Sports
Surprise English Club Clear Favourites to Sign Jamie Vardy With Wrexham Also in Frame
A surprise English club has emerged as the clear favourites to sign Jamie Vardy, who is leaving Cremonese when his contract expires this summer.
The former England striker made the emotional decision to leave Leicester City last summer and make the move to the Serie A outfit.
Cremonese were hoping that Vardy would score enough goals for them to retain their status in Italy’s top tier. La Cremo enjoyed a great start to the campaign as they tasted defeat in just four of their opening 14 matches.
A horror run of form saw them slip into the relegation zone, though. Despite winning two of their final three matches, the club finished 18th and dropped back down to Serie B.
Vardy, who recorded seven goals and three assists in 29 matches this season and became the first English player to win the Serie A Player of the Month award, has made the decision to leave the club following their relegation and will become a free agent.
Clear Favourites Emerge in Race to Sign Jamie Vardy
BBC Sport have reported that Vardy, now 39 years old, is still enjoying his football and believes he can continue playing at a high level.
BettingLounge have now revealed the 12 favourites to sign Vardy this summer, with a return to the United Kingdom on the cards.
Hull City, who secured their promotion to the Premier League with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the Championship playoff final, have been given odds of 28/1.
Hearts are on the lookout for a new striker after losing Laurence Shankland to Rangers and could turn to Vardy as his replacement.
West Ham United, who will play in England’s second tier next season after suffering relegation from the Premier League, have been given odds of 10/1.
Wrexham are fifth favourites to sign Vardy, while Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers are fourth and third respectively.
The bookies think he could make a sensational return to Leicester, who he played for between 2012-2025, scoring 200 goals in 500 appearances in the process.
Sheffield Wednesday, the club who Vardy supported as a child and still does today, are the clear favourites. Vardy played for the Owls in his youth before being released at 15 years old. They are currently leading the race for his signature, but whether they can get a deal done remains to be seen.
|
Jamie Vardy Next Club Odds |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Club |
Nation |
League |
Odds |
|
1 |
Sheffield Wednesday |
England |
League One |
8/13 |
|
2 |
Leicester City |
England |
League One |
Evens |
|
3 |
Rangers |
Scotland |
Scottish Premiership |
2/1 |
|
4 |
Celtic |
Scotland |
Scottish Premiership |
11/4 |
|
5 |
Wrexham |
Wales |
Championship |
8/1 |
|
6 |
West Ham United |
England |
Championship |
10/1 |
|
7 |
Birmingham |
England |
Championship |
12/1 |
|
8 |
Millwall |
England |
Championship |
14/1 |
|
9 |
Burnley |
England |
Championship |
16/1 |
|
10 |
Hearts |
Scotland |
Scottish Premiership |
18/1 |
|
11 |
Hull City |
England |
Premier League |
28/1 |
|
12 |
West Brom |
England |
Championship |
33/1 |
Vardy and his wife, Rebekah, have a large family with six children in total. They have had three children together, as well as one daughter from Jamie’s previous relationship and two children from Rebekah’s previous relationships.
Speaking to SPORTbible earlier this month, Vardy said he wants to keep playing for as long as he can, and then intends to spend time with his kids after retiring. He said:
“While my legs are still saying they’re fine, I’ll carry on. But there will come a time when the legs say ‘this ain’t happening anymore’ and that’s when I definitely need to call it quits.”
He added: “The main thing for me is, you sacrifice so much during a football career on things you miss out. And I think when it comes to, I’m finished with football side of things, I want to make sure that I can spend some quality time with my wife and kids.
“It’s something that I’ve missed – big chunks of them growing up at different ages and things like that. So I don’t want to be missing anymore. The kids, they love coming to watch me play football, and it’s a real enjoyment for them.”
Sports
West Ham Player Wages After Premier League Relegation
West Ham United were relegated to the Championship on the final day of the Premier League season, despite a resounding victory over Leeds United.
The Hammers, who had the 10th highest wage bill in the Premier League in the 2025/26 season, as per Capology, needed to beat Leeds at the London Stadium and hope that Everton defeated Tottenham Hotspur in north London.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side did their job, with goals from Valentín Castellanos, Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson giving them a 3-0 victory.
However, Tottenham managed to beat Everton 1-0 courtesy of Joao Palhinha’s goal, meaning West Ham finished in 18th and were relegated from the Premier League.
West Ham now have a massive clear out on their hands, with some of their players earning an extraordinary amount of money.
West Ham Player Wages (25-11)
El Hadji Malick Diouf was impressive in his opening season in England. The 21-year-old, who earns £25,000-per-week and is the club’s 20th highest-paid player, showed his talent going forward and will no doubt attract interest from Premier League sides this summer.
Crysencio Summerville is another that could make the move straight back to the Premier League. The Dutchman earns £45,000-per-week, the same amount as Mads Hermansen.
Three West Ham players earn £50,000-per-week: Lukasz Fabianski, Callum Wilson and Konstantinos Mavropanos. Fabianski and Wilson’s contracts run out this summer, and it is unknown whether they will extend their stay. Mavropanos, meanwhile, was named Hammer of the Year and the club will have a hard time keeping hold of him.
Mateus Fernandes was also mightily impressive this season. The Portuguese midfielder is West Ham’s 11th highest-paid player, earning £60,000-per-week. Man Utd have been heavily linked with him and it’s believed he wants to join the Red Devils.
|
West Ham Player Wages (25-11) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Player |
Weekly Wage |
|
25 |
Ezra Mayers |
£7,000 |
|
24. |
George Earthy |
£7,500 |
|
23. |
Freddie Potts |
£10,000 |
|
22. |
Oliver Scarles |
£15,000 |
|
21. |
Pablo |
£20,000 |
|
20. |
El Hadji Malick Diouf |
£25,000 |
|
19. |
Soungoutou Magassa |
£35,000 |
|
18. |
Axel Disasi (loan) |
£40,000 |
|
=16. |
Mads Hermansen |
£45,000 |
|
=16. |
Crysencio Summerville |
£45,000 |
|
=13. |
Lukasz Fabianski |
£50,000 |
|
=13. |
Konstantinos Mavropanos |
£50,000 |
|
=13. |
Callum Wilson |
£50,000 |
|
12. |
Kyle Walker-Peters |
£55,000 |
|
11. |
Mateus Fernandes |
£60,000 |
West Ham Player Wages (10-1)
Adama Traore, one of the strongest players in world football, earns £70,000-per-week. His contract runs out this summer, and he could well leave on a free transfer.
Valentín Castellanos, who scored four goals in seven games to end the season, earns £75,000-per-week, just less than Jean-Clair Todibo. Three players earn £90,000 every seven days: Niclas Füllkrug, Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
While four West Ham players earn £100,000-per-week or more. Max Kilman earns six figures every seven days, despite barely playing under Espirito Santo. The Portuguese manager will no doubt be looking to offload his wages.
James Ward-Prowse is West Ham’s third highest-paid player at £115,000-per-week. He also found himself out of favour under Espirito Santo and will likely be sold should a suitor be found.
Alphonse Areola was also dropped by Espirito Santo in favour of Hermansen, despite earning £120,000-per-week. Only Jarrod Bowen earns more than the Frenchman.
The Englishman earns £150,000-per-week and is comfortably the club’s highest-paid player. West Ham will no doubt want to keep him but, with a £20m release clause believed to be in his contract, his future is in doubt. He has said he wants to stay despite interest from Liverpool, but whether he does or not remains to be seen.
|
West Ham Player Wages (10-1) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Player |
Weekly Wage |
|
10. |
Adama Traore |
£70,000 |
|
9. |
Valentín Castellanos |
£75,000 |
|
8. |
Jean-Clair Todibo |
£80,000 |
|
=5. |
Niclas Füllkrug |
£90,000 |
|
=5. |
Tomas Soucek |
£90,000 |
|
=5. |
Aaron Wan-Bissaka |
£90,000 |
|
4. |
Max Kilman |
£100,000 |
|
3. |
James Ward-Prowse |
£115,000 |
|
2. |
Alphonse Areola |
£120,000 |
|
1. |
Jarrod Bowen |
£150,000 |
Sports
Sandro Tonali ‘On His Way’ to Man Utd After Agreement Reached
Manchester United could be closing in on a big signing with Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali said to be ‘on his way’ to sealing a move to the club after an agreement was reached on personal terms, according to Calciomercato.
Man United appear to be ready to make a big early splash in the summer transfer market, with an agreement said to be close to bringing Atalanta midfielder Ederson to Old Trafford during the close season.
The Red Devils have made bolstering their central midfield the priority, with Casemiro already departing Old Trafford ahead of an expected move to MLS side Inter Miami, and fellow South American Manuel Ugarte also up for sale following a £50m move from Paris Saint-Germain two summers ago.
New United boss Michael Carrick reportedly wants up to three midfielders who are going to complement Kobbie Mainoo in the middle, after the England international committed his long-term future to the Old Trafford outfit.
One report has suggested that the club has allocated around £150m of their summer transfer budget to the position, with an elite Casemiro replacement potentially being joined by two lower-priced midfielders.
Man United to ‘Go All In’ for Sandro Tonali Deal
According to Calciomercato, Manchester United are now ready to ‘go all in’ to sign Newcastle United midfielder Tonali, with the outlet describing the 26-year-old as being ‘on his way’ to joining the club.
The report says that the Red Devils are about to snatch Ederson away from Atalanta, but they are ready to sign a second midfielder too in the €100m-rated (£86m) Italian.
United are said to be not afraid of the Magpies’ valuation of the Italy ‘superstar’, with that fee ruling out other interested clubs like Juventus.
The Red Devils are now ready to launch a ‘decisive attack’ to bring Tonali to Old Trafford, with Carrick and INEOS reported to have reached an agreement with the player already.
Newcastle have already started looking for a replacement, as they look into a deal for Club Brugge star Aleksandar Stankovic.
Which Other Midfielders Could United Sign?
While Tonali seems to be a top target, Fabrizio Romano has reported that United still need to make a decision whether they are actually going to seal a deal for Ederson as they get close to reaching an agreement.
The Red Devils continue to be linked with other players too, with a potential opportunity emerging for West Ham United star Mateus Fernandes following the Irons’ relegation to the Championship.
The young Portuguese star is said to be keen on a move to the club to link up with compatriot Bruno Fernandes, although it will likely depend on how much the Hammers demand for the player.
Other players continue to be linked too, with Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni labelled as a ‘dream’ target for the club, while Elliot Anderson continues to be the club’s number one target.
The current situation is that the Nottingham Forest star is more likely to join Manchester City instead, which could mean United have to look elsewhere.
Sports
WWE to Add New Member to The Vision After Logan Paul’s Injury
It’s been just over a year since The Vision formed in WWE, but Paul Heyman’s faction hasn’t exactly had the best of luck. Significant injuries have halted the progress of both Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, with the latter still sidelined.
Now, Logan Paul is set to be out for several months after tearing his triceps at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Paul and Austin Theory competed in the main event of the TV special over the weekend, putting the World Tag Team Championships on the line against the Street Profits. Paul and Theory successfully defended the titles against one of WWE’s most successful tag teams, but it came at a cost. Paul suffered his triceps tear during an aerial spot with Angelo Dawkins, which provided enough of a distraction for Theory to pick up the win uninterrupted.
WWE Plans For The Vision After Logan Paul’s Injury
With Paul sidelined, WWE has already moved to make on-screen changes. WWE has already confirmed that any two members of The Vision will be able to defend the tag belts. In addition, according to a backstage report, the new Vision member is set to join the faction’s ranks shortly.
Veteran journalist Dave Meltzer leaked the promotion’s plans during his review of this week’s WWE Raw on a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer stated that The Vision were planning to bring in a new female member in a somewhat unexpected storyline twist.
“They’re going to get […] Maxxine [Dupri],” Meltzer revealed. “Which they pretty much teased on the show tonight. If you watch […] cause I mean, they did the thing where he [Theory] was leaving, and then he walks by Maxxine and Tozawa and Otis and then, all of a sudden, she goes, ‘I’ve got to go now.’ So the idea is when he left, she was leaving. But it’s like you’re not supposed to know that they’re leaving together.”
Maxxine Dupri was one of the surprise packages of 2025. After breaking away from the Chad Gable-led Alpha Academy faction with long-time allies Otis and Akira Tozawa, Dupri began to build momentum as an in-ring competitor. The mentorship of WWE veteran Natalya bolstered Dupri, transforming her from a ringside supporter to an aggressive challenger. This led to one of the biggest upsets of the year, as Dupri toppled Becky Lynch to become WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion last November. This followed two previous victories over Lynch via count-out and disqualification.
But since losing the title back to Lynch, and losing a feud to former mentor Natalya, Dupri’s momentum has slowed significantly. The 29-year-old hasn’t wrestled on Raw since March. But it seems that her recruitment to The Vision is about to see her featured in a major way moving forward.
Dupri was spotted in the background of several backstage segments with Austin Theory during her feud with Natalya. It implied that The Vision member was actively hoping to pry her away from Otis and Tozawa to bolster his own group’s waning numbers. Dupri will be desperate to recapture the momentum that won her the Intercontinental title. Notably, she is also lacking guidance following Natalya’s betrayal. Her alignment with The Vision might just be the move to positively change her direction.
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