star.

Wednesday edition of game The La Liga winners are said to have courted Bastoni because of his €70m price tag.

Hansi Flick’s side are considering options and that’s where the Argentina international comes into the picture.

tottenham took a stance

Another report from game State Barcelona is closely monitoring the situation at Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs’ failure to beat Chelsea on Tuesday means their stay in the Premier League is not yet secure. They are 17th in the table, two points ahead of 18th-placed West Ham United and need at least a point to avoid relegation.

The game states Roberto De Zerbi’s side will allow Cristian Romero to leave despite remaining in the Premier League.

Barcelona, ​​who were offered Romero a month ago, have contacted his agent and are awaiting a response.

The Catalan club is well aware that he will ‘definitely leave’ to Tottenham, who will set the price depending on his Premier League stay. If Spurs stay top, Sport say the price will be €60m and would be significantly reduced in the event of relegation.

However, the Spanish champions are refusing to pay €60m and will only consider a ‘significantly lower price’ deal by offering Spurs a player as part of the deal.

The South American wants to reach Camp Nou while Atletico Madrid are also in the race to sign him. There will be no movement until Tottenham finish their season.

Contract, price and agent information

Last August, Cristian Romero signed an extension at Tottenham Hotspur until 2029. transfer marketis €50m and the highest was €65m in December 2025.

Agent Ciro Palermo manages the Argentine, who is currently working on his recovery after suffering an injury in April.

tottenham He may still want to keep Joao Palhinha permanently. However, the growing mood in Portugal is that the midfielder is already planning a move out of North London.

That sentiment is growing stronger with every new report about Sporting’s summer rebuild.

according to to ballThe Lisbon side are already shaping their next midfield with the expectation that Palhinha could arrive this summer. As he said, Sporting’s midfield next season will be “Palhinha and a new six”.

Sporting is now being planned around Palhinha

The report states that Sporting are looking to pair Palhinha with another defensive midfielder. In other words, the club’s plan is to treat his return as a done deal.

Real Betis player Sergi Altimira and Hacken youngster Silas Andersson are both on the shortlist to become the ‘number six’.

The report also states that a loan with an option to buy currently seems to be the most financially realistic formula for Sporting.

Player ready to help move forward

Palhinha’s stance continued to encourage the Portuguese side.

Both A said and morning mail It has also been claimed that the midfielder is willing to take a pay cut to facilitate a return to Sporting this summer. Apart from this, family reasons are also presented as a major factor behind his thinking.

But that doesn’t mean that Tottenham haven’t given up. De Zerbi still wants Pelhinha to be part of his project and, if the player agrees, Spurs remain favorites to sign him permanently.

There is another factor also involved. A Bola says Pelhinha does not want to openly discuss leaving Tottenham before securing the club’s Premier League survival.

The midfielder reportedly felt it would be unfair to create instability while Spurs were still fighting near the bottom of the table.

However, As we covered earlierNegotiations are already being held by the players’ representatives. Presumably, his aim is to present a possible transfer scenario with the Portuguese side. Later, those paths may be presented to the player at the end of the season.

However, the situation now seems to be escalating rapidly. And in Portugal, the story is increasingly being framed as a comeback that is already being actively built behind the scenes.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have poured millions of dollars into their football program, trying to keep pace with other major schools of the NFL era. Unfortunately, in a growing trend, this is going to come at the expense of other Fighting Irish athletic programs.

In a recent episode of Irish Illustrated Insider, 17 Notre Dame sports’ budgets will be cut in future years and that includes reducing the number of scholarships.

RELATED: Notre Dame could lose Marcus Freeman after 2026

Among the reported cuts, the Fighting Irish baseball team’s scholarships will be reduced to 10.2 in future years. Barring a few select programs, the cuts will be felt largely across the board.

There are reportedly only nine Notre Dame sports teams, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s lacrosse. Additionally, every sport’s budget has either been frozen or reduced, with scholarship cuts also being a part of that equation.

Notre Dame’s baseball program recently reached the College World Series in Omaha in 2022. The program has now lost more than 20 games in four consecutive seasons and will finish 2026 with a losing record in the conference for the third consecutive year.

Unfortunately, Notre Dame is simply following the same path that other major schools have taken. Arkansas announced in April that it was closing its men’s and women’s tennis programs due to financial reasons. In future years, this will mean fewer scholarships available and no sports to play for hundreds of student-athletes across the country.

Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish are projected to spend over $30 million on their football roster this season, and that is believed to be significantly less than what some other schools are spending on their football teams.

This reflects the direction collegiate sports are going, with universities pouring money into sports that generate revenue and cutting budgets for sports programs or eliminating them altogether that do not make money.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

WWE was tasked with cutting millions from its payroll last month, and the way those cuts were handled has caused a lot of disappointment in the wrestling industry.

Fightful Select has published a comprehensive report detailing the scope of the financial cuts, the pressure on talent to make quick decisions, and the broader implications for how wrestlers will approach contract negotiations with TKO going forward.

The cuts were met with immediate criticism from within the industry, primarily because of the timing. The TKO executive pay package was made public around the same time as the release and pay cut requests were made public, with the stock reaching record highs. As noted by Fightful Select, most of the talent and agent world accept that releases under TKO are a reality under WWE’s direction, but talents being asked to take seven-figure pay cuts per year, while executives received substantial compensation packages, was widely criticized and ridiculed.

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods – better known as The New Day – were among the talents who were contacted about taking pay cuts on the day of the massive release. Both were given two days to decide and they immediately decided that they would rather leave the company than accept the lower offer. Despite the decline, both walked away with millions of dollars remaining on their deals over the next four years.

Fightful Select also noted that several talents were approached with new contract offers during overseas dates in recent years, sometimes well before negotiations were expected. Some within the industry saw this as an attempt to get talent signed before their representatives could properly review the terms, although this was portrayed as an opinion rather than a confirmed strategy.

The report references Killer Kross as an isolated example of compressed decision timelines, with Kross claiming he was given just one day to decide on his contract offer last year.

Concerns about industry reaction and future negotiations

The broader fallout from this round of cuts is already dictating how talent and their representatives view future deals with TKO. Fightful Select reports that there is now little confidence within the talent and agent communities that wrestlers signing big, life-changing contracts will actually play their full course. The concern is that WWE may continue to approach talent mid-contract with lower offers, weakening the protections those deals provide.

Related frustrations cited in the report center on timing and competitive strategy. Santos Escobar and others signed new deals with WWE last year without involving AEW or other companies, and now they find themselves facing pay cuts with little or no leverage. Several representatives pointed out that cutting those talents also reduces WWE’s competitive advantage, as forcing AEW to spend more money on the same performers would have been a stronger strategic play.

In regards to The New Day, Fightful Select reported that several names within AEW have been pushing internally for the tag team to sign. The report also shot down rumors that Woods could return to WWE on a digital-only deal, noting that such an arrangement would prevent him from working for AEW and effectively cost him millions in the coming years.

A WWE source was also quoted by another outlet, expressing disappointment that the company did not publicly acknowledge The New Day’s contributions upon their departure. A separate WWE source told Fightful Select that the company privately expressed its appreciation and that a joint statement announcing the departures was expected, but no explanation was given as to why it never materialized.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson revealed on Monday that the “majorly driven talent” in WWE was asked and accepted to take a significant pay cut. The news came a day before Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were moved to WWE’s alumni section following their reported mutual departure from the company following a contract restructuring request.

“[We were] Reportedly a highly pushed talent was asked to take a 50% pay cut, and allegedly did so,” Johnson wrote. ”I’m not naming the genius because I have no way of yet confirming that this was the case, but the timing of that claim and what happened the next day was very interesting to say the least.”

Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp said on X that several talents were asked to take pay cuts by WWE, although he did not specify which names were included.

Keeping all this in mind, let’s guess which famous star has accepted the pay cut rumor recently.

la night

LA Knight is the most obvious, seeing his decline over the last few years and not being used as often as he used to. Knight can stick with WWE for a few more years, be used as they see fit, and that will pay off his bank account. WWE might also know that Knight does not want to leave from there and go anywhere else.

logan paul

While this may be a reach, Logan Paul fits the bill as he has gone from being a guy in the mix in top tier storylines to now being involved in a tag team with Austin Theory. Money is not an issue for him, and he would probably do WWE for free at this point because of his love for the sport.

belle

Bayley likes wrestling and WWE. If the company comes to her asking for a pay cut, we can see her being happy to do so because she absolutely loves her job and coworkers. He is seen in regular roles on TV, although he is no longer the main announcer. Maybe Bailey is also thinking of big plans and is aiming to establish a job in the company after leaving the job.

The Miz

The Miz has been in WWE for two decades and has earned his keep, as well as being secure in whatever role WWE has asked him to play. He has fame and legacy. Now he wants to help young talents learn. He’s a good fit for the company, but he probably has a bigger contract than he’s used to. After the wrestling is over, he’s probably also thinking about the bigger picture and the work backstage.

During the Lakers’ nine-game winning streak, LeBron has been one of the biggest contributors. After facing questions about his fit with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, James has emerged as the perfect power forward for the Lakers who can hit shots with efficiency and also make moves on the defensive end.

Ramona:

“I think the idea of ​​playing anywhere near $50 million is probably over, but if (LeBron) is willing to play for less than that, if it fits with what (the Lakers) are trying to do, then I think the door is open.” pic.twitter.com/ePVU76wKQo

– Oh no, he didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) 23 March 2026

The change in the Lakers’ play has sparked various discussions about the team and LeBron’s possible return. While many believe LeBron will leave the Lakers in the summer, Ramona Shelburne raised the possibility that James will remain with the Lakers if he takes a significant pay cut.

“I think the idea of ​​playing anywhere for $50 million is probably dead on now. But, if he’s willing to play at a lower price, if it fits with what they’re trying to do, I think that door is open,” Shelburne said on NBA Today.

NBA Today guest host Jorge Sedano said, “Yeah. ‘Cause they have to balance the Austin situation as well. And still be able to fill out the rest of the roster.”

Shelburne said, “Yeah. As it stands right now, it’s almost like he’ll reverse roles with Austin in terms of salary.”

James is averaging 21.1 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game and 6.8 assists per game on a 51.4% field goal percentage. His all-round play and playmaking ability has been crucial for the Lakers during this win streak and could be vital if the Lakers want to make a deep playoff run.

The Lakers will visit the East-leading Detroit Pistons tonight at 7pm EST.

As the NBA season approaches, there is intense discussion about who will take home the 2025-2026 MVP trophy. Lakers star Luka Doncic has emerged as a leading contender as the Lakers begin a nine-game winning streak. Jaylen Brown has also received praise for how he has led the Celtics’ success prior to Jayson Tatum’s return from an Achilles injury.

Carmelo Anthony says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is ‘clear cut’ MVP 👀

“The players know who the real MVP is… To me, it’s obvious. I think it’s Shai… When you see the MVP, you know.”

Idea? 🤔

(via @7PMinBrooklyn) pic.twitter.com/2MdEI7OCYK

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 23 March 2026

But Hall of Famer and NBC Sports analyst Carmelo Anthony believes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the “clear-cut” favorite for MVP this season.

“The players know who the real MVP is… To me, it’s obvious. I think it’s Shai… This is the best team in the NBA, best player on the team. It’s hard to argue. The guy is averaging 30 and 9. You know what I mean? When you see an MVP, you know.”

gilgeous-alexander the engine is For the Thunder as they have faced some injury challenges this year. He averaged 31.6 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game and 6.6 assists per game on 55.3% shooting. He is also displaying exceptional defense, averaging 1.4 steals per game. Oklahoma City is still on top of the Western Conference and NBA landscape at 56–15. Alexander too

But winning the MVP trophy is all about moments, and for top MVP contenders Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they can create a moment by playing against each other in April. The Thunder and Lakers will play on April 2 and April 7, which could make for an interesting look at who will ultimately take home one of the NBA’s greatest accolades.

On Sunday, at the Target Center, Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey thrilled fans with a powerful third quarter dunk over Minnesota Timberwolves stars Anthony Edwards and Jon Beringer. This play helped Philly cruise to a 135–108 victory.

Maxey, who had recently played with Edwards in the All-Star Game, scored a team-high 39 points on 16 of 28 shooting. The win snapped the Sixers’ four-game losing streak, leaving them at 31–26, and ended Minnesota’s three-game winning streak, leaving them at 35–23.

Even after Maxey threw a large poster at Edwards, he remained relaxed and smiling, showing no frustration towards the rising 76ers star.

“He’s unbelievable, man, he already knows he’s one of my favorite players to watch in the league. He even attacked me today, I really don’t like it,” Edwards told reporters after the game.

“I didn’t know he was going to lay it down… I finally turned my head. I was thinking he was going to lay it on, then he went and punched it… That’s why we play the game, I’m not mad about it.”

“I didn’t know he was going downhill…finally my head turned. I was thinking he was going to lay it up, then he went and punched it…that’s why we play the game, I’m not mad at it.”

Anthony Edwards on Tyrese Maxey’s dunk 😅

(via @adukeMN)pic.twitter.com/tMH3TiO5rT https://t.co/WDw98cSWGz

– ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 23 February 2026

Maxi performed exceptionally well despite the absence of Joel Embiid and a Paul George-less 76ers team, with neither star taking the court.

Edwards scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but Maxey’s game-high 39 points led Philadelphia to a dominant win over Minnesota.

Rudy Gobert sat out due to a one-game suspension, and Nazi Reed missed the game with a shoulder injury, leaving Minnesota shorthanded.

Edwards and Maxey would meet once again on April 3 for the last regular season game between Minnesota and Philadelphia.

Even after the viral dunk and the tough loss, Edwards remains a must-watch player at just 24 years old. Whether he is underrated can be debated, but there is no doubt that he is one of the top talents in the game.

For now, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will look to bounce back when they face the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.