Money

The year that was 2020 disrupted a lot of the financial models for Major League Soccer and resulted in a new Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified back in February, but the 26th season of MLS is now underway while looking largely similar to previous editions, particularly with regards to the MLS Designated Players list 2021.

PARIS - Brazil forward Neymar has signed a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain that will keep him in the French capital until 2025, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday.

The 29-year-old Neymar, who joined PSG in 2017 from Spanish club Barcelona for a record transfer fee of $270 million, has agreed a deal French media reported will earn him an annual salary of $36.50 million.

Neymar said he wanted to leave PSG in 2019 amid media reports he was keen on returning to Barcelona, but he stayed in Paris and helped PSG reach the Champions League final last season.

The average value of the world's 50 leading sports teams rose to $3.43 billion in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an annual list published by Forbes on Friday that was topped by the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

Forbes said the average value of the world's 50 most valuable teams on the list was up 11 percent from last year's ranking.

MANCHESTER, England - It has certainly been a year of sporting contrasts for American businessman Joel Glazer.

In February, he was in celebratory mood, raising the Vince Lombardi trophy as his NFL team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl, led by veteran quarterback Tom Brady.

Three months later, Glazer's Premier League soccer team, Manchester United, had to call off their match against rivals Liverpool following violent protests against the American's ownership of the club.

Spotify CEO and founder Daniel Ek said on Wednesday that he has secured funds to test the resolve of Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke in a bid to buy the Premier League club from the American billionaire.

Kroenke and his son and director Josh put out a joint statement on Tuesday saying that they remain "100% committed to Arsenal" and were not interested in selling a stake in the club despite furious backlash from the fans.

MUNICH — Bayern Munich on Tuesday signed RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann to take over from Hansi Flick next season on a five-year contract, bringing to Munich one of Europe's most sought after young managers.

The 33-year-old took the reins at second-placed RB Leipzig in 2019 and led them to the Champions League semi-finals last year. Flick is leaving Bayern at the end of the season of his own free will despite having a contract until 2023.

Back in December of 2019, UEFA revealed its plans for a revamped Women’s Champions League beginning with the 2021-22 season. After a brief nightmare concerning the ramifications of the harebrained European Super League on the women’s game, we can now get back to celebrating the changes that were approved by UEFA’s Executive Committee last week.

LONDON — JPMorgan said on Friday it regretted supporting soccer clubs in launching a breakaway European Super League after the plan collapsed earlier this week due to a storm of protest from fans and politicians.

"We clearly misjudged how this deal would be viewed by the wider football community and how it might impact them in the future," a representative for the bank said. "We will learn from this."

The new UEFA men’s Champions League format in 2024 was quietly announced on Tuesday while all the noise from the Super League drama drowned out any other sound. This new format is, well, a little too similar to the Super League for my liking.

Here are all the details you need to know for the new Champions League format starting in three years (for the men’s competition).