Sané: Germany need Musiala to recover and deliver 'brilliant moments'
Leroy Sané hailed Germany team-mate Jamal Musiala as a difference maker as he wished his former Bayern Munich colleague a speedy recovery.
The 22-year-old broke his fibula and dislocated his ankle in Bayern's 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup quarter-finals.
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The playmaker will now be out for several months. Sané will be one of the candidates to fill in for him for Germany in upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but he can no longer replace Musiala for Bayern after recently leaving for Galatasaray.
"I really hope he recovers soon. Bayern and the national team need him and his brilliant moments," the 29-year-old told Sky. "He was just on his way to becoming 100% fit again, and then this... I feel so incredibly sorry for him. It's so frustrating."
Musiala underwent successful surgery on Monday.
"I watched the game live on TV," Sané said. "The scene didn't look good at all after the first replay. Unfortunately, you could already sense that it would mean a longer recovery period. It's unbelievably bitter. I was stunned at first."
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
One regular day of Barcelona: Rashford's arrival and a pre-season tour thrown into chaos
On June 16, Barcelona announced their plan for a three-game tour of Japan and South Korea this summer, with games against Vissel Kobe on July 27, FC Seoul on July 31 and Daegu FC on August 4. The trip was to form a major part of the pre-season preparations for Hansi Flick's team before the 2025-26 campaign. A team that won the double in Spain last year (La Liga and Copa del Rey) and who reached the last four of the Champions League. Advertisement There was also an important commercial element. Barca have regularly visited the two countries in the past, and have a historically close relationship with Vissel Kobe, the Japanese team that club legend Andres Iniesta used to play for. Barca also faced them in 2019 and 2023. They were particularly interested in visiting Asia this summer, given they had travelled to the United States for the past two summers and felt they would have to compete with the Club World Cup if they returned there this time (they did not qualify for the tournament and their rivals Real Madrid got to the semi-finals). Those plans were thrown into chaos late on Wednesday, just hours before the team were scheduled to fly out to Japan, when Barca said they would not be travelling there over a row with promoters. After plenty of twists and turns on Thursday, late that evening, Barca finally confirmed they would be flying to Japan at 11am local time on Friday, with the squad list to be released shortly before. The Athletic spoke to sources around the club — from the boardroom to the dressing room — to break down a chaotic 24-hour period that began on a hugely positive note with the presentation of Marcus Rashford as a Barcelona player… On Wednesday night, Barca made Rashford's loan move from Manchester United official. Rashford's agents and sporting director Deco had stayed at the club's training facilities until the early hours finalising that move, while club officials had also stayed beyond midnight to negotiate the fee to take backup striker Pau Victor to Portuguese side Braga. After Rashford's presentation at the club museum, word began to circulate that the team would not be flying out to Asia as scheduled the following morning. At just past 8pm, Barca released a statement saying the club had 'been obliged to suspend its participation in the game scheduled for next Sunday in Japan due to serious contractual breaches on behalf of the promoter'. Advertisement The statement said the team's participation in the second two games in South Korea would only take place if 'certain conditions are met by the promoter', without detailing what those conditions were. Players who thought they were spending the last night in two weeks with their families were informed by the club that they would instead be training in the morning. Some only learned the news via social media, and scrambled to find out more details online. A statement was circulated to reporters covering Barcelona from Ham Seul, chief executive of a company called D-Drive, which the club had partnered with to organise the tour. This statement claimed the issue was that Japanese company Yasuda Group, which was promoting the Kobe game, had not made a payment as agreed. It also alleged 'invalid and forged documents' as well as 'deliberate fraud'. The Athletic contacted Yasuda for comment. D-Drive said it agreed with Barca's decision to cancel the game in Japan, but said the other two games in South Korea would go ahead and that 'all match-related expenses' had already been 'covered'. After Rashford's presentation, Barca president Joan Laporta and other club executives went with the new signing and his entourage for a meal in the Catalan capital. While leaving the restaurant, club vice-president Rafa Yuste was asked by a reporter from Twitch outlet Jijantes whether Barca were still going to South Korea. 'We're working on it,' Yuste replied. When asked whether it was a pity that Barca were not going to Japan, Yuste replied: 'We always defend the interests of the club. If the agreements are not respected, we have to look after (Barca).' Around the time when Barca's squad were supposed to be leaving Barcelona airport on Korean Airlines plane KE9916 for Kansai International Airport in Osaka, the players were instead reporting for training at the club's Joan Gamper training ground. Rashford took part in a workout with his new team-mates under Flick's watchful eye. 'Rashford shared some nice moments with his team-mates on the pitch at the club's facilities, with good vibes during training,' said a Barca club statement about the session. Good morning, Marcus! 👋 — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 24, 2025 Barca staff were investigating the possibility of flying directly to South Korea for the other two games, including sorting administrative issues such as visas, and the difficulty of finding a plane to carry the 120-strong group of players, staff and club officials at short notice. There was also communication with the seven club staff who had already travelled to Kobe, reported to include security staff, travel managers and a chef. Advertisement Catalan media reports, including from the newspaper Sport, suggested that Barca were already looking for another team to play them in a friendly in Spain on Sunday — before flying to South Korea. The chief executive of D-Drive, Ham Seul, spoke on Catalan radio show Que t'hi Jugues! about the situation. 'A man sent me a message over LinkedIn, saying he was one of the main sponsors of a Spanish club, and had organised friendlies in Japan,' she said. 'I believed him and we met. He told me if Barca went to Kobe, maybe he could guarantee me a good amount of money from a very big Japanese company. So I signed a good contract with FC Barcelona, and I myself sent an advance (payment).' Ham said that payments agreed by this person, who she did not identify, did not arrive, that financial documents she requested were not received, and eventually things came to a head on Wednesday. 'Last night I pressed him and his secretary, who finally confessed that the Yasuda Group had never paid any money,' she said. She was now working on organising a charter plane to bring Barcelona to South Korea for the two games there. Ham also said she would 'do everything for Barca to get to Korea, full payment for the two games there has been made, 100 per cent assured'. The Yasuda Group is yet to comment on the claims made against the company. As speculation mounted that Barca would be flying to Japan in time to play Sunday's game, the team bus arrived at the training ground — sparking rumours online that the team could travel as soon as Thursday evening. The players believed they would be leaving for Japan in the evening. 📺 DIRECTO @JijantesFC 🚍 Llega el autobús del Barça a la Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper El equipo tiene previsto viajar a Japón en las próximas horas 🇯🇵🔵🔴 🔗 — Jijantes FC (@JijantesFC) July 24, 2025 Vissel Kobe release a statement suggesting the game would still go ahead, but without confirming this. 'Regarding the match scheduled with Barcelona on Sunday, July 27, we are continuing to work together closely with all the related stakeholders to gather essential information and make necessary adjustments,' the statement said. Advertisement 'We are not in a position to provide definitive information. We will continue to make every effort possible for all the fans and stakeholders out there eagerly awaiting this match. We will swiftly announce any progress via our club's official website as soon as it becomes available. We kindly ask for your patience for just a little while longer.' The wording of the statement is updated twice across the day but the messaging remains the same. Most of the tickets had already been sold for Sunday's game at the 30,000-capacity Noevir Kobe Stadium. Some final seats were still on sale on the club's website on Thursday afternoon. Tickets to attend Barca's open training sessions scheduled for Saturday morning at 10am Kobe time were also still on sale. Barca sources, speaking anonymously to protect their jobs, told The Athletic that the club were expecting €15million (£13m; $18m) from the entire tour — they said the €10m linked to the South Korean games was paid as agreed, but the €5m for the game in Kobe had not been received. Those voices suggested that Japanese technology company Rakuten — the owner of Vissel Kobe — was now 'expected to step up and pay the money', though it was not immediately clear why this should be for them to pay. Rakuten was Barca's shirt sponsor from 2017 to 2022, in a deal agreed during the presidency of Josep Maria Bartomeu. The Rakuten founder and chief executive Hiroshi Mikitani is also a co-founder of the Barcelona-headquartered Kosmos agency along with ex-Barca defender Gerard Pique. Kosmos' projects have included running the Davis Cup tennis competition, moving the Supercopa de Espana to Saudi Arabia and owning Spanish second-division side Andorra. Rakuten declined to comment when asked by The Athletic whether it would pay the €5m. By this point, Barca players and staff had been told by the club that they would not be travelling to Japan on Thursday. Advertisement 'I don't know what else to say,' a dressing-room source, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, told The Athletic during the afternoon, when asked whether they were expecting to travel the next day or at some point. 'We don't know anything right now. It's madness.' One player who definitely will not be making the trip is goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. He posted on X at 5.21pm to say he would have an operation on a long-running back injury and would be out for around three months — one below the four required for the club to activate an injury loophole and register another player in his place under La Liga rules. Barca's statement later in the day did not stipulate a timeframe. The club confirm they plan to travel to Japan on Friday at 11am, with the squad list to be released shortly beforehand, and with the intention to play the game against Vissel Kobe on Sunday. Barca's original plan for Friday involved the team arriving at Kansai International Airport in Osaka at 6.50am local time (11.50pm Barcelona time). They were due to check in at the Kobe Portopia Hotel at 8.30am. Two training sessions were also scheduled at 11am and 6pm at Vissel Kobe's ground. They will now travel late Friday morning Barcelona time. Before that was confirmed, Barca had training sessions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Kobe stadium. Club staff were also due at an event on Saturday in Kobe organised by the Catalan Tourist Agency. Meet-and-greets with Barca's Japan-based fans were set for Saturday afternoon, with the club invited to a Vissel Kobe 30th anniversary charity gala on Saturday evening. The game was scheduled for 7pm Sunday local time. The team had Monday off — then on Tuesday they were due on Korean airways flight KE9736, leaving Kansai at 10.30am and arriving at Seoul's Incheon International Airport at midday. The team were booked into the South Korean capital's Four Seasons Hotel — and due to play Jesse Lingard's FC Seoul next Thursday, before flying to Daegu the following morning for the final tour game. It remains to be seen how their new plans impact their schedule. This was yet another crazy 24 hours in the life of the Catalan club. (Top photos: Rashford at his presentation and Barca players in training earlier this week; Getty Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Real Madrid player holidays: Vinicius Jr's theme park, Bellingham's incognito trip, Huijsen's training sessions
A Bad Bunny concert in Puerto Rico, an incognito trip to London and a team-mate's wedding in Brazil — Real Madrid players have chosen a wide range of holiday destinations this summer. Madrid were knocked out of the Club World Cup semi-finals by Paris Saint-Germain on July 9 and are expected to return to the training ground on August 4, giving them nearly a month to unwind before the start of the new season. Here, The Athletic takes a look at what the players have been up to — and explains some of the considerations that go into a footballer's holiday, with help from the people who organise them. Spain is a popular destination for footballers across Europe, so it is no surprise that so many Madrid stars have chosen not to go abroad for their holidays. New signing Alvaro Carreras decided to spend part of his break in the northern city of Ferrol with his family and group of lifelong friends. He invited them to dinner the day after his €50million (£43.4m/$58.8m) signing from Benfica was finally announced to thank them for their support during the transfer saga. Advertisement Dani Ceballos has also enjoyed time with his family in Seville, while Brahim Diaz was back in his native Malaga for his 'Mentalidad Brahim' football camp for children. Marbella and the Balearic Islands, which include Ibiza, are two of the most popular places for footballers to holiday. Jude Bellingham visited Ibiza before the Club World Cup. Once he had undergone shoulder surgery following the tournament, he decided to spend a few days in London, wearing a coat, hat and glasses to seemingly try to go unnoticed. The England midfielder even had time to visit Barnet's stadium The Hive for a friendly against Wycombe Wanderers, managed by his friend and former Birmingham City youth coach Mike Dodds. Thanks for the support Jude 👋 The England and Real Madrid star popped to the Hive to catch up with an old friend tonight. — Wycombe Wanderers (@wwfcofficial) July 22, 2025 Other Madrid stars, such as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Dean Huijsen, also visited Ibiza after the Club World Cup to enjoy some of the island's famous clubs, including Ushuaia. Young striker Gonzalo Garcia opted for the smaller but equally fashionable island of Formentera, which is not as well known for its nightlife but is a destination favoured by players, including club legend Raul, who Gonzalo has been compared to. Huijsen, who joined from Bournemouth for £50m in May, spent some time back in his hometown of Marbella. He linked up with his fellow new Madrid arrival Trent Alexander-Arnold — who he met at a Marbella club before the Club World Cup — and with his friend and former Juventus team-mate Kenan Yildiz, relaxing on boats and jet skiing. The 20-year-old has also kept working with a personal trainer and carried out some sessions with a ball at the Marbella football centre, where he met up with the Real Madrid Castilla ('B' team) squad managed by the club's former right-back Alvaro Arbeloa. Some players opted not to immediately return to Spain after Madrid's Club World Cup exit. Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior stayed in New York to take in the sights before going to Brazil, where many of the current squad are from. Along with Rodrygo, they celebrated Eder Militao's wedding and Vinicius Jr's 25th birthday earlier this month. Vinicius Jr even set up his own theme park called 'Baila Vini World' to commemorate the occasion and invited American artists Travis Scott and Chase B. A post shared by Vinicius Jr. ⚡️🇧🇷 (@vinijr) Experts who work in the industry say that Brazil is a favourite destination for footballers, especially Armacao de Buzios, a coastal resort which is a three-hour drive east of Rio de Janeiro. They rank it at the same level as Miami, Mykonos and Saint-Tropez in terms of preferred destinations for players. Most players hire a private concierge agency to manage their trips — involving everything from private jets, hotels and concerts to security, on-site transport and boats — which usually involves a 20 per cent commission. And according to a source who has worked for years with a former Madrid star — speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships — players can spend between €10,000 and €15,000 per day during these trips, depending on the destination and their activities. Advertisement Another source says that private jets can add more than €10,000 to the cost of the trip per day. The players' top priority is confidentiality and privacy, as well as having a contact to help them with any unforeseen events or potential plans. But the most common requests, according to those voices, are luxury cars and sporting activities. Partners of players often request wellness activities within their villas, where there is increasing demand for high-end food experiences without having to travel. Elsewhere this summer, Kylian Mbappe was spotted at a Bad Bunny concert in Puerto Rico with his friend and former PSG team-mate Achraf Hakimi. He cannot claim the squad's most exotic holiday, however. That title probably goes to Ceballos, who, after spending time in Andalusia, visited Soneva, a resort island off the south-west of India. 🫣☀️ Mbappé y Achraf están disfrutando juntos de sus vacaciones viendo en primera fila a Bad Bunny 🐰🎵 🇵🇷 Estuvieron en su concierto en Puerto Rico, también les acompañaba Eladio Carrión 🤯 — MARCA (@marca) July 21, 2025 David Alaba spent a few days in Lake Como in Italy with his family, while new coach Xabi Alonso visited his home province of Gipuzkoa in northern Spain. Part of his family still lives there and he took full advantage of his time there to eat at some of his favourite places, including the renowned Basque restaurant Asador Bedua. But, even if Alonso's players have enjoyed some relaxation, they have continued to train in their spare time. Players tend to bring their personal trainers with them during the final days of the holidays to ensure they start the season in peak physical condition — or to help with their recovery from injury, as is the case with Endrick. The striker is expected to be out for between eight to 10 weeks after suffering a relapse with his hamstring injury and took his personal trainer Vinicius Nevado with him on his honeymoon in Japan. Endrick married model Gabriely Miranda in September but this time held a much bigger ceremony in Madrid. Advertisement That is a reminder of how close the new season is. With Madrid's first La Liga fixture scheduled for August 19 against Osasuna and a new era beginning under Alonso, everybody wants to impress. (Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Clive Rose - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images; Mark Sutton - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images; Antonio Villalba/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Alexander Isak could cost £250m to sign. This is why – and who could afford it
Alexander Isak wishing to leave Newcastle United is one thing; working out who could afford to buy him is quite another. Newcastle hope any serious transfer fee conversation will start at the mind-boggling figure of £150million ($203m). To put that into context, it would make Isak the third most expensive footballer in history, behind Paris Saint-Germain recruits Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Advertisement The field of possible destinations looks slim. Even ignoring the football factors, the financials in play are huge and an obvious barrier to entering the Isak market. Buying Isak for £150m is more like a £171m transfer once we add in some estimated agent fees and, if the buyer is a Premier League club, a four per cent transfer levy. From a profit and sustainability rules (PSR) perspective, spread over a five-year deal, those fees alone would add £33m-35m to a club's costs. Then there are Isak's wages. His exact demands are unknown but given his status as one of the world's leading players a range of £250,000 to £300,000 a week is far from unreasonable. At that level, the hit to a club would be £15m-£18m annually. Essentially, it's fair to say signing Isak would lump £50m in annual costs onto his new club — and that's just from an accounting perspective. It's often forgotten that clubs will need to pay the money in cash eventually and, over our hypothetical five-year deal, Isak would probably cost a new suitor more than £250m. Plainly, that rules a lot of teams out. But can anyone afford it? In Italy, Juventus have lost around £670m in the past four years. Both Milan and Inter are recovering financially but the fee for Isak would be more than two-fifths of their most recently published revenues. Napoli, Serie A winners last season, have posted impressive profits recently and boasted a strong cash position at last check. They would be the most feasible Italian suitor yet still an unlikely one; their most recent wage bill was lower than Newcastle's. In Germany, Eintracht Frankfurt's heady player sales have imbued them with cash and regulatory headroom but signing up to a commitment like Isak is fanciful. Their 2023-24 revenues were £213m, so his signing would cost over 70 per cent of annual turnover. Advertisement Borussia Dortmund's wage bill in the same season, when they reached the Champions League final, was only around £12m higher than Newcastle's, so meeting Isak's demands seems unlikely even with the club on a generally sound footing. Dortmund weren't expected to spend much this summer and have already spent their Club World Cup earnings on Jobe Bellingham and Yan Couto. Bayern Munich are a possible option, but success in their other plans, like getting Luis Diaz from Liverpool, would reduce that likelihood. The German champions are the fifth-highest-earning club in world football, according to Deloitte, and consistently profitable, generating a £135m pre-tax surplus in the past five seasons. Financially, Bayern are one of the few clubs who could afford Isak — they showed as much by being realistic contenders for the signature of Florian Wirtz earlier this summer. But the fact they are prioritising other targets would slim the chances of a deal for Isak. In France, like with most big-name players these days, only PSG could afford him. They are unencumbered by lax financial rules at home and have enjoyed huge income from the Champions League and Club World Cup recently. Wages fell with the departure of Mbappe last year, but they remain big spenders. Compliance abroad is trickier — PSG are in a 'settlement regime' with UEFA until the end of this season, so there are some limitations on their spending. Still, moving on someone like the unwanted Randal Kolo Muani would feasibly open a space for Isak, both in the squad and in terms of remaining within any financial rules. Cash tends not to be a problem in the French capital. In Spain, Barcelona are having enough trouble making room to register players they've already signed. Atletico Madrid just about break even but have high debts to service and, based on most recent figures, the amortisation cost of signing Isak would be more than half their total amortisation bill. They've spent big (£65m) on Julian Alvarez since those figures were released, but that in itself likely rules them out of being able to enter the market at over double Alvarez's price. Real Madrid tend to be able to afford just about anyone and recently announced 2024-25 revenues of €1.2billion (£1.0bn), the largest in the world. Even with Mbappe's huge wage coming onboard, Madrid were profitable last season, to the tune of €24m (£20m) after tax. Even so, they have pressing needs elsewhere, and there are only so many huge salaries you can take at once. Real have already spent just shy of £150m in transfer fees alone already this summer, and doubling that again looks unlikely, even for them. It's not impossible, but it is improbable. Advertisement And so, what of England? The world's richest league is naturally the one where clubs could most realistically afford Isak, though even here he'd be limited for actual choice. Tottenham Hotspur have the PSR headroom but unlikely the cash or space on the wage bill, which is kept notoriously low relative to income, and especially as they're already spending this summer. Further south, as we detailed in June, Brighton & Hove Albion have much in the way of regulatory headroom but are plainly an unrealistic option. That same piece outlined Chelsea as, ludicrously to some, the club with the greatest scope to spend from a PSR perspective. They don't want for cash, having received not far shy of £1bn from their current owners, but this deal, alongside their other activity this summer, would be pushing things. Particularly as Chelsea are in their own UEFA settlement regime, and the impact of recent intra-group asset sales won't boost their PSR calculations forever. Chelsea are already in the position of needing to sell players to free up space on their Champions League squad list and, in any case, it's unclear how Isak's salary would line up at a club where there's been a concerted (albeit sometimes overstated) effort to reduce staff costs. Arsenal were long viewed as a viable landing spot for Isak, but the imminent signing of Viktor Gyokeres casts clear doubt on that. Even without Gyokeres, they have spent over £100m already this summer, albeit after a lean year last season (net spend: £20.9m). Arsenal probably could afford the £50m annual cost of signing Isak, especially as revenues continue to rise, but their activity this summer (both completed and pending) would mean they'd very much be pushing toward their limit by doing so. Manchester City have plenty of money and PSR headroom, even after spending some £300m or more since the turn of the year. They could afford Isak, having booked nearly £200m in profit in the past three seasons. Football reasons seem a more likely impediment to moving there. Across town, Manchester United have been heavily loss-making in recent years but, as The Athletic detailed in June, their PSR losses are much lower than previously thought. United remain the fourth-highest-earning club in the world and have undertaken significant cost-cutting over the past year. Advertisement From a PSR perspective, they may well be able to stretch to someone like Isak, even without Champions League football this year. But cash is another issue. United's transfer debts were over £300m net even before the recent signings of Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and their need to sell players this summer is more cash-focused than rules-based. To that end, adding Isak's wage and paying a huge fee to Newcastle looks highly unlikely, and would rely on either a further injection of shares (Sir Jim Ratcliffe invested £238.5m in 2024) or adding to an already hefty debt pile. Remarkably, despite their £300m-plus spend already this summer, Liverpool represent the likeliest Premier League destination for Isak. The Anfield outfit would need to sell players but are already planning to; the departures of Diaz, Darwin Nunez or Harvey Elliott, or even all three, would provide a boost to profits and cash, and help them back toward the policy of sustainability driven by Fenway Sports Group over the past decade and more. Liverpool have been able to spend so much this summer through careful financial management, and it's exactly that which keeps them in the frame for Isak — even at the huge asking price. It's a tall ask, even for a club as well managed as they have been, but the conditions to do it really are there: low transfer debt, strong cashflow, surging revenue and saleable assets to help offset the hit both now and in the future. Away from the Premier League, the oil-soaked elephant in this particular transfer room is the instance whereby Isak's overarching employer doesn't change. Al Hilal are, like Newcastle, owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and, at the risk of stating the obvious, have no financial worries at all. Since being taken over by PIF in June 2023, Al Hilal have spent over £400m on new signings and goodness knows what more on wages. If they want to sign Isak, they can afford to. The financials would be easy from Al Hilal's perspective, and while selling to a club of such supreme wealth might comfort Newcastle fans in the knowledge they'll get a chunky fee for Isak, the reality is more nuanced. Advertisement Under Premier League rules, any sale to a fellow PIF-owned club would require a 'fair market value assessment'. In other words, if the league deemed the fee spent by Al Hilal excessive, Newcastle would have to revise down their profit on Isak in their PSR calculation. The ramifications of a move to Saudi Arabia would be even worse on the continental stage. Under UEFA rules, player sales between related parties — which Newcastle and Al Hilal are — have to be measured at zero profit (or a loss), just as Allan Saint-Maximin's move to Al Ahli in July 2023 was. Isak could be sold to Al Hilal for £150m and Newcastle would enjoy the cash, but under UEFA rules, they'd be disallowed from booking any profit — thus doing nothing to improve their ability to remain compliant on the European stage.
