ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A second straight game without Yordan Alvarez reinforced a reality. The Houston Astros need more consistent sources of offense, with time running short for them to emerge.
A lineup missing its leading threat mustered five hits in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, undermining a determined start by right-hander Peter Lambert and ensuring a series loss to the American League's first playoff entrant at Tropicana Field.
The Astros, who entered with the fifth-fewest runs in the majors since the Aug. 3 trade deadline, scored three or fewer for the 21st time in 35 games in that stretch. The offensive downturn might be presenting a direr threat to their playoff hopes if not for an inept division. The loss left Houston with a 2 ½-game AL West lead over the Rangers, who entered the day four games under .500, pending Texas' result.
The Astros are 75-74 with 13 games remaining on their schedule. Yainer Diaz had three of their five hits Saturday, including a run-scoring single in the sixth inning. Isaac Paredes' solo home run in the first against Rays starter Ian Seymour, who worked six strong frames, provided their only other run. Houston hitters were 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded six men on base.
The first was Seymour's rockiest inning, as three straight batters reached. Daulton Varsho and Christian Walker struck out to defuse the threat. Richie Palacios' two-run single wrought the first blemish against Lambert in his six-plus innings. Nick Madrigal broke a 2-2 tie for the Rays with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh.

#houston #astros #rays #lambert

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Yordan Alvarez was out of the Houston Astros' lineup for a second straight game due to a sore right ankle Saturday.
Alvarez turned his ankle running the bases Thursday in Philadelphia and was not used off the bench in a close game Friday against Tampa Bay. Manager Joe Espada said that he was hopeful Alvarez could return to the lineup for Sunday's finale against the Rays.
"He came out and moved around, hit in the cages, but still sore," Espada said before Saturday's game. "More when he swings the bat and he's got to turn that right ankle once he's going to spin. So it's still not there."
This marks the first time Alvarez has been out of Houston's lineup in back-to-back games this season. He started 145 of the team's first 147 games prior to Friday, with 123 starts at DH and 22 in left field.
Alvarez entered Saturday leading the majors with a 1.017 OPS. A Triple Crown candidate, he led qualified American League hitters with a .310 average and ranked second in home runs (38), after Junior Caminero (40) of the Rays, and second in RBIs (96), behind Pete Alonso (97) of the Orioles.

#alvarez #Friday #sore

Girona lost 1-2 against Castellón at Montilivi in a match they had under control but let slip away in the final stretch. The Girona team took an early lead but ended up paying a high price for playing with ten men for more than half an hour.
Quique Álvarez's team started with determination and found their reward in the 7th minute. Zamorano capitalized on a rebound from the visiting goalkeeper to score a volley and make it 1-0. Shortly after, however, Bryan Gil had to leave the field due to muscle discomfort, a setback that disrupted the home team's plans.
Girona held off the advances of a Castellón side that gradually gained ground but managed to reach halftime in the lead. In the second half, the match definitively turned when Abel Ruiz received a second yellow card, leaving the team with ten players.
With a numerical advantage, Castellón increasingly dominated Girona, who defended their lead as best they could. However, their resistance crumbled in the final moments. Sienra scored the 1-1 in the 85th minute, and just five minutes later, Álvaro García completed the comeback with the 1-2.
Girona tried until the end but could not find the goal that would have allowed them to salvage at least a point. A painful defeat at Montilivi, after a match that Girona had in their hands but ultimately lost due to being a man down and Castellón's late surge.

#girona #montilivi

Regular readers know that I've followed one of the great Cy Young horse races in recent memory, with Cam Schlittler going great start-for-great start with the Blue Jays' Dylan Cease. We got a little bit of separation this week, as the Athletics touched up Cease for four runs in five innings on Monday, and then Schlittler allowed just a solo shot in seven frames against the Rockies on Tuesday. Cam has crept just ahead by fWAR, enjoys a considerable lead in bWAR, and right now I think would end up at the top of most voters' ballots.
But something struck me in the aftermath of Cam's night against Colorado, the same night that Aaron Judge returned to the lineup. Cam Schlittler isn't just the Cy Young favorite, but he's built himself an MVP case. No pitcher has won the award since Clayton Kershaw for the 2014 Dodgers, and the last AL winner was 2011 Justin Verlander. Yordan Alvarez is in the hunt for the first Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Witt Jr. is probably the best overall player in the league, and if Junior Caminero tops the AL in home runs and plays on the Junior Circuit's best team, he probably gets his share of votes too.
And yet here's the thing: Cam stacks up fairly against all three of them!
Let's take Yordan, who I think has the inside track on the award right now. Schlittler's 0.1 fWAR back, a difference that is literally negligible, and more than three-quarters of a win better by bWAR. Alvarez's candidacy is based around the Triple Crown, probably being the best hitter in baseball, and dragging what we thought was a finally-deflated Houston Astros team to a division ****** le. ****** py AL West or not, that is exactly the blueprint for an MVP, if one for a slightly older voter.
Should Alvarez not win the Triple Crown, he loses a bit of his case, though he's likely still the best hitter in the game on a division winner, one who will have played in the neighborhood of 155 games. That's the big thing both undercutting Witt's MVP claim while bolstering his position as best all-around player — the Kansas City shortstop has only played 128 games at time of writing, yet leads the league in fWAR and bWAR among position players. With a solid-but-not-spectacular 18 homers and 124 wRC+, the parts of his game beyond hitting are doing the heavy lifting there as well. All that and the fact that the Royals are so bad work against him when it comes to end of season awards though, and Bobby seems cursed to be the Dave Stieb of shortstops.

#schlittler #young #cease

Rudy Martin Jr. spent 12 seasons in the minor leagues without reaching the majors. At 30 years old, he came closer than ever to walking away from baseball.
The newest member of the Toronto Blue Jays admitted he seriously considered retirement before getting his long-awaited call-up Friday. Martin said his family helped him through that difficult stretch and refused to let him give up.
MORE: Astros announce latest update on Yordan Alvarez's injury ahead of Rays game
"I wondered if it might be over after 12 minor-league seasons," Martin said, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith. "My family helped me through some really tough times. They weren't gonna let me give up on it that easy."
Martin's promotion comes after a difficult month. The Blue Jays designated him for ****** ignment twice, but he continued to wait for another opportunity.

#family

American League triple-crown contender Yordan Alvarez is out of the Houston Astros' lineup for Friday due to a sore right ankle.
Alvarez twisted his ankle while running the bases in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. He went 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts against Phillies starter Zack Wheeler.
But Alvarez reached base in the eighth inning on an intentional walk from José Alvarado. He advanced to third base on a Jose Altuve double, but stumbled over the bag and was checked out by trainers.
Alvarez stayed in the game, but did not have to run on a Daulton Varsho pop-up. As the designated hitter, he didn't have to take the field in the bottom of the inning.
Astros manager Joe Espada said no imaging was necessary for Alvarez's ankle, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. He did some hitting earlier in the day and could be available to pinch-hit.

#ankle #Phillies #inning

These are weird times for the 'Notorious' Conor McGregor.
The Irish sports star came into his bout with Max Holloway at UFC 329 in July with muted fanfare, as UFC tried its best not to give oxygen to McGregor's decade of past controversies. They did this despite their former champ-champ being found liable for rape in an Irish civil court in 2024.
Despite best efforts to present McGregor as his best self, the 38 year-old came into the Octagon looking old and tired. He blew his knee out on his first foray forward and was forced to fold in the middle of the cage, before a thoroughly bemused Holloway. The ACL injury he suffered that night required surgery and will mean another long wait before McGregor gets back in the fighting arena.
The Holloway fight was the penultimate bout on McGregor's UFC contract. Whether he gets another fight, and a chance at liberation, is up in the air.
Eddie Alvarez is one man who knows exactly how tough these kinds of situations can be. 'The Underground King' was subject of legal action from Bellator when he jumped ship to join UFC in 2014. All the stress of that departure was worth it in the end, though, with Alvarez winning the UFC Lightweight **** le two years later.

#irish #came #champ

Eddie Alvarez has an interesting opinion on who could be more trouble for UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.
As Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) takes the rest of 2026 off after an upset ******* le win over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250, Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy will battle in a potential No. 1 contender bout at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Although Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is more well rounded and has the far better resume than Ruffy (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC), Alvarez sees Ruffy being a tougher challenge for the champion.
"I actually like Justin's chances a lot against Arman," Alvarez told MMA Junkie. "I think that style against Arman, that's an easier style. I think that's an easier style for Justin than against Ruffy. I think if Arman and Ruffy fight, I think Arman probably wins. But the style matchup that's worse for Gaethje is against Ruffy. Even though it's MMA math and Ruffy loses against Arman, I think Justin has an easier time with Arman."
Former UFC lightweight champion Alvarez broke down why he sees Ruffy presenting a tougher challenge for Gaethje.

#arman #gaethje #tsarukyan

Atlético de Madrid face Liverpool this Wednesday at 9 p.m., and they will do so without two attacking players.
The 24 players selected by Diego Pablo Simeone:
Sorloth, who is still injured, and Arnau Ortiz, through suspension, will miss the match.
The young Atlético forward misses out because of an old suspension dating back to his time playing in Poland.
Otherwise, Jonathan David, Cuti Romero and Julián Álvarez are all included in the squad as normal.

#players #suspension #simeone

Lautaro Martinez has offered his support to Julian Alvarez after the Atletico Madrid forward's failed move to Barcelona, admitting that the situation surrounding his Argentina teammate has been difficult.
Alvarez remained at Atletico despite Barcelona's interest and the player's desire to make the move to Catalonia.
The Spanish transfer window eventually closed without an agreement being reached, leaving the 26-year-old to continue his career in Madrid.
With the transfer saga still attracting attention, Lautaro was asked about his international teammate ahead of Inter Milan's Champions League meeting with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Inter captain revealed that he had personally contacted Alvarez and made it clear that he was behind him during a complicated period.

#teammate #transfer

On a stormy Sunday night in September, the Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals, winning the finale 7-5.
Both Justin Wrobleski and Nationals southpaw Andrew Alvarez kept the ice frozen until the bottom of the third inning, as a Max Muncy double and Tommy Edman infield single allowed Mookie Betts to bring home Muncy on a groundout to give the Dodgers their third consecutive early lead.
After three scoreless innings without six strikeouts, the Nationals struck back in the top of the fourth with a lead-off home run from CJ Abrams— his third in seven at-bats against Wrobleski— evening the score at one. Brady House immediately followed with a single, and a double from Daylen Lile put two men on, still with no outs. Teoscar Hernández was unable to track down a fly ball to left from Harry Ford, plating both baserunners and giving Washington a two-run lead. Jacob Young carried the frenzy with a single to center to plate four, ending the night for Wrobleski.
The second half of the regular season has not been kind to Wrobleski, as he has a 7.55 ERA across 31 innings over seven appearances (six starts). His three complete innings on Sunday were the fewest in any start this season.
Brock Stewart managed to clean up the mess made by Wrobleski, and Blake Treinen made his first appearance since June 19, working a scoreless fifth inning to keep the deficit at three runs. The Dodgers responded with a rally against Alvarez in the bottom half, as a Tommy Edman double plated Max Muncy to cut the deficit in half. Brad Lord came in relief and got Mookie Betts to ground out for the first out, but the Dodgers sprayed three consecutive singles to knot the game even at 4.

#wrobleski

After a couple of close losses, the Nats are now looking to avoid a sweep. Earlier this year, the Nationals were excellent at avoiding sweeps but that has not been the case lately. Hopefully the boys can change that in this late night showdown.
With a lefty on the mound, there are a few changes to the lineup. Andres Chaparro, Harry Ford, Nasim Nunez and Jacob Young all check in. Dylan Crews also goes from the 9 hole all the way up to the 2 spot in this contest. Andrew Alvarez is on the ****** p hoping to get more run support than he usually does.
The main attraction Shohei Ohtani is still out of the Dodgers lineup. However, the Nats will still have to deal with Freeman, Smith and Betts in the middle of the Dodgers order. With a lefty on the mound, Max Muncy is all the way down in the 8 hole. Justin Wrobleski is on the hill for the Dodgers.
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#hole

A sputtering lineup stirred in the eighth inning. Jose Altuve struck a one-out double, putting him on the cusp of a career milestone. Christian Walker flared a single into shallow left field. LaMonte Wade Jr. did the same, driving in Altuve and paring a deficit to one run.
The current Houston Astros offense can make that seem sizable. The additional hit it required did not appear. Jonathan Loáisiga got Daulton Varsho to wave at a third-strike changeup. Taylor Trammell, the second pinch-hitter of the inning, popped out to end it.
With a 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Astros dropped the deciding game of their series at Daikin Park and concluded a 4-3 homestand with consecutive defeats. They went 8-5 over a 13-game stretch with no off-day, emerging from it with a 73-71 record.
Houston scored three or fewer runs in eight of 13 games during that stretch. Its offense entered Sunday averaging 3.9 runs over its past 30 games, scoring the fifth-fewest runs in the majors in that stretch. Its .220 average was the sport's lowest in that span and its .368 slugging percentage the sixth-lowest.
Sunday, the Astros took three at-bats with a man in scoring position in the first seven innings and went hitless in them. Arizona starter Eduardo Rodriguez allowed one run in six innings on a first-inning home run by Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez also popped out with two runners on base to end the seventh.

#astros #runs #altuve #offense

The Diamondbacks came into the game looking for a series win, and with a little bit of luck, putting some more ***** e between their competition for the final NL Wild Card spot. Having Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound was a point in their favor, but the offense still RVSP'd maybe when invited to the game.
The Diamondbacks were quiet in the top of the first, with the only baserunner being a Geraldo Perdomo hit by pitch, and that allowed the Astros to strike first. E-Rod got Jeremy Pena to ground out, but Yordan Alvarez absolutely clobbered one for a solo home run. That was the first indication that Rodriguez didn't have his best stuff today, but the next few batters hammered that home, even if there wasn't much damage done. He walked both Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker, but alternated those walks with a line out from Jose Altuve and got out of the jam with a Nelson Velasquez strike out. 0-1 Astros
This, of course, did raise some concerns amongst the faithful about the early need to score more than one run. That's been a challenge for the Diamondbacks, last night's four run outbreak aside. The offense decided to do some to ***** uage those fears, but did not manage to score multiple runs right away. Corbin Carroll started off the second inning with a double, advanced on a sac bunt from Tommy Troy, and then scored on a sac fly from James McCann. Illdemaro Vargas tried to keep things going with a two out single, but Lawler was unable to step up and ended the inning with a line out to third. Tied 1-1
Rodriguez issues with command continued right away in the bottom of the second, walking Dalton Varsho. Never a good idea to walk someone like him, as he showed when he stole second to get into scoring position two outs later. Too late for it to matter, though, as Jeremy Pena only saw three pitches and flew out to end the inning.
The third inning was… something. Perdomo singled to lead off the inning, bringing Ketel Marte to the plate. Marte got an 86 MPH changeup down and away and turned it around for what looked like an easy single. The only with that is the ball also acted as a heat seeking missel straight to Perdomo's helmet. He hit the ground immediately and quickly found himself surrounded by trainers from both teams. Eventually he left under his own power to a nice ovation from the Houston crowd, as one does.

#astros

Arsenal shelled out close to £200m on new signings during the summer transfer window but fell short of landing the elite forward they craved.
Former Manchester City goalscorer Julian Alvarez was on their radar but remains at Atletico Madrid, while the Gunners were also interested in Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, Paris St-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Vinicius Jr.
While Rogers opted for London rivals Chelsea, Barcola moved to Liverpool and Vinicius Jr has stayed at Real Madrid.
Yet reigning champions ***** nal have started this season as strongly as they finished 2025-26, when they celebrated their first Premier League ***** le for 22 years.
After wins over Coventry City and Aston Villa, they came from behind to beat big-spending Chelsea 2-1 in a thrilling derby on Sunday - thanks to goals from two familiar faces.

#arsenal #barcola

The Dodgers finish things off with the Washington Nationals with a rare Sunday night start, a 7:10 p.m. first pitch on the night before Labor Day at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers will use a variety of arms to fill innings on Sunday, including Justin Wrobleski and likely Bobby Miller for bulk outings, while left-hander Andrew Alvarez goes for the Nats.
Teams: Dodgers vs. Nationals
Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
Start time: 7:10 p.m.

#justin

Zac Thornton entered today's game with a 2.93 ERA in 11 starts. It's been quite the surprising season for the rookie lefty, who has managed those impressive topline numbers despite boasting less than flashy stuff and underlying peripherals. Alas, those topline numbers look a little bit worse after today's game, as Thornton underwent his worst start as a major leaguer, and the Mets were not able to work themselves out of the hole he put them in, resulting in a 9-5 loss to the Giants.
San Francisco struck within minutes of the game's start, as Rafael Devers socked Thornton's fourth pitch of the afternoon over the right field wall for a one-out solo homer. The Mets answered back in the bottom of the second when A.J. Ewing—who has been struggling mightily in the second-half—socked a two-out, two-run homer off Giants starter Anthony Molina. That gave the Amazins a 2-1 lead, but unfortunately they would not hold it for long. Thornton surrendered a lead-off single in the third inning, followed by a two-run blast to Christian Koss to put the Giants back in front.
Thornton went on to retire his next eight batters, right up until Koss—who entered today's game with just one homer this season—came to the plate again in the top of the fifth, and he hit his second home run of the afternoon. Not to be outdone, Devers came up two batters later following a single and socked his second home run of the day. Thornton surrendered one hit—a double from Bryce Eldridge, the fourth straight two-out hit of the inning—before finally retiring the Giants, but it was now a 6-2 ballgame.
Meanwhile, the Mets's bats did little against Molina after Ewing's homer (that hit in fact remained the only one surrendered by the Giants through six innings). Both teams went to their bullpens in the sixth inning—albeit with Molina's final line looking a lot better than Thornton's ugly one (5 innings, 7 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, 6 runs). Chris Devenski was the first reliever up for the Mets, and he did his job by tossing two scoreless innings. The bats finally got something going in the bottom of the seventh, when two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Francisco Alvarez struck out swinging for the second out, but the Mets then finally got another run on the board when Brett Baty walked to bring in a run and make it 6-3. Alas, the potential tying run was stranded, as Francisco Lindor grounded out to first to end the threat.
And the Giants quickly acted to make sure the Mets would not continue to claw their way back into the game. Jefry Yan took the mound in the top of the eighth and issued a one-out walk to Eldridge, followed by a two-run homer from Osleivis Basabe. That made it 8-3, but San Francisco still wasn't quite done. Justin Hagenman pitched the ninth, and just like every non-Devenski Mets pitcher of the day, he surrendered a homer—this one a one-out solo shot for Grant McCray. That made it six dingers for the Giants, in case you weren't keeping count.

#METS #h

Mikel Arteta has reacted to ****** nal's failure to sign a top-class forward during the summer transfer window by insisting he is happy with the squad he has at the Emirates Stadium.
Premier League champions ****** nal missed out on targets Morgan Rogers, Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez, while only bringing in Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge.
Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli all left the north London club to reduce the Gunners' options up front.
But ****** nal manager Arteta, speaking to reporters on Friday, said: "I love the players that we have, that is for sure. It is what it is, this is what we have and we already have some very, very good players.
"Let's trust them and let's make sure we are right behind them, and I will do everything we can to help the incredible talent that we have."

#arsenal #players #emirates #premier

Julián Álvarez ended the summer window still on Atlético Madrid's books, but that outcome has settled almost nothing. Barcelona spent the entire market chasing the Argentine, Atlético publicly rejected the pursuit in increasingly hostile terms, and ******* nal explored an offer of their own while the whole thing threatened to boil over. The question now isn't whether the saga is over – it plainly isn't – but which of the three forces at play, Atlético's contractual leverage, Barcelona's valuation, or Álvarez's own stated preference, actually decides what happens next.
Álvarez himself gave the clearest signal of intent back in June, telling ESPN after Argentina's World Cup win over Austria that a transfer to Barcelona was the best thing for everyone and that he wanted to fulfil his dream. Those words were music to Joan Laporta's ears and poison to Atlético's dressing room. Everything that has followed, including deadline day passing without a deal, sits downstream of that one public admission.
Álvarez's Atlético contract runs until June 2030 and carries a release clause of around €500 million – a figure so far beyond market reality that it functions purely as leverage, not a genuine asking price. Barcelona say they made a €100 million bid; Atlético sources initially denied receiving any offer at all before later confirming one had arrived, structured across six yearly instalments and worth that same €100 million.
On July 30, with the dispute already curdling, Atlético reported Barcelona to the Spanish Football Federation over their pursuit of the player. No public update from the federation had followed by the time The Athletic's reconstruction of the saga was published. Álvarez remained at the Metropolitano when the window shut, and reports suggest he is expected to stay at Atlético at least until the January window reopens the conversation.
Before the summer even began, senior Atlético sources indicated the club would let Álvarez leave for €150 million provided a deal closed by July 20. That deadline passed with no agreement, and Atlético's position hardened dramatically. By late June, chief executive Miguel Ángel Gil Marín was drawing a line that had nothing to do with valuation gaps.

#window #federation #summer #nothing

Brandon Lowe and Yordan Alvarez didn't hit home runs yesterday. As a result, the season's record for best home run bets slid to 21-84, with three no-bets. Hitting on long-shot bets is challenging, and that's reflected in the season's record for home run props.
Unfortunately, the two losses yesterday drained the middling profits. Anyone who bet $100 on each of this year's touted home run props is down $146, which is a disappointing outcome for grinding them all season.
Gamblers must have a short memory with losing bets and avoid holding grudges against players who failed to deliver a winning bet. Today's suggestions for the best home run bets are a perfect example of short memory. For the first time all season, I'm suggesting home run props for the same players as in the previous article. Lowe and Alvarez have favorable matchups and compelling betting odds for their home run props. Thus, they get the nod for the best home run props on Friday.
Over 0.5 Home Runs (+420) at FanDuel Sportsbook
Brandon Lowe has hit 23 of his 29 home runs this year against right-handed pitching, popping 15 at home and nine at home against righties. In four plate appearances yesterday, Lowe walked once and had flyouts on his three batted ******* . It's disappointing he didn't hit a home run yesterday, but he had no problem lifting the ball.

#lowe #didn 't

The good thing about this week's series in the land of the Crawford Boxes and the choo-choo is that both Sean Burke and Davis Martin pitched extremely well, a big turnaround from their recent starts and a good sign for the stretch run. The bad thing — well, besides nearly the entire offense — is that Luis Castillo once again demonstrated that while Chris Getz may have had a very nice offseason, he had a miserable trade deadline.
Castillo started out looking good, striking out Jeremy Peña and Yordan Alvarez. He then walked Isaac Paredes on 10 pitches and threw José Altuve a fastball that would have been a strike on Aaron Judge but was nose-high on Altuve. Altuve still sent it into the Crawford Boxes to make it 2-0 Astros.
The lead didn't last long. Braden Montgomery singled off Hunter Brown to lead off the second, and Colson Montgomery followed with a routine ground ball to second. Peña blew the relay, though, and Chase Meidroth followed with an unplayable 50-mph dribbler. Jake Rogers and Sam Antonacci then delivered actual singles to tie the score.
There being no other Sox offensive highlights, what the heck, let's show you the RBIs. First, Jake's:
Nice stop by Peña, nice hustle by a catcher to avoid the DP. Then Sam's, which actually made it to the outfield.

#good #choo

Atlético Madrid privately gave Julián Álvarez written permission to discuss a move to Barcelona, according to El Chiringuito TV. Journalist Jordi Jota claims to have personally seen the document, a detail that sits awkwardly alongside Atlético's public insistence throughout the summer that Álvarez would not be sold to a direct La Liga rival.
It is worth being precise about what is being alleged here. The claim, as Football España detail, is that Atlético authorised Álvarez to negotiate or discuss a Barcelona transfer, not that the club had agreed to sell him or that he was granted unconditional consent to join. That distinction matters given how far apart the two positions otherwise appear.
Álvarez has been central to Atlético's attack since arriving from Manchester City in 2024, racking up 49 goals and 17 ****** ists in 107 appearances across competitions. He remains under contract at the Metropolitano until 2030, yet his desire for a fresh challenge has dominated this summer's transfer uncertainty, with Barcelona repeatedly cited as his preferred destination.
That backdrop is also why the earlier RFEF disciplinary question over an alleged unauthorised Barcelona approach carries weight now. If Atlético did put written permission on record, it complicates the narrative that any Barça contact was improper from the outset.
MARCA report that Barcelona's roughly €100 million offer for Álvarez fell short of Atlético's valuation, a figure that has not been independently confirmed beyond that outlet's reporting. Given the scale of the numbers being discussed, it is easy to see why Atlético's board would want any concession to Barcelona handled quietly rather than announced.

#Barcelona #lvarez #written

Barcelona have emerged from one of their busiest transfer windows with almost the same Financial Fair Play margin they had when the summer began.
According to SPORT, despite spending €182.5 million on new players, the club's remaining Financial Fair Play (FFP) room is estimated at around €65-70 million.
That gives sporting director Deco meaningful flexibility ahead of the January 2027 transfer window, where the club can move for Julian Alvarez.
The figure is striking because Barcelona began the summer with approximately €65 million available under the relevant financial controls.
Their heavy spending has therefore been largely offset by the financial room created through departures, loans and other sources of income.

#play #transfer

HOUSTON (AP) — Nelson Velázquez hit a two-run single in the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie, Hayden Wesneski and two relievers combined on a three-hitter and the Houston Astros defeated the Chicago White Sox 2-0 on Wednesday night.
With one out in the eighth, Yordan Alvarez singled and Isaac Paredes walked before Jose Altuve was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pinch-runner Nick Allen was thrown out at home trying to score on a grounder by Daulton Varsho back to Sean Newcomb (2-4) before Velázquez laced his single into left-center field.
Wesneski allowed one hit with five strikeouts over seven shutout innings. He has allowed one run and five hits over his last three starts, a span of 17 innings. A.J. Blubaugh (5-2) gave up two hits in the eighth before Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
Wesneski retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced, including 12 straight between a one-out walk to Sam Antonacci in the third and a one-out walk to Braden Montgomery in the seventh.
Davis Martin scattered five hits with three strikeouts over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his first start since Aug. 13. Martin, who had been on the 15-day injured list with a right middle finger blister, was activated before the game.

#wesneski #eighth #martin #zquez

Ariana Grande just gave fans a major reason to wonder whether Ricky Alvarez could be the last man in her love story. The 33-year-old singer sparked fresh marriage speculation during the final concert of her Eternal Sunshine Tour at London's O2 Arena on September 1, 2026, after making a surprise change to the lyrics of her 2018 hit "Thank U, Next."
Grande has been rewriting the famous line about Alvarez throughout the tour, but her final version was easily the most suggestive yet. Instead of the original lyric about looking back and laughing at the songs she wrote about her former boyfriend, Grande sang, "I'm tryna make him my last."
The unexpected declaration immediately drew cheers from the London audience (@ Getty Images for The Met Museum/)
The unexpected declaration immediately drew cheers from the London audience, while Grande's backup dancers joined in the excited reaction. And yes, fans quickly started asking the obvious question: Is Ariana Grande thinking about marrying Ricky Alvarez?
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#unexpected

The transfer window has closed, and Wednesday's front pages sum up everything that happened.
Barça bring the striker saga to an end by signing Gabriel Jesus for three seasons, while on the same day Marc Casadó leaves on loan to Deportivo.
At Atlético, Julián Álvarez turns down ***** nal and stays with the Rojiblancos after training as normal, with a chance of playing on Saturday at San Mamés. The same club also seals the arrival of Jonathan David as backup No. 9.
LaLiga has surpassed €733 million in transfer spending, €25 million more than last season, and Real Madrid have confirmed the €125 million signing of Diomande as the biggest Spanish purchase outside the Premier League. Betis secure Ceballos, available on a free after leaving Madrid, while Giménez and Casadó both join Deportivo on loan.
Outside Spain, Manchester City have matched the British record by paying €125 million for Enzo Fernández, who reunites with Maresca after leaving a Chelsea side that is already close to €500 million in sales.

#million #madrid #outside #signing

Arsenal have started the new Premier League season with two wins as the transfer window closes, looking in ominous shape to retain the crown they won for the first time in 22 years last season.
The Gunners had a quiet final day to the window having concluded their business before the traditional late rush – but those hoping to unseat the reigning champions have all been busy expensively re-shaping their squads to mount a challenge.
So how do **** nal look? And have their main rivals done enough to prevent Mikel Arteta's side winning a second successive **** le?
And what are the other big issues as the Premier League's transfer business was concluded until January?
Arsenal's interest in Atletico Madrid's Argentina forward Julian Alvarez did not bear fruit, despite their attempts to persuade him away from his preferred destination of Barcelona.

#arsenal #season

The White Sox (73-65) rebounded from Monday's rough loss to the Astros (70-69), defeating Houston behind South Side ace Sean Burke. The righthander earned his eighth win of the season.
Despite getting off to a rocky start in the bottom of the first, Burke battled through his 5 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit while walking three and striking out six. The righty started the game with back-to-back walks. To his credit, Burke battled back from 3-0 to fill the count against Yordan Alvarez, but ultimately walked him to put two runners on with no outs. To be fair, a walk beats Yordan blasting a home run over the right-field wall, so all things considered, I'll take it. Burke was able to lock in and induce three consecutive fly outs to get out of the jam. There was one final scare when José Altuve drove a ball to the wall in left, but Sam Antonacci had just enough room to make the catch.
Once Burke put the first inning behind him, he recovered beautifully and did not surrender a hit until the fifth. It would be the first and only hit he allowed. Burke labored early, running the count full five times and needing 49 pitches to complete the first two frames. He did, however, limit the damage and kept the Astros off the scoreboard.
The righty settled in during the third, needing only nine pitches to retire Houston in order. He also froze Alvarez with a 95-mph fastball for his second strikeout of the night. Burke rang up two more in the fourth, preserving the no-hitter a little longer. With one out in the fifth, Taylor Trammell poked a double down the right-field line to finally put Houston in the hit column, but Burke moved right along and recorded the final two outs without incident.
On the other side of the ball, the White Sox scattered a few hits through the first four frames but remained relatively quiet until the fifth. Their recent lack of situational hitting carried into the beginning of this one, and the South Siders made Ronel Blanco look much better than his ERA suggested. Blanco entered with an ERA above 7.00 but stranded five runners and kept the White Sox off the scoreboard. He struck out only three over four innings, while three walks helped drive up his pitch count. Still, he worked through the lineup well enough to keep Houston in the game.

#burke #first #back

Former Barcelona star Sergio Agüero has revealed his take that new Blaugrana signing Gabriel Jesus will ultimately go on to prove himself a success in Catalunya's capital.
This of course comes fresh off the Brazilian sealing a Camp Nou switch on transfer deadline day.
After Deco and the Barcelona transfer team were forced to give up on their dream of landing priority striker target Julián Alvarez, experienced **** nal man Jesus was over recent days sought out as a cut-price backup option.
Out of the plans of Mikel Arteta in North London, the **** nal brass, in turn, quickly gave the green light for the 29-year-old to move on.
The signing has since been met with something of a mixed reception amongst those of a Blaugrana persuasion, many of whom have been quick to point to Jesus' alarming recent injury record.

#Barcelona #transfer

Manchester City open talks with Chelsea to sign Enzo Fernandez, ***** nal explore move for Malick Fofana and Gunners also still interested in signing Julian Alvarez.
Manchester City have opened direct club-to-club talks with Chelsea to sign 25-year-old Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez. (Sky Italy)
Arsenal are exploring a move for 21-year-old Lyon and Belgium winger Malick Fofana before the transfer window closes on Tuesday. (RMC Sport - in French)
The Gunners are also still interested in signing Atletico Madrid and Argentina forward Julian Alvarez and are actively working to make a potential move to London easier for the 26-year-old and his entourage. (Teamtalk)
Newcastle have agreed a fee with Lille to sign 21-year-old Belgium midfielder Matias Fernandez-Pardo on a five-year deal. (Athletic - subscription required)

#year #move