Lionel Messi, possibly the greatest soccer player of all time, is taking his talents to South Beach. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain superstar announced on Wednesday that he is heading to MLS with Inter Miami CF as a free agent this summer.

The prospect of a player who led Argentina to the World Cup less than six months ago playing his club football in the United States has sent shock waves through the sport.

What led Messi, the seven-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, to make the move stateside? What impact does such a stellar signing have on MLS and soccer in the U.S.? How does the disappointment of Messi not returning to Barcelona affect the club for whom he won 35 major trophies and whom he left as their record goal scorer? And will the forward's fans, who regard him as the GOAT, follow him on his new journey?

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
- MLS table: Inter Miami sit bottom of the East

ESPN writers Gabriele Marcotti, Jeff Carlisle, Sam Marsden and Luis Miguel Echegaray give their views on this huge move.

The big picture: Messi opts to conquer new ground than revisit his past

And so, he has decided. Major League Soccer has won the Lionel Messi Final Four bracket, defeating Saudi competition in the final after both advanced past romantic long shots: the financially hamstrung Barcelona, where he spent 21 years, and Newell's Old Boys, the hometown team he supported as a boy.

Messi's contract with PSG expires at the end of this month, but really, more than a free agent signing, this move is more like a corporate joint venture between Inter Miami, MLS, the league's broadcast rights holders (Apple), Adidas and the Lionel Andres Messi Corporation. We've been here before in 2007, when David Beckham -- who, as if to prove the circularity of human existence, is a part-owner of Inter Miami) joined the LA Galaxy. And frankly, it would have been pretty much the same thing if he had opted for the Saudi Pro League, except there it would mostly be one source footing the bill: the country's sovereign wealth fund.

(Indeed, in what to some may appear as a classic cart-before-the-horse move, Messi signed a reported $400 million contract with the Saudi tourism board ... assuming he guaranteed them exclusivity, don't expect him to be shilling for the delights of South Beach any time soon.)

Commercially, Messi will bring eyeballs to U.S. domestic soccer like nobody before him. More than Beckham, more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- and for old-timers, more than Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer and Pele, if only because we live in a far more connected world today. Messi is not a natural pitchman, lacking both Ibrahimovic's quotability and Beckham's charisma, but hey: he's Messi. He delivered the World Cup for Argentina less than six months ago, he has seven Ballons d'Or at home (winning the last of those 18 months ago) and he has scored more than 800 goals for club and country in his career.

He's not the first legit GOAT candidate to play in North America because Pele was there in the 1970s, but the key difference is that half a century later, Messi will land in a very different country -- one that is more diverse and more soccer-savvy, and one where he's seen as a legitimate athlete, not a guy who plays the sport because he's too uncoordinated to play baseball, too small to play basketball and too weak to play football.

You also suspect that Messi can deliver on the pitch. His two years at PSG ended in acrimony, with Messi booed by his own fans and most seeing his stint as a gigantic waste of money. He turns 36 in a couple of weeks and has neither the stamina, nor acceleration, he once had. In fact, he spends much of the game literally at walking pace: he doesn't press at all and the team has to be built around him. Yet he still delivered a league-leading 14 assists while scoring 16 goals, none of them from the penalty spot, for PSG. That's because, interspersed with his placid strolls around the pitch, are sudden bursts of genius and acceleration that still befuddle most opponents, the sort of thing you can keep doing even into your late 30s. (Well, if you're Messi anyway.)

Maybe it was inevitable that, having finally conquered the World Cup, he would opt to conquer a new world rather than revisit his past, ultimately plumping for North America over the Gulf. Fans in North America should count themselves lucky. Because if you attend the right MLS game, you may be able to one day tell your grandkids that you saw Messi in the flesh. Just like your dad tells you he saw Michael Jordan, your grandfather tells you he saw Muhammad Ali and your great-grandfather tells you he saw Babe Ruth.

That's the category of superstar in which Messi exists. -- Marcotti

Messi can take MLS to the moon -- and beyond

Securing one of the biggest prizes in world soccer in Messi provides a surge of rocket fuel to an organization that is in desperate need of a lift.

Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas has been angling to acquire Messi practically from the moment he and co-owners Beckham and Jose Mas were awarded the team in 2018. Now he has his man.

There will be inevitable comparisons to when MLS convinced Beckham to join the Galaxy in 2007, and there are similarities in that there are financial incentives beyond salary that helped cinch the deal.

In Beckham's case it was a discounted price on an MLS expansion team, which in a bit of serendipity became Inter Miami. Sources confirmed a report from The Athletic that Messi has an option to acquire an ownership stake in Inter Miami, although a source with knowledge of the situation said it will not come at a discount like Beckham's deal did.

ESPN can also confirm that a cut of revenue from new subscribers to Apple's MLS Season Pass streaming service is being offered to Messi. Any agreement involving Adidas would strictly be between the player and the company, and it wouldn't directly involve MLS, despite the German company outfitting the league's clubs exclusively since 2006.

All of that said, the times -- and needs -- of MLS are different. When Beckham signed on in 2007, MLS was still trying to get off the launch pad with just 13 teams. His arrival not only set the stage for other stars such as Thierry Henry and Kaka to come over, but also helped accelerate an expansion boom that by next season will have reached 30 teams.

Messi's arrival is poised to take MLS to the moon, or even beyond. He is arguably the greatest player who ever lived, something Beckham never was.

The league has been laying the foundation for this move for years, with the increased continental footprint combining well with the global reach of its recent broadcast rights deal with Apple TV. With the 2026 World Cup set to take place in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, the potential is there to greatly increase revenues for all parties involved in the deal.

As for Inter Miami, Messi is a massive antidote for a last-place team who have struggled to generate quality chances, with their expected goal (xG) mark of 0.82 per 90 minutes the worst in the league. If former teammate Sergio Busquets also arrives, so much the better, although there will need to be some adapting to a league that is several notches below what they are accustomed to, not to mention the weather and travel demands. The sight of Messi playing in an 18,000-seat stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will take some getting used to.

Yet there is certainly an "others will follow" type of vibe to Messi's arrival. If that's the case, money should follow as well. -- Carlisle

Messi couldn't wait for Barcelona again

Barcelona supporters and even some of the club's hierarchy were split when the possibility of Messi returning surfaced. There were those who thought, after blooding a new generation of youngsters and winning a first LaLiga title since 2019, it was time to turn the page as Messi approaches the end of his career.

There were others, though, who were caught up in the romance of a homecoming for the club's greatest ever player. Forced to leave in 2021 because Barca could not afford to register the contract they had offered him, this was a chance for Messi to say goodbye properly to fans who have chanted his name in the 10th minute of every home game at Spotify Camp Nou since March. Besides, there is an overwhelming argument to be made that he remains among the best players in the world. Six months ago he led Argentina to the World Cup, while he registered 21 goals and 20 assists across all competitions for PSG this season.

What at first seemed a pipe dream slowly began to feel like a reality. Even some supporters who had been happy to pass on Messi got on board with the idea that, as the club's vice president Rafa Yuste said at any opportunity, love stories should have beautiful endings.

At the centre of the charm offensive was Barca coach Xavi Hernandez. Throughout the past two weeks, he has made it clear across several interviews that he wanted Messi back, that the forward would provide the missing creativity in the final third and that, with Xavi's help, Messi would get his fairy-tale ending at the club.

With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps it was a last throw of the dice from Xavi, aware that the chances of bringing him back were slipping away. They slipped away because, like in 2021, Barca could offer no guarantees they would be able to register his contract.

Regardless of what Messi actually earned, LaLiga would have factored his salary in at around €25 million, based on his previous contracts. Barca, who can only spend 40% of what they save or earn because of financial restrictions imposed by the league for exceeding their spending cap, would need to raise more than €60m to inscribe Messi. It could have been possible by August, maybe even July, but certainly not now.

After waiting in 2021, Messi could not face such uncertainty again. In the immediate aftermath of the news, his move to Miami feels almost like a second Barca exit given all the hope that had been generated in recent weeks. -- Marsden

The fan's perspective: Messi's arrival a catalyst for growing fan base

Aside from the business standpoint, it's important to see the significance of Messi's move to Inter Miami and MLS as a rocket-ship-sized needle-mover for the league and the overall U.S. fan base. The stars are aligning in so many ways that it's creating a proverbial constellation. Miami, the Latin American capital of the world, will welcome Messi; his wife, Antonella; and their children like adopted royalty, and his presence alone will be another factor -- perhaps the biggest -- in driving the soccer market in America, where the sport is already rivaling the top three most popular in the nation.

There are millions of children in the U.S. who wear "Messi" shirts as opposed to Patrick Mahomes or Steph Curry. It's not coincidental. Soccer in America is a growing mountain, and Messi is arriving in a league with developing markets, a massive distributor in Apple, a competitive nature and a city where he doesn't even need to learn English, one that celebrates the flavor of Latin American and immigrant culture. Oh, and a country that's hosting the World Cup in 2026.

That's why this is a major move for the U.S.-based soccer fan. There is already a growing community of fans, especially young ones, whose idol has been Messi. Now, they can see him live across the country. The same goes with the impact of those who want to play the sport and see Messi as a promoter of the beautiful game. Not forgetting that this does wonders for up-and-comers such as his Argentina teammate and Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada, and how we might see even more talented players from all over the world -- specifically South America -- arrive to the league. Argentina's federation also plans to build a brand-new training facility in Miami, making it the nation's hub in the U.S.

MLS is the most diverse sports league in North America. With Messi, the impact will be that much bigger. In 2007, Beckham aggressively moved and affected the trajectory of MLS with his arrival to the Galaxy. Now, as Inter Miami owner, he is once again responsible for pushing it to even higher altitudes with the arrival of his friend, Messi. -- Echegaray

Lionel Messi will make a stunning move to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami CF following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentine superstar announced Wednesday.

Messi made the announcement about his next club in an interview with Spanish publications Mundo Deportivo and Sport. MLS later confirmed the deal on social media.

The 2022 World Cup winner was linked with a return to former club Barcelona as well as a possible move to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, but ultimately decided to join co-owner David Beckham's Miami in MLS.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

"I have made the decision that I am going to Miami. I still don't have it agreed upon 100 percent and a few things are needed, but well, we decided to continue my path there," Messi said.

"After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way and to enjoy the day-to-day more. Obviously, with the same responsibility and desire to play well and do things well as always. But in a calmer way."

Sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeff Carlisle that terms include an option for part-ownership of Inter Miami but would not be subsidized by the league as they did for Beckham in 2007. When Beckham moved to the LA Galaxy he was given the option to purchase an MLS team for a discounted price of $25 million.

ESPN also confirmed that a cut of revenue from new subscribers to Apple TV's MLS Season Pass streaming service was part of negotiations. Any agreement involving Messi and Adidas would strictly be between the player and the company, and wouldn't directly involve MLS.

The arrival of Messi, 35, promises to be the biggest signing in the 27-year history of MLS, rivaled only by the signing of Beckham.

His signing will also be a major boost for a Miami team that sits bottom of the Eastern Conference and last week dismissed head coach Phil Neville.

Miami has reportedly held talks with Tata Martino about taking the managerial role there. Martino is a former manager for both Argentina and Barcelona, having worked with Messi on both teams.

Barcelona repeatedly stated its desire for Messi to return to the Catalan club, but sources told ESPN's Jordi Blanco that despite efforts to adjust its payroll in order to make the move work financially, Messi opted not to wait any longer and ruled out his former club as a destination for next season.

"After winning the World Cup and not being able to return to Barcelona, it was my turn to go to the league of the United States to live football in another way and to enjoy the day to day more. Obviously, with the same responsibility and desire to play well and do things well as always. But in a calmer way.

Messi began his career at Barcelona, joining as a 13-year-old youth player and ending as the club's record appearance maker and top goal scorer, as well as winning 10 LaLiga trophies and four Champions League titles.

However, amid a financial crisis, Barca were unable to renew his contract in August 2021, forcing him to leave. He joined PSG on a free transfer later that month.

Alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, he helped PSG to the Ligue 1 title in both seasons he spent in the French capital. However, back-to-back round-of-16 exits from the Champions League meant the club's search for a first European title continues.

He was booed by some fans on numerous occasions during his time in Paris, including on his final match for the club when he bid farewell.

Messi scored 32 goals in 75 games in all competitions for PSG, as well as recording 35 assists.

His stint at PSG came alongside other accomplishments, too. In December, Messi led Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup, ending his wait for the only major honour to have eluded him in his career.

He was then named men's footballer of the year at The Best FIFA Football Awards in February -- his second time winning the award, adding to his record seven Ballon d'Or trophies.

Austrian mountain runner wins gold on home turf in the uphill-only women’s race at this week’s World Champs as Patrick Kipngeno claims men’s title

Roared on by her home crowd, Andrea Mayr of Austria claimed her seventh world mountain running title in the uphill-only race in Innsbruck-Stubai.

The 43-year-old overcame the challenge of Philaries Jeruto Kisang of Kenya to triumph in 48:14 over a picturesque but gruelling course where athletes were flanked at times by Alpe d’Huez-style crowds of supporters on the first day (June 7) of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.

Kisang led Kenya to team gold as she finished just over half a minute behind Mayr. Grayson Murphy, a former world mountain running champion from the United States won individual bronze, while Scout Atkin, in eighth, led Britain to team bronze medals.

Defending champion Allie McLaughlin of the United States pushed the pace to begin with in the village of Neustift in Stubai and the lead then changed a few times in the early stages of a 7.1km race that featured 1020m of ascent. But with McLaughlin dropping back to eventually finish 13^th, Mayr made her move on a narrow section through forest and the Austrian athlete built a half-minute advantage.

Kisang fought back on a flatter, faster section and re-took the lead just before the final climb but Mayr kept in touch and as they hit the final steep few hundred metres she reeled her in and passed her, with the exhausted Kisang reduced to a walk as they approached the finish at the Elferhütte – a brutal climb that involved 220m of climbing in the final 700 metres.

Mayr’s varied background includes winning the Vienna Marathon in 2009 in 2:30:43, whereas she has also competed internationally in the steeplechase on the track, mountain biking and has even won the Empire State Run-Up event in the past.

“I knew that the race would start for me as soon as we hit the steep section,” said Mayr. “I felt great and took the lead early on. Knowing that I was being ‘chased’ pushed me.

“The flatter passages are not my forte, which is why I was overtaken by the Kenyan. The atmosphere along the finishing straight was amazing with so many people, my family among them, were there to cheer me on. The final steep passage was extremely tough but I am overjoyed to have won.”

While Adkin was top Brit home, Emma Pooley, the British-born and Cambridge University-educated endurance athlete, was 11^th representing Switzerland.

The men’s race was clearcut with Patrick Kipngeno, the defending champion from Kenya, winning by a minute and a half from Ugandan Levi Kiprotich as Josphat Kiprotich of Kenya was third.

Kiriago Philemon of Kenya was the early leader but Kipngeno stamped his authority on the race at around the halfway mark as he cruised away from his rivals.

Joe Steward was the top Brit home in eighth place as the team placed seventh.

Women: 1 Andrea Mayr (AUT) 48:14; 2 Philaries Jeruto Kisang (KEN) 48:51; 3 Grayson Murphy (USA) 49:22; 4 Laura Hottenrott (GER) 49:56; 5 Valentine Jepkoech Rutto (KEN) 49:59; … 8 Scout Adkin (GBR) 51:39; … 20 Sara Willhoit (GBR) 52:58; … 23 Phillipa Williams (GBR) 53:19; … 24 Kate Avery (GBR) 53:39

Team: 1 Kenya (17 points); 2 Germany (33); 3 Great Britain (51 points)

READ MORE: Innsbruck-Stubai preview

Men: 1 Patrick Kipngeno (KEN) 40:18; 2 Levi Kiprotich (UGA) 41:50; 3 Josphat Kiprotich (KEN) 42:04; 4 Eliud Cherop (UGA) 42:16; 5 Joseph Gray (USA)  42:32; 8 … Joe Steward (GBR) 43:02; … 22 Jacob Adkin (GBR) 44:35; … 32 Chris Richards (GBR) 45:50; … 50 Andrew Douglas (GBR) 47:57

Team: 1 Kenya (11 points); 2 Uganda (21); 3 Switzerland (45)

Alfie Hewett thrashed Gordon Reid in an all-British men's wheelchair singles quarter-final before the pair teamed up to win their doubles match at the French Open on Wednesday.

They then joined forces to beat France's Frederic Cattaneo and American Casey Ratzlaff 6-2 7-5.

Top seeds Hewett and Reid are bidding for a fourth consecutive French Open title together.

A two-time runner-up in the singles event, Reid managed to hold serve in the very first game against his good friend Hewett, but the seven-time Grand Slam champion was ruthless thereafter, winning 12 games in a row.

Hewett, a three-time singles champion at Roland Garros, will play third seed Gustavo Fernandez in the semi-finals after the Argentine beat Japan's Takuya Miki 6-0 6-4.

In the doubles, Hewitt and Reid were able to pile pressure on Cattaneo and Ratzlaff's service games, breaking four times and holding twice in taking the opening set.

The second set was a closer affair as the pairs traded breaks in the first four games and then held serve until Hewett and Reid broke for a 6-5 lead, which allowed them to serve out the match in one hour 30 minutes.

They will face either Dutch duo Maikel Scheffers and Ruben Spaargaren or Belgium's Joachim Gerard and Tokito Oda of Japan in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Britain's Andy Lapthorne suffered a 3-6 6-3 6-2 defeat by former doubles partner David Wagner in the quarter-finals of the men's quad wheelchair singles.

Experienced Wales internationals Sioned Harries and Caryl Thomas have left Worcester Warriors Women.

Thomas, 37, who recently retired from the international stage, will also hang up her club rugby boots, while Harries is looking for a new side.

Both have played in four Rugby World Cups for Wales and have amassed 139 caps between them.

Worcester survived a turbulent season, with the women's team suspended from playing after the club went into administration last September.

But Jo Yapp's side showed resilience to see the season out, with their 33-33 draw against Harlequins securing a sixth-place finish.

"I'll forever be grateful for all the support and belief they gave me as both a player and person," Harries wrote of the club on social media.

"Rollercoaster seasons I'll never forget, and friends made for life."

Growing increasingly frustrated with headlines that said the PGA Tour was “merging” with LIV Golf, Rory McIlroy wanted to make one thing abundantly clear Wednesday in Canada.

“It’s not LIV. I still hate LIV,” he said. “Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away. And I would fully expect that it does.”

An important distinction needs to be made, he said: The Tour is joining forces with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, not LIV Golf. The rival tour – which this week marks the one-year anniversary of its inaugural event – has been funded almost entirely by the PIF.

What was announced Tuesday was a framework agreement that will see the PIF become the exclusive investor in a new, for-profit entity with the Tour and DP World Tour. Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will serve as the chief executive officer of the new company, with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan as the chairman.

McIlroy was perhaps the first star player to spurn the Saudis, back in 2020, when he dismissed the idea of the then-Premier Golf League because he “didn’t really like where the money was coming from” given the country’s well-documented history of human rights abuses.

Powered by the PIF, LIV launched last year and lured a number of big names away from the Tour, while McIlroy became the most front-facing Tour proponent and LIV critic. Speaking on CBS a year ago at the Canadian Open, Monahan took a shot at LIV’s financial backers by asking: “Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?”

A year later, the Tour has partnered with them.

“I said to Jay yesterday: ‘You’ve galvanized everyone against something, and then that thing that you galvanized everyone against you’ve now partnered with,’” McIlroy said. “It is hypocritical. It sounds hypocritical.

“But whether you like it or not, the PIF and the Saudis want to spend money in the game of golf. They want to do this, and they weren’t going to stop. So how can we get that money into the game, but use it the right way? I think that’s what this ultimately will do, hopefully. That’s my hope.”

Details of the new agreement between the Tour and the PIF are still to be worked out, but McIlroy said he’s “come to terms” with the Saudi influence in the sport.

“I see what’s happened in other sports. I see what’s happened in other businesses,” he said. “Honestly, I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that this is what’s going to happen. It’s very hard to keep up with people that have more money than anyone else. And if they want to put that money into the game of golf, then why don’t we partner with them and make sure that it’s done in the right way. That’s sort of where my head’s at.”

What remains to be seen is what happens to LIV’s team concept. Monahan promised to conduct a “comprehensive empirical evaluation” of the model that has so far struggled to gain much traction in the U.S., but in the future there could be a format that’s similar to the Aramco Team Series that has been part of the Ladies European Tour schedule. Early next year the Tour will also launch TGL, the tech-infused league founded by McIlroy and Tiger Woods.

“I would say an element of team golf might still stay,” McIlroy said of the future Tour schedule. “My hope is it won’t be under the LIV umbrella; it’s something that the PGA Tour will control, the PGA Tour will operate. … But I don’t think it will look anything like LIV has looked, and I think that’s a good thing.” 

Another outstanding detail is how to handle the rebel players who wish to reapply for Tour membership following the 2023 season. On this point, McIlroy was unequivocal: “There still has to be consequences to actions. The people that left the PGA Tour irreparably harmed this Tour, started litigation against it. Like, we can’t just welcome them back in. That’s not going to happen. And I think that was the one thing that Jay was trying to get across (Tuesday) is: We’re not just going to bring these guys back in and pretend like nothing’s happened. That is not going to happen.”

Rory McIlroy learned about the landscape-altering PGA Tour agreement mere hours before every other player.

McIlroy said he received a text Monday night from Jimmy Dunne – an influential policy board member and a key architect of the deal – asking to speak with him by phone early Tuesday morning. They talked at 6:30 a.m., and Dunne ran McIlroy through the framework agreement – that the Tour had agreed to join forces with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the DP World Tour to create a new, for-profit entity.

McIlroy knew that discussions between the two warring sides had been ongoing; Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said Tuesday he’d had four in-person meetings with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan over the past seven weeks. But McIlroy didn’t have any indication that any sort of agreement was imminent.

“It was a surprise,” he said.

Dunne explained the reasoning to McIlroy this way: “Sometimes you’ve got 280 over water and just have to go for it.”

With a day to reflect, McIlroy said that he ultimately believes that having the Saudis’ deep pockets pouring money into the Tour is “good for the professional game.” He said that it unifies the sport after a divisive 18 months, and with the PIF now the exclusive investor in the new entity, it secures the Tour’s financial future.

But he also admitted to having “mixed feelings.” No player has been as loyal to the Tour as McIlroy, trotted out in front of the cameras nearly every week to offer his support for the Tour and its prospects. Along with Tiger Woods, he was hugely important in reshaping the Tour schedule that saw bigger purses and the top players getting together more often. In the locker room, at least, McIlroy was lauded for pulling double duty, marquee player and chief spokesman, but he admitted just last month that the heated rhetoric and added burden took a toll.  

As McIlroy told reporters Wednesday, “It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel like a sacrificial lamb.”

McIlroy believes that the Tour, right now, after the agreement, is in a better position than it was a few weeks ago, not least because the costly antitrust litigation has ended. And though there’s much to be figured out – how to bring the LIV players back into the fold; how to incorporate a team element into the Tour schedule; how to appease the Tour loyalists who originally turned down eye-watering sums of money from the Saudis –  the ambiguity should be cleared up in the coming weeks.

“All I’ve wanted in the past year is to protect the future of the PGA Tour and protect the aspirational nature of what the PGA Tour stands for, and I hope that this does that,” McIlroy said. “Whether you like it or not, the PIF were going to keep spending money in golf. At least the PGA Tour now controls how that money is spent.

“So, if you’re thinking about one of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world, would you rather have them as a partner or an enemy? At the end of the day, money talks, and you’d rather have them as a partner.”

In a memo to players Wednesday, DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley reiterated that the joint commitment between his circuit, the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund doesn’t change the short-term prospects of the LIV players who resigned their European tour membership last month.

Nine players resigned their membership May 3 because of sanctions they faced after an arbitration panel sided with the European tour: Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, Richard Bland, Martin Kaymer, Dean Burmester and Paul Casey. Pelley said in the letter that any fines and suspensions imposed remain in effect.

In the news release Tuesday announcing the merging of the three organizations in a new, for-profit entity, the tours said that they’d work to establish a “fair and objective” process for any players who wanted to reapply for membership following the competition of the current season.

If those players wanted to rejoin the European tour this season, however, they needed to notify officials by May 1 – barring an “exceptional circumstance,” per the tour regulations. With the deadline passed, Pelley said “it would be difficult and highly unlikely” for that reinstatement scenario to arise.

Pelley used the same verbiage – “difficult and highly unlikely” – to describe the likelihood that any of those players could be reinstated and join the European Ryder Cup team later this year.

There are only two conditions for qualification – that a player is both European and a member of the tour. That, then, would require a LIV player being readmitted, and Pelley stressed that was a “difficult and highly unlikely” scenario.

That’s why Rory McIlroy, speaking Wednesday at the RBC Canadian Open, described it as a “moot point.”

“All those guys have resigned their membership,” he said. “If you’re not a member of the European tour, you can’t play the Ryder Cup. So to me, it’s a moot point.” 

Full memo below:

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan promised Wednesday that the superstars who rejected offers from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to remain loyal to the Tour will be compensated in some fashion.
He just doesn’t yet know how.

“Their loyalty will be rewarded,” Monahan said Wednesday in an interview on “Golf Today”.

“I’m going to spend every single waking hour as we move forward here, we finalize this agreement and we move into the future, that the players that have created the PGA Tour, have created this pro-competitive, legacy-driven juggernaut, that have articulated and supported the direction that we’re going on – ultimately, the decision we made, I believe, is going to make it better for all of our players, and loyalty, ultimately, as a leader, always needs to be rewarded.

“How that manifests itself is something I’m going to spend a lot of time working on. And I think when we’re having this conversation down the road, that’s something I look forward to being more specific about.”

Though none of the proposals were made public, players such as Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm and Hideki Matsuyama were reportedly offered eye-watering sums of money but turned down the deal to stick with the Tour. Now that the Tour has aligned itself with LIV’s Saudi backers in a new for-profit entity, in a shocking deal that was announced Tuesday, there has been much discussion about if – and how – the Tour could recompensate those players financially.

“The simple answer is yes. The complex answer is how does that happen,” said Rory McIlroy, who added that he was never formally offered a contract with the Saudi-backed LIV circuit.

“That’s all a gray area and up in the air at the moment. But it’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.

“Removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf. There’s no denying that. But for me as an individual, yeah, there’s just going to have to be conversations that are had.”

Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund to sign Jude Bellingham for an initial fee of €103 million, the Bundesliga club announced on Wednesday.

Sources told ESPN on Wednesday that the deal was agreed for around €100m with an additional €20m in add-ons. Dortmund confirmed that 30% of the initial fee would make up the rest of the deal.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Madrid had the green light from the 19-year-old since weeks ago and have now taken the final step to make the England international one of the signings of the summer transfer window.

Madrid beat competition from Manchester City -- and previously Liverpool -- to land Bellingham, one of European football's hottest prospects.

The Spanish giants are looking to strengthen this summer after finishing second behind Barcelona in LaLiga and being eliminated by City in the Champions League semifinals.

He will join youngsters Eduardo Camavinga -- signed in 2021 -- and Aurelien Tchouameni -- signed in 2022 -- as Madrid renew their midfield.

ESPN reported last month that Madrid were optimistic of beating City to the signing, and club representatives then flew to Germany for face-to-face talks with Dortmund.

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The race to land Bellingham has been fierce, with Liverpool and City both seen as favourites at different times over the past season before Madrid pulled ahead.

Bellingham joined Dortmund from Birmingham City in July 2020.

In three years in Germany he became one of the Bundesliga's best players, making 31 league appearances this season and scoring eight goals, and even captaining the side.

He starred for England at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, starting all five of their games.

Madrid have pursued a policy of signing emerging talents in recent years, with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, Federico Valverde and Camavinga now established as key first-team players.

Bellingham is not expected to be the last arrival at the Bernabeu this summer, as Madrid are also looking to improve the squad in a number of positions, including signing a replacement for forward Karim Benzema, who joined Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad this month.