Inter Miami expects to sign Lionel Messi in the coming months for him to join the MLS club next season.

Discussions between the two parties have been going on for a couple of years and there is increasing confidence the deal will materialize.

Paris Saint-Germain have hoped to extend Messi's contract, which expires at the end of the current season. Messi has also been linked with a return to Barcelona. 

Jorge and Jose Mas — the brothers who co-own Inter Miami alongside David Beckham — are leading the negotiations and numerous meetings have taken place with the star’s father, Jorge.

Additional conversations aren't expected until after the World Cup.

Inter Miami have always known that a move to their city is a source of attraction for Messi’s family, who already own a property there. 

LAFC will host Philadelphia Union for the 2022 MLS Cup final after both teams advanced.

LAFC defeated Austin FC 3-0 in the Western Conference final while Philadelphia defeated New York City FC 3-1.

The match will feature the two No. 1 seeds for the first time since 2003.

Paul Pogba will miss the World Cup after failing to recover from knee surgery.

Pogba underwent an operation in September but his agent said that, following a medical review, the midfielder would not yet return to the Juventus squad or join up with France for the World Cup which takes place from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18.

Pogba has yet to play a single minute for Juventus this season.

France will also be without N'Golo Kante in the World Cup.

Barcelona hopes to sign a replacement for Sergio Busquets in January.

Barca, as previously revealed by ESPN, sounded out deals for Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves in the summer as possible options in case Frenkie de Jong moved to the Premier League.

Zubimendi and Neves remain on Barca's radar, sources have confirmed. The former recently signed a new contract with Real Sociedad, although his release clause remained fixed at around €60 million.

Aston Villa have named Unai Emery as manager after paying his €6 million release clause at Villarreal. 

Villa approached Emery as they looked to make a quick appointment following the sacking of Steven Gerrard.

Villarreal had retained hope that Emery would stay on, as he did when he turned down Newcastle’s advances last year.

Aston Villa has fired Steven Gerrard as manager following their 3-0 loss to Fulham.

"We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future," a Villa spokesperson said in a statement.

Gerrard was appointed in November 2021 on a three-year contract.

Gerrard replaced the popular Dean Smith last November after Villa's poor run, having been at Scottish club Rangers since 2018 and leading them to the title.

Cristiano Ronaldo won't be part of Manchester United's squad for Saturday's match against Chelsea as a punishment for leaving Old Trafford early during their own over Tottenham Hotspur.

Ronaldo did not train with the first team squad Thursday and is not expected to rejoin the group until Monday.

A club statement issued on Thursday read: "Cristiano will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday's game against Chelsea. The rest of the squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture."

Sources have confirmed to ESPN that the striker refused to come on when Ten Hag brought on Christian Eriksen and Anthony Elanga in the 87th minute. 

The Super League project remains "very much alive" and could be in place by 2025, according to CEO Bernd Reichart.

Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, who were among the 12 founding clubs, have not withdrawn from the project.

"It's very much alive. There are some who want to declare that it is dead, but if they say it a lot, there is much to suspect," Reichart told Cadena Ser.. "There are clubs in Europe that surely share the vision of Juventus, Real Madrid and Barcelona, and now they have the opportunity to share what they think.

"There is a broad consensus that football needs reform. Football cannot continue as it is designed now."

With the Super League facing legal hurdles, Reichart does not anticipate the breakaway competition from starting before the 2024-25 campaign.

"Until there is certainty from the European Court, it's unreasonable to think that it could be played before the 2024-25 campaign," Reichart said. "It's a long journey, but we have the humility to do it step by step without pause."

Cristiano Ronaldo left Old Trafford before the final whistle of Manchester United's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Ronaldo was seen leaving his seat on the bench and walking down the tunnel before the end of the match on Wednesday night.

Erik ten Hag said he would "deal with" Ronaldo on Thursday, saying that he preferred to talk about the performance of his team in the immediate aftermath of the game.

It is the second time Ronaldo has angered Ten Hag with his behaviour. After being substituted at half-time during a preseason friendly against Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford in July, Ronaldo was pictured leaving the stadium early along with teammate Diogo Dalot.

Karim Benzema has won the 2022 Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in Paris.

Benzema, 34, scored a career-best 27 times in LaLiga and was top scorer in the Champions League with 15 goals, including hat tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Benzemia finished ahead of Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane and Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne, who came in second and third, respectively. PSG striker Kylian Mbappe came in sixth, while Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo was 20th.

"I'm really proud seeing this prize, it's been my dream since I was a kid. I grew up with this in my head, and after that I had the motivation," Benzema said.

"I had two role models in my life: Zizou [Zinedine Zidane] and [Brazil legend] Ronaldo. It's a lot of work; I never gave up and I kept that dream in my head. Anything is possible.

"It's been difficult for me. There was a time when I wasn't playing for the national team, but I didn't give up. It's been difficult for me and that just makes me stronger mentally. I'm really happy with my work."