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The Transfer Radar 2025: The Athletic’s ultimate guide to players who could be on the move

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The Transfer Radar 2025: The Athletic’s ultimate guide to players who could be on the move

Florian Wirtz is a jewel of German football and was central to Bayer Leverkusen’s unbeaten domestic double last season, winning the Bundesliga’s player of the year award. Alongside Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, he has become the great hope of Julian Nagelsmann’s national team, too, and will be fundamental to Germany’s challenge at the 2026 World Cup.

His contract runs until 2027, so there is no obligation to sell but considering his close relationship with in-demand head coach Xabi Alonso, there will come a point when Wirtz, who joined Leverkusen from Koln in 2020, may also look elsewhere.

He belongs at the top of the game but his path depends on which club is willing to meet Leverkusen’s €150million (£125m; $159m) asking price. They will not get that, but the figure represents how highly Wirtz is valued.

Fernando Carro, the club’s CEO, believes he might stay beyond this season.

Seb Stafford-Bloor

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What else do I need to know about him?

There’s an enigmatic quiet to him. He is understandably laconic, given the attention he receives in the German media, but is also extremely popular within the Leverkusen dressing room and fashion-conscious off the pitch, too, looking like someone on the way back from a Stone Roses gig.

Wirtz has been a star for a long time. In his early teens, there were stories of a tiny boy at Koln who might be the country’s finest talent in years. The hype was justified. What happened next, however, created acrimony that lasts to this day.

When he was progressing through Koln’s youth teams, a gentlemen’s agreement existed between several clubs in the area — Koln, Leverkusen, Borussia Monchengladbach and Fortuna Dusseldorf among them — stipulating that, for the betterment of the region, they would not poach each other’s youth players.

After he turned 17, Wirtz’s youth contract at Koln expired. The player’s parents wanted him to finish his schooling and stay close to home, so he joined Leverkusen for €300,000. His new club felt he was fair game — a senior, rather than a youth player. Koln believed differently, claiming their local rivals had violated the agreement.

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Max Eberl, Gladbach’s sporting director at the time (and now Bayern’s board member for sport), was critical of Leverkusen’s conduct but Carro, who remains Leverkusen’s CEO, defended his club.

Old news, perhaps, but among Bayern’s transfer targets is — inevitably — Wirtz, which would involve a prickly negotiation.

Will he go there? Most likely not. Musiala’s contract extension is Bayern’s priority. Given the strength of his relationship with Alonso and how good his form has been under him, the smart money might be on them taking their next steps together.

Seb Stafford-Bloor

Tell me about how he plays…

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On the pitch, his control, dribbling ability and creative prowess make him one of the world’s most exciting players. He can weave his way past defenders but also find team-mates with one-twos, precise passes and through balls while his off-the-ball movement and positioning regularly put him in areas to score and create.

Across his short senior career, he has featured across the front line and as a No 10. This versatility allowed Nagelsmann to successfully play him and Musiala together at Euro 2024.

Under Alonso, Wirtz’s defensive work has improved too, and he has been willing to put the hard yards in to lead Leverkusen’s press. Wirtz has lifted the floor for playing behind the striker but arguably has not reached his ceiling — that, more than anything, is a frightening prospect.

Anantaajith Raghuraman

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Canadian Pride fest president resigns after backlash for comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports

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Canadian Pride fest president resigns after backlash for comments on transgender athletes in women’s sports

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The president of a Pride fest organizing group in Canada resigned amid immense backlash for comments about transgender athletes in women’s sports. 

The Windsor-Essex Pride Fest in Ontario, Canada, announced on social media this week that President Wendi Nicholson has resigned after she commented on the recent reports that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be banning biological males from women’s competitions. 

“Effective immediately, Wendi Nicholson has resigned as board president and is no longer affiliated with Windsor-Essex Pride Fest,” the statement said. 

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A parade attendee waves the Progress Pride flag at the Midsumma Pride March held at St Kilda, Victoria, in Australia Feb. 2, 2025. (Joshua Stanyer/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“We have closely followed the comments people have made about this situation, and while this announcement is an important first step, we agree there is much more we can do. … We realize that people are angry, and we understand why. We ask that you bear with us as we work toward bettering ourselves and uphold our values of equality, inclusion and respect.” 

Nicholson made her comments during a radio interview on AM800. 

“We have been fighting for women in sports. Now, we get people that come in and go, ‘Well, I can’t make it in this sport, so I’m going to transition and be this,’” Nicholson said.

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“You’ve gone through as Johnny up until you’re 17 or 18. You’re playing in elite sports now. You’re hitting that puberty. You are not as good as what you thought, but then you look and go, ‘Hey if I say my name is Sally, and I’m transgender, I can go and I can beat the crap out of the girls.”

Nicholson added that she has no problem with transgender women participating in sports “until you get to the elite divisions,” and that, as a “woman who has been pioneering for years,” she felt the matter “hits a sore spot.”

Fox News Digital has attempted to reach Nicholson on social media for comment about her recent resignation. 

The IOC’s current policy leaves it up to each individual sport’s governing body to establish policies governing transgender athletes. But as the IOC changes its leadership, its policies will change too, The Times of London reported Monday.

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The upcoming policy switch is likely to be announced at the IOC session in February before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy and comes after a presentation from Dr. Jane Thornton, the IOC’s medical and scientific director, last week, according to The Times.

Thornton’s presentation reportedly showed there were physical advantages in males, including those who took treatments to reduce testosterone levels. A source told the paper the presentation was “very scientific” and unemotional.

“An update was given by the IOC’s director of health, medicine and science to the IOC members last week during the IOC commission meetings,” an IOC spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic, and no decisions have been taken yet. Further information will be provided in due course.”

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‘Peaceful’ Kai Trump improves in second round of the LPGA Annika event

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‘Peaceful’ Kai Trump improves in second round of the LPGA Annika event

Kai Trump, a high school senior playing in an LPGA Tour event for reasons beyond her ability to hit a golf ball, went from “definitely really nervous” in the first round Thursday to “very calm and peaceful” Friday in the second.

All in all, an impressive improvement.

Still, Trump, 18, didn’t make the cut, not after finishing last among 108 players with a two-round total of 18-over par, 27 shots behind leader Grace Kim and 17 away from the projected cut line. The granddaughter of President Trump improved eight strokes to a 75 in the second round of the tournament hosted by Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.

How dramatic was the improvement? Trump had nine bogeys, two doubles and one birdie Thursday. A day later she was briefly under par when she birdied the par-three third hole, but she bogeyed the fourth and triple-bogeyed the par-four fifth hole.

Trump rebounded to birdie three of her next six holes. How relaxed was she? She literally laughed off her triple bogey.

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“Things are going to happen,” she said. “Once it happens, you can’t go back in time and fix it. The best thing I could do is move on. Like, I told my caddie, Allan [Kournikova], kind of just started laughing, ‘it is what it is.’

“We got that out of the way, so let’s just move on. It was pretty easy to move on after that.”

Especially on the par-three 12th where she nearly made the first hole-in-one of her life.

“I hit like a tight little draw into it,” Trump said. “Tried not to get too high because of the wind. Yeah, it was a great shot.”

What would she tell her grandfather about the round? “That I hit a great shot on 12 two days in a row.”

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“I did everything I could possibly have done for this tournament, so I think if you prepare right, the nerves can … they’re always going to be there, right?,” she said. “They can be a little softened. So I would just say that.”

Critics among and beyond her nearly 9 million social media followers were relentless in noting her obvious privilege for securing a sponsor invitation. Dan Doyle Jr., owner of Pelican Golf Club, cheerfully acknowledged that Trump’s inclusion had little to do with ability and a lot to do with public relations.

“The idea of the exemption, when you go into the history of exemptions, is to bring attention to an event,” Doyle told reporters this week. “You got to see her live, she’s lovely to speak to.

“And she’s brought a lot of viewers through Instagram, and things like that, who normally don’t watch women’s golf. That was the hope. And we’re seeing that now.”

Trump attends the Benjamin School in Palm Beach and will attend the University of Miami next year. She is ranked No. 461 by the American Junior Golf Assn.

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Stepping up to the LPGA, complete with a deep gallery of onlookers and a phalanx of Secret Service agents surrounding her, could have been daunting. Trump, though, said the experience was “pretty cool.”

It was an eventful week for Trump. She played nine holes of a pro-am round Monday with tournament host Sorenstam, who empathized with the difficulty of handling an intense swirl of criticism and support.

“I just don’t know how she does it, honestly,” Sorenstam said. “To be 18 years old and hear all the comments, she must be super tough on the inside. I’m sure we can all relate what it’s like to get criticism here and there, but she gets it a thousand times.”

Sorenstam recalled her own exemption for the Bank of America Colonial in 2003 when she became the first woman to play in a men’s PGA Tour event in 58 years. She made a 14-foot putt at the 18th green to give her a 36-hole total of five-over 145. She hurled her golf ball into the grandstand, wiped away tears and was hugged by her husband, David Esch.

“That was, at the time, maybe a little bit of a controversial invite,” Sorenstam said. “In the end, I certainly appreciated it. It just brings attention to the tournament, to the sport and to women’s sports, which I think is what we want.”

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Patriots handle AFC East rival Jets at home behind TreVeyon Henderson’s 3-touchdown night

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Patriots handle AFC East rival Jets at home behind TreVeyon Henderson’s 3-touchdown night

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The New England Patriots continue to roll, handling their AFC East rival New York Jets, 27-14, on “Thursday Night Football.”

New England extended its lengthy win streak to eight games, improving to 9-2 on the season. Meanwhile, the Jets’ brief win streak, after starting the season 0-7, has come to a close.

Heading into this game, the Patriots were expected to dominate the Jets. While the scoreboard didn’t say so in the end, their rookie running back certainly provided the fireworks.

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Drake Maye of the New England Patriots looks to pass during the first half against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

TreVeyon Henderson, who had a breakout game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week with 147 rushing yards and two long touchdown runs, added three more touchdowns to his first-year stat line in this victory. 

He was the only Patriots player to find the end zone, starting with the team’s 13-play, 69-yard drive that ended with his entire offensive line pushing him over the goal line to tie the game at seven apiece.

On the Patriots’ next drive, Henderson rushed in from seven yards out to give the Patriots a 14-7 lead to end the first half.

PATRIOTS DRAW PRAISE WITH STORMY UNIFORM DEBUT AGAINST JETS

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New England started to pull away after quarterback Drake Maye, an MVP hopeful who had yet another great performance, put together chunk completions to set up an eventual touchdown pass to Henderson, who found himself wide open in the end zone.

Henderson finished the game with 62 rushing yards on 19 carries, while hauling in five catches for 31 yards.

Meanwhile, Justin Fields and the Jets’ offense struggled in yet another outing despite a great 14-play opening drive that ended with the quarterback rushing it in himself.

TreVeyon Henderson of the New England Patriots rushes for a touchdown in front of Isaiah Oliver #26 of the New York Jets during the first half against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)

Fields was coming off a rough game against the Cleveland Browns, though the Jets were able to win thanks to two special teams scores. He threw for only 54 yards with a 60.4 quarterback rating.

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Fields was 15-of-26 for 116 yards in this game with a touchdown pass on a broken play to John Metchie III that made it 21-14 in the third quarter. But there were more negative moments than positive for the Jets, including a fumble lost on a low snap in the fourth quarter while the Jets were down just a touchdown.

The Patriots were able to run the fourth-quarter clock out, and give the home crowd what they were hoping for in Mike Vrabel’s first year as a head coach — a winning season. 

There is still more work to do, but nine wins put the Patriots above .500.

TreVeyon Henderson of the New England Patriots scores a touchdown during the second quarter against the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on Nov. 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

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Looking more into the box score, Maye was an efficient 25-of-34 for 281 yards with his one touchdown pass to Henderson. Stefon Diggs also led the way with nine catches for 105 yards, a game high, while Mack Hollins and Hunter Henry both caught four passes.

For the Jets, Metchie was the leading receiver with 45 yards on three grabs, while Breece Hall had 58 rushing yards on 14 carries. Fields had 67 yards on 11 runs.

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