Barcelona have opened the door to the possibility of signing the United States World Cup star Megan Rapinoe.

Rapinoe, 34, said last week she would be keen to end her career in Europe, suggesting a move to Barcelona would be her preferred option.

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Barca have invested heavily in their women's team since turning professional in 2015, with Jenni Hermoso and Caroline Graham Hansen among the big signings made this summer.

"I think we're in a position to be able to sign that level of player," director Maria Teixidor told Gol, when asked if signing Rapinoe was an option.

Seattle Reign FC winger Rapinoe, who spent the 2013-14 season with French side Lyon, is among the nominees for the Best Women's Player at FIFA The Best awards on Monday. International teammate Alex Morgan and England's Lucy Bronze are also nominated.

Off the pitch, Rapinoe has been one of the leading voices in the USWNT's fight for equal pay with their male counterparts. She has also spoken out on a number of political issues in the country.

"She is a fantastic speaker," Teixidor added. "I almost see her having a political career or being an activist in the future.

"I think it is good that women who have the chance are able to speak of the reality that still exists today [for women at] the highest level. People with such integrity and awareness in that fight are so important for so many people and those who take on that leadership role deserve all the respect."

Barca, who lost last season's Champions League final to Lyon, have made a good start to the new campaign. They beat reigning Spanish champions Atletico Madrid 6-1 on Saturday and are top after three games.

Ernesto Valverde said Barcelona must respond on the pitch this week to emerge from the crisis which has enveloped them since Saturday's shock defeat to newly promoted Granada.

Barca have made their worst start to a league campaign in 25 years. They have lost two of their five games and are without an away win in four matches in all competitions since the campaign began. They're eighth in La Liga with seven points.

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They host Villarreal on Tuesday and travel to Getafe on Saturday with Valverde under increasing pressure. Sources have told ESPN FC that some of the players have lost confidence in him, although president Josep Maria Bartomeu has no plans to sack him unless results continue to nosedive.

"This is how things are in the football world," the Barca coach said in a news conference on Monday. "You are in crisis every three days and you can come out of it just as quick.

"That's what we have to try and do now. The only way to calm things down is to pick up six points this week."

Valverde has won back-to-back La Liga titles at Barcelona but his team's performances in Europe have previously led to doubts about his future at the club.

He survived last season's humiliating Champions League defeat at Liverpool and the Copa del Rey final reverse against Valencia. It has taken just six games of the new campaign, though, for the debate about his job to be reopened and he said he accepts the discussion is always going to be there.

"Results rule in the world of football and the coach is always in the spotlight," he added. "That's the position I am in -- and have been from the start.

"Coaches have things on the line in every game, there is nothing new there. In previous seasons, we've always been much more consistent and had an advantage over the rest of the teams, but we've not started this season well.

"We have to look at this season to see what is going wrong, not last season [when] a lot of the [dropped points] came when we had already won the league. But even last season we had runs like this, when we only picked up two points from nine and we still went on to win the league because we overcame those bad spells."

Ousmane Dembele is fit again for Tuesday's visit of Villarreal and returns to the squad, with Carles Perez making way. Teenager Ansu Fati has also been called up for the sixth game running.

Ivan Rakitic, meanwhile, has been dropped, with Carles Alena brought back in.

"If Rakitic is not [in the squad], it is because someone else is," Valverde responded when asked if there was a problem with the Croatia midfielder, who has started just once this season. "He hasn't got an issue, it's a question of players, we have a lot of options in midfield."

Manchester United have moved to assure supporters that the club remain committed to "competing for trophies at the highest level" and success on the pitch comes before making money.

United, who lost 2-0 to West Ham on Sunday, won the last of their 20 league titles in 2013 and in the subsequent six seasons have been criticised for the way they have balanced commercial success with building a team capable of challenging for top honours.

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But at a recent fans' forum, United sought to address some of the supporter frustration, where they said the club is heading in the right direction.

"Everyone at the club, from the owners down, is focused on competing for and winning trophies at the highest level," a United spokesman said. "To do that we have invested heavily in the playing squad and will continue to do so.

"At the same time, the exciting pool of talent coming through from our youth and academy sections is a result of increased investment in this area over the last five years. It's important to note that while our successful commercial operation helps drive that investment, the priority is the focus on achieving success on the pitch.

"Similarly, it is worth noting that we are not looking at or buying players based on their commercial appeal. We agree that recruitment is critical. We are committed to getting this right and there has been huge investment in this area to put our recruitment department into a position to be able to deliver the manager the players he wants. This process is significantly more effective than four or five years ago."

United have also hinted that they are still on the look out for a technical director. Sources have told ESPN FC that an in-depth search has been ongoing for nearly a year but the summer transfer window came and went without an appointment being made.

Asked about the search for a technical director at the fans' forum, United said they are still open to changing the club's structure but are happy with the way players are recruited following a summer which saw Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James arrive at Old Trafford.

"We are continually reviewing and looking at the potential to evolve our structure on the football side," the club spokesman added. "Much of the speculation around this type of role focuses purely on recruitment.

"We've materially expanded our recruitment department in recent years and we believe this runs in an efficient and productive way. Many of the senior staff in these roles have been at the club for over 10 years.

"Recruitment recommendations and decisions are worked on by this department and the manager and his team, not senior management.

"We feel the players signed this summer demonstrate that this approach is the right one and any future appointment would complement this process. Regarding transfer budget, we have invested significantly in the squad and we will continue to do so."

Tuesday will be a good day for Manchester United and the Glazer family, when the club are expected to announce record annual revenues in excess of £615 million.

Once again, the self-styled "world's biggest football club" will prove themselves to be top of the league, certainly among their Premier League counterparts, when it comes to making money. The problem for United, however, is that the good news stops with the financial results. On the pitch, under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, performance continues to be hugely disappointing as they fall further and further behind Liverpool and Manchester City.

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City's most recent results saw the champions post an annual turnover of £581m, while Liverpool reported £455m. Even 12 months ago, United outstripped them both by announcing turnover of £590m.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired six years ago, United have excelled in just two areas: making money off the pitch and failing, repeatedly, on it. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, the man charged by the owners with running United on a day-to-day basis, stated in May last year that "playing performance doesn't really have a meaningful impact on what we can do on the commercial side of the business."

Playing performance is certainly not matching up to commercial success right now. Whether it truly matters to the Glazers, only they can say.

At a recent fans' forum, United did insist that "while our successful commercial operation helps drive investment, the priority is the focus on achieving success on the pitch." And that means Solskjaer is in the firing line as United continue to tread water in the Premier League.

Sunday's 2-0 defeat at West Ham was United's 10th in their last 19 games under the Norwegian, an abject run of form stretching back to their last away win in all competitions, against Paris Saint-Germain, in March. The buck always stops with the manager: David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho can all attest to that. But he can only work with the hand he's dealt and as such, questions must be asked of the Glazers and Woodward.

As part of his responsibilities, Woodward will have to give his assessment of United's current health when he addresses investors on Tuesday. It will be a tough call for Woodward. If he focuses purely on the financial results, it will be akin to Nero fiddling while Rome burns. But if he addresses the failures on the pitch, and how United continue to drop behind City and Liverpool while being forced to play in the Europa League, will he speak about the shortcomings in the boardroom that have left the club in its current state?

Since Woodward stepped into the role ahead of the 2013-14 season, in tandem with Moyes' appointment as manager, United have finished an average of 21.5 points adrift of the champions. But the money keeps rolling through the tills.

Throughout that time, Woodward and the Glazers have overseen the sackings of three managers, the signings of expensive flops like Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay, Alexis Sanchez as well as poor strategic planning behind the scenes.

When Mourinho was sacked last December, United spoke of the determination to hire a technical director to help with the process of player recruitment, yet almost 10 months on, they have still not made that crucial appointment. Sources have told ESPN FC that some candidates have shied away from pursuing the role because they would have to report directly to Woodward rather than have a direct line to the owners -- a red line for those who believe that the position requires some kind of relationship with the people who sign the cheques.

The Glazers, meanwhile, remain silent on the decline of United as a force on the pitch and those who have dealt with the owners talk of nice guys who lack the edge of those who simply want to win.

Supporters have never accepted the Glazers due to their leveraged takeover in 2005, which plunged United into debt (net debt stood at £301.7m in the last quarterly figures) and, as reported by the Guardian in October 2018, their ownership has led to over £1 billion being drained out of the club in interest charges.

Across town, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan has invested over £1 billion at Manchester City in 11 years, so the shifting fortunes of both clubs is perhaps easy to understand.

While City have spent wisely, recruited smartly and upgraded the Etihad Stadium on a regular basis, United have gone the other way, with the lack of investment at Old Trafford being summed up by the leaking roof ahead of last season's derby game against City which saw a torrent of water gush down onto the seats in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand.

Bad signings, an aging stadium and a lack of urgency when making key appointments are all issues that have defined the Glazer era, and most noticeably since Woodward replaced David Gill. But perhaps it's no real surprise. Supporters of the Glazers' NFL franchise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have witnessed a drift into obscurity since the team won the Super Bowl in 2003 and United now appear to be heading the same way.

The money is still coming in, as Tuesday's numbers will show. And as Woodward admitted, what happens on the pitch doesn't affect United's financial power off it. In the eyes of the Glazers, maybe the ongoing struggles of the team are only a minor issue to them.

Cameron Bancroft will return to Durham as the club's overseas player for the 2020 season.

Bancroft captained Durham in the County Championship and the Royal London Cup this year, which represented a controversial appointment in the wake of his involvement in Australia's ball-tampering scandal.

But director of cricket Marcus North repeatedly defended the decision, and Bancroft ended up leading the club's averages in both first-class and List A cricket.

He made 726 runs at an average of 45.37 in nine Championship matches, and a further 377 runs at an average of 94.25 in the Royal London Cup.

Bancroft will be available for all three formats, though the club is yet to confirm whether or not he will continue as captain.

"We are delighted to welcome Cameron back to Emirates Riverside for our 2020 season," said North.

"He has had a huge impact on the field with his leadership and undoubted quality through his performances. Cameron has also had an impact off the field as an ambassador for the club with a number of community projects."

It is expected that several other members of Australia's Test squad will sign county deals for 2020. Peter Siddle is already on a two-year deal at Essex, while several clubs have enquired about the availability of Nathan Lyon.

Australia are not scheduled to play a Test between February and November next year, and many of their internationals are expected to enter into the draft for The Hundred, which starts immediately after their white-ball series in England.

Big Picture

Bangladesh v Afghanistan could well become a more regular fixture in the game in the future than it is now. They don't have a lot of encounters coming up in the next 12 months, but in the long-term, they could well meet more frequently, on the big stage, given how they have developed as teams - and have a rivalry going too - in the past few years.

The two sides have gone for youth over experience in this tri-series, but with mixed results. It's experience that has made the difference for Afghanistan, though, as Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have all played pivotal roles in Afghanistan's two wins. The bad news for Afghanistan is that Rashid, who hasn't fully recovered from the hamstring injury he picked up in the last match, is uncertain for the final. The day before the game, Rashid conceded that the physio has a lot of work to do with him, and as things stand, he is not more than a 50% chance.

But Bangladesh have no reason to let their guard down in case Rashid doesn't make it. Among the youngsters, the likes of Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Fareed Ahmad are solid players, with the ability to swing things Afghanistan's way. While Zazai is a relatively known entity, Gurbaz's stroke play has been a revelation, and Fareed has shown plenty of promise with the new ball.

For the home side, Shakib Al Hasan has had a stellar tournament, while Mahmudullah is the team's leading run-scorer and Mohammad Saifuddin their top wicket-taker. Afif Hossain, among the newbies, has won a match single handedly, but someone like Najmul Hossain hasn't done much in the tournament so far.

The home side can bank on their experience of playing at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, although it hasn't been a happy venue for them in multi-team tournaments, as they have lost all their finals here to date. Fans are expected to flock to the stadium despite it being the middle of the week - and there's a forecast for rain - which could add to the pressure of having not won a final at the venue. For Afghanistan, who were until recently on a record 12-match winning streak, successive defeats leading into the final would have had a chastening effect, but they would want to quickly pick themselves up, and what better occasion to do it than this?

Form guide

Bangladesh: WWLWL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)

Afghanistan: LLWWW

In the spotlight

Bangladesh's poor showings in T20Is has made the selectors turn to Shafiul Islam once again, who has played just 14 games in the format in more than nine years. If Shafiul and the rest of the bowling attack can keep the Afghanistan batsmen quiet, Bangladesh have a good chance. He has taken four wickets in two games, and shown that he can still swing the new ball considerably.

Gulbadin Naib hasn't quite quite come to the party - just 11 runs and three wickets in the series - especially given that he may have had a point to prove in his first appearance since losing the ODI captaincy, but he is certainly capable of turning things around with both bat and ball, and Afghanistan would want that to happen in the final.

Team news

Doubts over Rashid's fitness, after he aggravated a hamstring injury by continuing to bowl in the last match, mean that slow left -arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf, who hasn't played all tournament, is suddenly in contention.

Afghanistan (probable): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 3 Asghar Afghan, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Shafiqullah, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Rashid Khan/Sharafuddin Ashraf, 9 Karim Janat, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Coach Russell Domingo hinted that Bangladesh could look to play as many as four seamers in the final, which would mean one of their eight batsmen will have to sit out. It, however, looks unlikely given the inconsistency of the batsmen.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Liton Das, 2 Najmul Hossain, 3 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Afif Hossain, 9 Mohammad Saifuddin, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Pitch and conditions

Gamini Silva has kept a shade of grass on the Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch for the final. In night games over the last two years, teams batting first and second and have won twice each. There's also the chance of a shower or two in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Stats that matter

• Shakib became the fourth bowler to reach 350 T20 wickets in the last game against Afghanistan, joining Dwayne Bravo to become the second cricketer to score more than 4500 runs and take 350 wickets in the format.

• Sabbir Rahman is 54 runs short of reaching 1000 T20I runs.

• In eight tournament finals at Shere Bangla National Stadium, the sides batting first have won on three occasions.

Quotes

"The main reason to come back to bowl [in the previous game], was that I wanted to know the severity of the injury. The physio and coaches didn't want me to bowl. I was okay with the first two overs but after going for a run, it got worse. Hopefully, it will be okay for tomorrow. Physio will have a lot of work to do."
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan on his hamstring injury.

Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo conceded that the team is yet to play a "perfect game of cricket" in the T20I tri-series, adding that to pull it off, they might field a four-man pace attack for the final against Afghanistan on Tuesday, depending on the conditions at Shere Bangla National stadium.

In the last two matches, the three-man pace attack - Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin and Shafiul Islam - have taken nine wickets at an average of 18.44 and a strike rate of 15.33. Both matches were held in Chattogram where pitches for limited-overs games are usually flatter compared to in Dhaka. The greenish pitch at Shere Bangla could tempt the home team to add another pacer against the spin-heavy Afghanistan side. But the forecast of rain could change the plans.

Domingo said that even if the conditions on Tuesday don't let them play four pace bowlers, it is a strategy Bangladesh must get familiar with in T20Is, given the next World Cup is going to be held in Australia in 2020.

"I think we are going to add a fourth seamer to our 12 and make a decision tomorrow, looking at the wicket," Domingo said. "It is an area we can exploit if there's more pace and bounce. But [playing four pace bowlers] is definitely something that we can consider. It is not a Bangladesh way of doing things. My thinking is where we are going to play the World Cup in a year's time. We are playing in Australia, and I can't see us playing one or two seamers there. We have to play at least three or four fast bowlers in Australia.

"Winning now is important but we also have to think of what is in the best interest of the team going forward. It is a fine line to balance it. It is always good to have a fast-bowling attack but I understand the culture, and the fact that the strength of the team lies in spin bowlers. I am trying to find the balance as a coach."

Domingo pointed out that Bangladesh batsmen have been falling in a heap in the first ten overs and that, ahead of the final, they have been looking at playing a better game, ideally going into the final five overs with seven or eight wickets in hand. So far in the tournament, they have had scores of 117 for 6, 97 for 6, 90 for 3 and 101 for 5 in the first 15 overs. They have averaged 9.21 per over in the last five overs in these matches.

"It is always good to have a fast-bowling attack but I understand the culture, and the that the strength of the team lie in spin bowlers. I am trying to find the balance as a coach." Russell Domingo

"We haven't played the perfect game of cricket yet," Domingo said. "We have been good in certain areas and average in certain areas. We are still trying to find the perfect game. So we haven't got to the last five or six overs with only two or three wickets down.

"We lose too many wickets in the first ten overs. We have to get to the 15th over with two wickets down, maybe, so that we have a platform for the last five overs.

Domingo also backed opening batsman Najmul Hossain, who has made just 5 and 11 in his two appearances so far in the competition.

"We will have a look at the conditions tomorrow. He is a young player and I have been very impressed with what I have seen, the way he carries himself, the way he trains, fields and fitness. Sometimes it is more than just runs and wickets that you look at. He provides us with an unbelievable work ethic and attitude which is important," he said.

India captain Virat Kohli has received a demerit point and an official warning for an "inappropriate" shoulder contact with South Africa quick Beuran Hendricks while taking a run during the third T20I on Sunday in Bengaluru. Kohli was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.

The incident occurred on the fourth ball of the fifth over, bowled by Hendricks, when Kohli pulled a delivery to deep midwicket and rubbed his right shoulder with Hendricks' right while running down the pitch. Kohli was found to have breached Article 2.12 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to "Inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator) during an International Match."

It was Kohli's third offence since the introduction of the revised code in September 2016. He now has three demerit points after getting one for the Centurion Test in South Africa last year and one more during the match against Afghanistan in this year's World Cup on June 22.

During the Centurion Test, Kohli was penalised for his behaviour with on-field umpire Michael Gough on the third day of the match, and was fined 25% of his fee. During South Africa's second innings, Kohli persistently complained to Gough about the state of the damp ball after a rain interruption and then threw the ball into the ground in an "aggressive manner," according to the ICC.

During the World Cup match against Afghanistan, Kohli was reprimanded for "excessive appealing and charging aggressively towards the umpire" Aleem Dar. The incident occurred when Kohli advanced towards Dar in appeal of an lbw decision against Rahmat Shah in the 29th over of Afghanistan's chase. Kohli was fined 25% of his match fees then too.

According to the revised code, when a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned. These demerit points remain on a player's disciplinary record for 24 months from their imposition after which they are expunged.

Kohli admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Richie Richardson which meant there was no need for a formal hearing. The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Nitin Menon and CK Nandan, third umpire Anil Chaudhary and fourth official C Shamshuddin.

England have dropped Jonny Bairstow from the Test squad for New Zealand, while handing first call-ups to Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley. Bairstow, who averaged 19.45 in Tests this summer, was named in the T20I squad, along with a host of new faces that includes Somerset opener Tom Banton and Pat Brown, the Worcestershire slower-ball specialist.

With Ben Foakes overlooked for the New Zealand tour as well, the decision to leave out Bairstow means Jos Buttler is set to take over as England's first-choice Test wicketkeeper on a tour that falls outside the Future Tours Programme but which has been earmarked as an important stepping stone for England ahead of their trip to South Africa in December.

The New Zealand series comes too soon for James Anderson, who recently confirmed his desire to play on despite injury limiting his Ashes involvement. England instead looked to one of Anderson's younger Lancashire team-mates, with Saqib Mahmood included for both legs of the tour.

Of the XI that beat Australia at The Oval earlier this month to secure a 2-2 series draw, Bairstow is the only omission. Sibley is rewarded for a breakthrough season in which he has scored 1324 Championship runs - more than anyone else in the country - while Crawley, 21, has risen quickly to prominence since his debut at the end of 2017.

More to follow...

England T20I squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince

England Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes

Jacksonville Jaguars star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who requested a trade last week, called the team Sunday night to inform it that he is sick and will be unable to practice Monday, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Ramsey, who thinks he has the flu, still wants to be traded and may not practice at all this week, sources tell Schefter. The Jaguars are not interested in trading Ramsey, according to sources, setting up a standoff with the two-time Pro Bowler.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan is leading the organization's stance on Ramsey's trade request, according to sources.

Ramsey, 24, played in last Thursday night's 20-7 home victory over the Titans. He revealed in a recent episode of Uninterrupted's "17 Weeks" podcast that an upsetting conversation with team management after a Week 2 loss to the Texans was the final push for his decision to request a trade.

"Some disrespectful things were said on their end that made me definitely walk out and call my agent as soon as I walked out, and I told him, I said, 'It's time; my time is up here in Jacksonville. I want to ask for a trade,'" Ramsey said.