British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe launched a late bid to buy Chelsea for 4.25 billion pounds ($5.3 billion) on Friday as three offers featuring American investors were already being assessed as the sale process nears a conclusion.

Chelsea was put up for sale in March after Russia owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government over his ties to President Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.

Rafael Nadal will play the Madrid Open after recovering from a rib injury that sidelined him for a month, the Spaniard said Tuesday.

Nadal had been recovering from a stress fracture he sustained while playing at Indian Wells in March. His loss to American Taylor Fritz in the final of that tournament ended a run of 20 consecutive wins for Nadal, including a record 21st Grand Slam title when he won the Australian Open.

Real Madrid was holding on to the positives after coming close to being routed by Manchester City but staying alive in the Champions League semifinals.

Madrid lost 4-3 in the first leg in England on Tuesday, but it was one of those defeats that allowed for some celebration.

Novak Djokovic will be allowed to defend his title at Wimbledon, despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19, because the shots are not required to enter Britain, All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said Tuesday.

Djokovic, a 34-year-old Serb who is ranked No. 1, missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from that country because he was not vaccinated against the illness caused by the coronavirus that has led to the deaths of millions during the pandemic that began in 2020.

Central defender Ronald Araújo has agreed to a contract extension with Barcelona through the end of the 2025-26 season, the Spanish club said Tuesday.

Barcelona said that the 23-year-old Uruguay international will sign his new deal on Friday.

Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini plans to retire from the national team after the "Finalissima" match against Argentina in London on June 1.

"If I'm in form I'll play and bid the national team goodbye at Wembley, where I reached the apex of my career in Azzurro and perhaps of my entire career," Chiellini said, referring to the Italy's European Championship title last summer.

Not even an off-day for Karim Benzema was enough to keep Real Madrid from moving closer to clinching the Spanish league title.

Benzema missed two penalty kicks seven minutes apart in the second half but Madrid went on to earn a 3-1 win at Osasuna Wednesday to open a 17-point lead over second-place Atletico Madrid, which can no longer catch its rival as both teams have five games left to play. Barcelona is 18 points back but has seven games left to play, meaning it still has a theoretical chance to catch Madrid.

It's still advantage Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

Three second-half goals earned City a 3-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday, lifting Pep Guardiola's team back into first place after being ousted — only for 24 hours as it turned out — by title rival Liverpool.

Once a model of coaching stability in Alex Ferguson's long trophy-filled tenure, Manchester United hired a fifth full-time manager in nine years since his retirement by bringing in Erik ten Hag from Ajax.

Ten Hag's arrival was announced by United on Thursday, with the 52-year-old Dutchman joining at the end of the season to 2025. He is tasked with awakening a fallen superpower in European soccer that is enduring its longest trophy drought in nearly 40 years.

A Spanish court has lifted measures that shielded the clubs that want to create a European Super League competition from being punished by UEFA and FIFA.

In court documents seen by The Associated Press on Thursday, a court in Madrid said it was removing the legal protection because even if the clubs are punished that would not impede them from going forward with the plan to create a breakaway competition beyond UEFA's control.