標籤: improvements

Aston Villa UD are interested in bringing Almeria’s Dion Lopi to Villa Park.

After finishing fourth this season and winning the Europa League, the Villans qualified for the Champions League.

Aston Villa look to further improve Unai Emery’s squad and are also eyeing the Spanish market this summer.

The Premier League team’s interest in a defensive midfielder is not new. In 2023, Sport Witness broadcast news Effort from Emery, but he left Stade Reims for Spanish club.

Last summer, we Covered claims from Spain Everton interested but did not secure a deal.

Aston Villa has already advanced

Senegal international is back on Aston Villa’s radar voice of almeria Cover the latest.

His development at the Segunda División side did not go unnoticed. Aston Villa see the 24-year-old as a player for both the present and the future.

Unai Emery spent two years at UD Almería between 2006 and 2008 and in his final season he had Felipe Melo at his side. Manager Dion sees Lopi as the new Felipe Melo and is keen to acquire his services.

Aston Villa have submitted an initial offer of €17m. This is less than his team’s expectation of €20m.

At the same time, for the Spanish club from the second division, the interest of the Premier League side is attractive.

After missing out on promotion this season, Almería is looking to return to the top flight next year. The midfielder will have a key role to play while his summer sale could improve their finances.

Lopi could also be tempted to join Aston Villa, who could offer the Premier League and Champions League next season. In short, there is ‘European temptation amid the battle for promotion’.

If Aston Villa increases their offer slightly to €3m, it may be difficult for Almería and Lopi to turn down.

Contract, price and agent information

The midfielder’s contract is until 2029 and is worth €4m transfer market. The highest value was €10m in June 2024 after his first season at UD Almería.

British agency CAA represents star Dion Lopi and their client list also includes Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa. The Senegalese played 1,991 minutes in 28 matches this season.

Just days after Cup Series drivers Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain got into a post-race confrontation following the Pennzoil 400, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace became the latest to call attention to the fight in NASCAR and the rulemaking that fines drivers when it happens.

Speaking to Frontstretch.com’s Dalton Hopkins ahead of Saturday’s Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Darlington Raceway, Wallace shared his perspective on whether NASCAR should allow drivers to contend again.

Reality: NASCAR Cup Series debut at Darlington, see where Bubba Wallace starts

“I don’t think so. When you go wrong… I blame my father, but I also respect him for how he was, he was an eye for an eye, okay? When you’re disrespected, it’s a fine line to be a better person or make sure they don’t do it again. … There’s got to be a fine line because it’s going to happen.”

NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace on whether he should be fined for fighting other drivers (H/T Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch.com)

Last Sunday, Suárez got out of his car and came to confront Chastain on pit road. Moments later, bystanders pushed Chastain away before coming between the two drivers to prevent the incident from escalating. A few days later, Suárez said that he would have fought Chastain if he had not received a fine from NASCAR and the impact the fight could have on sponsors’ interest.

There hasn’t been a fight between NASCAR Cup Series drivers since Ricky Stenhouse Jr. attacked Kyle Busch after the 2024 All-Star Race. Just days after the brawl, NASCAR announced that Stenhouse Jr. was fined $75,000 and two crew members were also suspended for their roles in the brawl.

RELATED: NASCAR Stage Winners 2026, Bubba Wallace Among Stage State Leaders

The great irony, as Chase Elliott later pointed out, was that NASCAR gave Stenhouse the largest fine ever for the fight, but the video was also used in marketing, to generate engagement on social media and it brought more attention to the sport that many company executives wanted.

Speaking to Hopkins, Wallace proposed something that would give fans, drivers and NASCAR what it wants, while also ensuring that no one gets seriously injured. Adopting something along the lines of hockey rules could help drivers deal with what is perceived as persistent disrespect by a co-worker and prevent things from getting worse.

RELATED: NASCAR Power Rankings, Bubba Wallace in top 10 before Darlington

“I think that’s fair but, we’ve always talked about hockey rules. Go on the field and then you can stop it, but there’s got to be a fine line. Because it’s going to happen, you’re going to get disrespected unless it’s behind the scenes and that’s too bad.”

Bubba Wallace on NASCAR’s current rules regarding fighting and the risks of not allowing it

For Wallace, who recently announced he and his wife welcomed their second child on Thursday, a $75,000 fine for settling differences with another driver after a race isn’t fair. If NASCAR ever decides to be a little more lenient in its penalties for fighting, while keeping personnel on the front lines to avoid actual brawls or significant injuries, maybe it could work out for everyone in the long run.

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin praises Bubba Wallace’s improvement

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

Just days after Cup Series drivers Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain got into a post-race confrontation following the Pennzoil 400, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace became the latest to call attention to the fight in NASCAR and the rulemaking that fines drivers when it happens.

Speaking to Frontstretch.com’s Dalton Hopkins ahead of Saturday’s Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Darlington Raceway, Wallace shared his perspective on whether NASCAR should allow drivers to contend again.

Reality: NASCAR Cup Series debut at Darlington, see where Bubba Wallace starts

“I don’t think so. When you go wrong… I blame my father, but I also respect him for how he was, he was an eye for an eye, okay? When you’re disrespected, it’s a fine line to be a better person or make sure they don’t do it again. … There’s got to be a fine line because it’s going to happen.”

NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace on whether he should be fined for fighting other drivers (H/T Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch.com)

Last Sunday, Suárez got out of his car and came to confront Chastain on pit road. Moments later, bystanders pushed Chastain away before coming between the two drivers to prevent the incident from escalating. A few days later, Suárez said that he would have fought Chastain if he had not received a fine from NASCAR and the impact the fight could have on sponsors’ interest.

There hasn’t been a fight between NASCAR Cup Series drivers since Ricky Stenhouse Jr. attacked Kyle Busch after the 2024 All-Star Race. Just days after the brawl, NASCAR announced that Stenhouse Jr. was fined $75,000 and two crew members were also suspended for their roles in the brawl.

RELATED: NASCAR Stage Winners 2026, Bubba Wallace Among Stage State Leaders

The great irony, as Chase Elliott later pointed out, was that NASCAR gave Stenhouse the largest fine ever for the fight, but the video was also used in marketing, to generate engagement on social media and it brought more attention to the sport that many company executives wanted.

Speaking to Hopkins, Wallace proposed something that would give fans, drivers and NASCAR what it wants, while also ensuring that no one gets seriously injured. Adopting something along the lines of hockey rules could help drivers deal with what is perceived as persistent disrespect by a co-worker and prevent things from getting worse.

RELATED: NASCAR Power Rankings, Bubba Wallace in top 10 before Darlington

“I think that’s fair but, we’ve always talked about hockey rules. Go on the field and then you can stop it, but there’s got to be a fine line. Because it’s going to happen, you’re going to get disrespected unless it’s behind the scenes and that’s too bad.”

Bubba Wallace on NASCAR’s current rules regarding fighting and the risks of not allowing it

For Wallace, who recently announced he and his wife welcomed their second child on Thursday, a $75,000 fine for settling differences with another driver after a race isn’t fair. If NASCAR ever decides to be a little more lenient in its penalties for fighting, while keeping personnel on the front lines to avoid actual brawls or significant injuries, maybe it could work out for everyone in the long run.

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin praises Bubba Wallace’s improvement

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

As most of the spotlight focuses on 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win the first three Cup Series races of the season, teammate Bubba Wallace is off to the best start of his career. This is, in part, thanks to their improvements on road routes.

Coming off the Circuit of the Americas, where Wallace finished 11th and was in the top 10 in points earned, driver and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin recently praised Wallace for his road-course improvements on the latest episode of Action Detrimental.

RELATED: NASCAR Power Rankings after COTA, see where Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin landed

“He should be very proud of his development on the road course. He downplays it quite a bit, you know, ‘I struggle.’ The 10 has a solid, back half now on the road to get the pace and his craft going.

Denny Hamlin on Bubba Wallace’s improvements at road courses

This is coming from the Duramax Texas Grand Prix, where Wallace scored a career-best finish at COTA with an 11th-place result after starting the day 24th. Most impressively, this happened when the No. 23 team played for points in Stage 2 (5 points) and then had to start the final stage after pitting near the back of the field.

Wallace was 24th at one point in the final stages before a restart following a caution with 17 laps remaining. He moved up to 16th with 15 laps to go, 12th with 11 laps to go, and in the final laps he passed William Byron to move up to 11th, just behind Hamlin.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin predicts how Tyler Reddick finishes in the regular season

He has now finished top 15 or better in his last three races on the road course, including an eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen last August. Over the past two years, spanning from the COTA race on March 24, 2024, to March 1, 2026, Wallace’s average finishing position is 16.16.

Keep in mind this also includes the Chicago Street Race last summer where he was 6th with 6 laps to go before getting into it with Alex Bowman and eventually spinning out. Ultimately he finished 28th.

Wallace has become the caliber of driver that Hamlin envisioned when he brought him to 23XI Racing. It shows this season, with Wallace’s improvement on road courses and the fact that he is currently second in points with the third-highest average finishing position (9.7) and second-most laps led (86) in the Cup Series. Redick and Wallace have become 23XI’s top drivers, and the team’s future could be even brighter next season, with top prospect Corey Heim expected to join the team full-time as a replacement for Riley Herbst.

READ MORE: 23XI Racing driver Riley Herbst an option for another Cup team in 2027

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