Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes have claimed the lives of more than 1,400 people, with almost 70,000 reported missing by Saturday morning.

The South American country was hit with 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes on Wednesday, causing complete devastation. Among the fatalities were family members of Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo.

Trejo, who plays for Venezuelan second-tier club Marítimo, was hoping for good news regarding his loved ones after a heartbreaking 74-hour search.

Lucas Trejo Loses Wife and Children in Earthquake Devastation

His wife, Yanina Maranella, and their two children, Aaron and Ainhoa, were found dead on June 27. Trejo has yet to comment publicly on the matter, but had posted an image of his family on Instagram just hours before they were found.

His club confirmed the tragic news in a statement. It read: “Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira deeply mourns the loss suffered by Lucas Trejo’s family; we ask for respect for his relatives and teammates. After a 74-hour search, they were found deceased.”

Edson Tortolero, a friend of the family and Venezuelan footballer, also posted about the tragedy on social media. In a translated Instagram post, he said (per New York Post):

Trejo’s dad and brother had reportedly travelled to Venezuela to try and help the search for his wife and kids. Yiimvert Berroteran, an 18-year-old aspiring footballer, was another fatality.

Wife of Baseball Player Dies in Earthquake

Gorkys Hernandez, a former Venezuelan baseball player, also suffered the heartbreak of losing his wife in the disaster. The ex-Major League Baseball star posted an emotional statement, in which he said:

“You were and are the most beautiful woman in my life. You will always be with me, at every hour and in every moment. Fly high, my princess, my queen. May God have you in his glory and guide me to keep going and lift up our family.”

Up to 6.76 million people could be affected, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Two million of those are in Caracas, the capital.

Chelsea will look to make moves in the summer transfer window to hand Xabi Alonso the perfect squad to challenge at the top of the Premier League table next season.

Alonso has arrived at Stamford Bridge following a tumultuous campaign in west London, with the Blues finishing 10th in the table, failing to qualify for European competition and sacking two managers in the process.

Alonso will be tasked with steadying the ship and improving the Blues‘ fortunes on the pitch, much like he did with Bayer Leverkusen, leading the German side to an unbeaten season in claiming the domestic double in 2023/24.

Palestra may be joined by Granit Xhaka

The signing of a number of talented youngsters have already been agreed, prior to Alonso arriving at the club, but Chelsea have yet to announce a first signing of the Spaniard’s tenure, although a deal to sign Atalanta wing-back Marco Palestra is understood to be close.

The 21-year-old will become Alonso’s first signing at Stamford Bridge, but he is already working on a second and it may come as something of a surprise.

The Blues have made a move to sign 34-year-old midfielder Granit Xhaka – who made his name in the English Premier League with Chelsea’s rivals Arsenal – from Sunderland.

Xhaka made the move to the Black Cats just last year having been part of that Leverkusen side under Alonso. And GIVEMESPORT understands he now wants to reunite with his former boss in west London.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano explained more about the potential move. He said: “Chelsea have started the conversations to understand how to try and get the deal done with Sunderland for Granit Xhaka and the agreement between Chelsea and Xhaka on the contract is not a problem.

“Xhaka told Chelsea in a very clear way he wants to go back to London, he wants to live in London, he wants to play for Chelsea, he wants to play for Xabi Alonso. So the connections are all going in that direction now. It’s about reaching an agreement between clubs.

Sunderland were planning for next season with Xhaka

“Sunderland are quite surprised. Sunderland were not expecting Granit Xhaka to inform them that he wanted to leave. They were building the squad for next season, believing that Granit Xhaka was going to be a crucial part of the team, but now Xhaka wants to go to Chelsea.

“Sunderland insist they don’t want to sell, they want big money eventually, if there is a chance to open doors, but what I can tell you is that Chelsea are playing down reports about paying €30million or €40million for Granit Xhaka.

“Chelsea’s position would be to pay less in order to reach an agreement with Xhaka, not because the player is not worth that money, but because of the age. So now it’s on the club-to-club, because on the player’s side he’s ready to accept any contract condition, and it’s not a problem. I told you already, personal terms will not be an issue, he wants to play for Xabi Alonso. He wants to play London, and he wants to play for Chelsea.”

Tottenham are preparing to offer West Ham a swap deal in order to complete a deal to sign Mateus Fernandes this summer, according to reports.

Spurs have been in talks with Fernandes and his representatives over a deal to bring the Portuguese to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, with the Hammers looking for a fee in the region of £85million to sanction a deal.

West Ham are hoping there is a bidding war for the Portuguese star, with Manchester United also heavily linked with a move for the 21-year-old. Both teams are in talks over completing a deal with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting that the player does not have a preference over where he ends up.

Fernandes open to Man Utd and Spurs moves

via Reuters

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “The reality of this story is that Mateus Fernandes is prepared to go to Man United or Tottenham. The player is open to both moves.

“The player is ready to accept both projects. It now depends on the club, so who can agree terms with West Ham will get the player, and it’s about the money, because they start at £85million, could be more if these clubs keep fighting for the same player, and also payment tariffs are also important for West Ham, so it’s not just about the fee, it’s also about the timing to pay this money.”

Now, Tottenham are hoping to steal a march on United by offering a swap deal to the Hammers as part of the transfer.

In a post on X, WestHam_Central, in conjunction with Hammers insider ExWHUEmployee stated that “Spurs have offered players to tempt us”.

Tottenham preparing swap deal offer

And one of those players is reported as being youngster Mikey Moore.

The 18-year-old is a highly-regarded prospect at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and enjoyed a fine season away from the club on loan with Rangers in the Scottish Premiership in the 2025/26 season.

The teenager played 47 times across all competitions for the Gers, named in the starting XI for 32 of them. He scored seven goals and laid on four assists and earned rave reviews for his performances out wide.

Many Tottenham supporters are excited to see him return to the club, but with no European football in the upcoming season, he may find first-team chances harder to come by.

And according the the Hammers insiders, Moore has been offered to the east London club on loan as part of the deal to take Fernandes to Spurs.

With Crysensico Summerville another Hammer linked with an exit from the London Stadium, Moore could be the perfect addition to help them get back into the Premier League, while also securing first team experience in England before returning once more to Tottenham.