Former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson believes a £80million would be a ‘great deal’ for all parties involved in the Harry Maguire transfer saga. talkSPORT understands that Man United have lodged a take it or leave it offer for the England international. Should the deal materialise, the fee would make Maguire the most expensive defender in world football, surpassing the £75m Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk in 2018. And Johnson, who won the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup during a 16-year career, senses the transfer will get completed before the 5pm deadline on August 8. “If United have come calling again they know Maguire wants to go,” Johnson…

As the saying goes, winning is great, but there’s always a price to pay. The Cowboys know this all too well. When the 2016 NFL Draft arrived, Dallas was coming off a 4-12 season with an injury-prone quarterback in Tony Romo, an aging Darren McFadden as their leading rusher and a descending Dez Bryant as their top receiver. Enter a stud RB in Ezekiel Elliott and an undervalued QB in Dak Prescott via the first and fourth rounds of that draft, respectively, and last year’s trade for a dynamic WR in Amari Cooper – voilà, the tide in Dallas has turned. Three years ago, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and executive…

Here’s a hot take: Defense/special teams shouldn’t be a fantasy position (and don’t get me started on IDP leagues). Fantasy football is all about offense. It’s about yards and touchdowns and receptions and all that fun stuff. Defense is the enemy of that, so why are we rewarding it with precious real estate on our draft cheat sheets? Why are we devoting brain cells to studying D/ST rankings or looking for breakout sleepers? Why are we spending even more time putting those defense rankings into tiers and trying to come up with the best draft strategy for a position that we’ll inevitably resort to matchup-based streaming with by Week 4?…

The Astros appear to be interested in Zack Wheeler. Houston is “working hard to acquire” the 29-year-old starter from the Mets, according to a report from The Athletic, which cites multiple unidentified league sources. The Astros had been pursuing New York starter Noah Syndergaard, but “backed off” because they did not want prospect Kyle Tucker to be included in the deal, according to an earlier report from The Athletic. Houston entered play Tuesday leading the American League West with a 68-39 record. However, they lack depth in their rotation behind Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Wade Miley. “We can win a seven-game series against any playoff team right now,” Astros…

Paulo Dybala branded Old Trafford an ‘historic’ stadium last season and his remarks have resurfaced amid his strong links to Manchester United. The Juventus striker was also linked with a stunning move to Tottenham last week, but is now said to be talks over a move to the Red Devils. It is claimed Argentina international Dybala could be involved in a swap deal for Romelu Lukaku, and his agent is now in London for discussions. United are interested in bringing in Dybala as his replacement, but the fact the club are not in the Champions League this season means he is not going to come cheap. And although it is believed…

Harvey Elliott has apologised after an offensive video featuring the new Liverpool signing was circulated online. The 16-year-old wonderkid moved to Jurgen Klopp’s side this summer from Fulham and already is impressing the fans. He came on in Liverpool‘s 3-1 win over Lyon and supporters have been raving about his potential. But shortly after the match Elliott apologised after a video clip was widely shared on social media, which appeared to show the teenager performing an offensive impersonation about England captain Harry Kane and allegedly calling him a f****** m**g”. Elliott wrote: “I would just like to wholeheartedly apologise for any offence caused on the back of a video of me currently…

Aston Villa have clinched the signings of goalkeeper Tom Heaton and midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, making them their 11th and 12th summer signings. Heaton, 33, joins the newly-promoted side in an £8m deal from Premier League side Burnley, while they have also completed the signing of Zimbabwe international Nakamba for a reported £11m. Heaton rejected a new deal at Turf Moor to end his six-year spell at the club, while Nakamba has joined from Belgian side Club Brugge. “I am delighted that Tom is joining Aston Villa,” boss Dean Smith told the club’s website. “He’s done fantastically well for Burnley over the past few years and his experience and knowledge of…