Cole Palmer has suffered another unfortunate injury setback, in a serious blow to Chelsea’s plans, with the England international fracturing his toe following an "accident at home". The 23-year-old playmaker has made just four appearances this season, as he struggles for fitness, and has now been ruled out of the Blues’ next three fixtures across all competitions.

Manchester United are tracking the progress of Elliot Anderson, as they weigh up a move for Nottingham Forest's £100m-rated midfielder in the summer. The Red Devils are unlikely to push for a deal in January, as they look to replace Casemiro, who is out of contract at the end of the season. The 23-year-old has also been linked with his former club Newcastle and reigning champions Liverpool.

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has revealed how close Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk came to leaving Anfield as free agents in the summer of 2025. Two talismanic figures on Merseyside entered the final year of their respective contracts before eventually agreeing fresh terms. The Reds were prepared to walk away from discussions there if the numbers did not make sense.

MLS has unveiled its 2026 regular-season schedule, which opens Feb. 21 with St. Louis CITY SC hosting Charlotte FC and later features Inter Miami’s debut at Miami Freedom Park on April 4. The league will pause from late May to mid-July for the FIFA World Cup before returning with marquee rivalry matches. Opening Day will feature a full slate of 15 matches over the MLS is Back Weekend.

Lionel Messi will forever be held in the highest regard at Barcelona, but that does not mean that the Liga giants will be changing the branding of their stadium in order to pay homage to the Argentine icon. Messi, who is currently in MLS with Inter Miami, has admitted that he intends to return to Catalunya at some stage. There are, however, no plans for Camp Nou to take his name.

Timo Werner’s hopes of securing a January move to MLS have suffered a major setback after the New York Red Bulls admitted they were “not 100 percent” convinced about signing him. The Leipzig forward, frozen out in Germany, had targeted a winter switch to the United States but with NYRB shifting their squad profile, his path to MLS has unexpectedly narrowed again.

Regis Le Bris has responded to mounting speculation linking Sunderland with the signing of Marseille's Matteo Guendouzi. While the Black Cats boss did not commit to an approach for the ex-Arsenal midfielder in the January transfer window, he spoke positively of their relationship. Le Bris was managing Lorient's B team as Guendouzi was coming through the ranks at the French club.

Sadio Mane says he rejected a move to Manchester United a year before signing for Liverpool. When the forward was impressing at Southampton, the Red Devils were keen on signing the Senegal international. But Mane has revealed he was "not convinced" by then-manager Louis van Gaal's assertion that he would be a first-team regular.

Galatasaray advisor and prominent agent George Gardi has dived into the behind-the-scenes developments with regards to the transfer to Leroy Sane to the Turkish heavyweights. The 29-year-old, who left Bayern Munich as a free agent at the end of last season, signed a three-year deal with Galatasaray after the club managed to convince him of his importance in the project.

With everything on the line, here's how Gotham FC can top the Spirit for the 2025 NWSL Championship.

Referees' chief Howard Webb has denied that a former staff member lost her role as an international football official because she complained a coach "manhandled" her. Lisa Benn alleges she was threatened and grabbed by an assistant referee coach and unfairly lost her post on FIFA's international officials list because the 34-year-old submitted her grievance.

NWSL Playoffs have been nothing short of exciting and now No. 2 Washington Spirit and No. 8 Gotham FC meet in the NWSL Championship.