LA Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joked about returning to Manchester United after claiming he is still good enough to play in the Premier League.

Ibrahimovic, 37, has scored 46 goals in 49 games for Galaxy since arriving from Old Trafford in 2018 but after United sold Romelu Lukaku this summer with Alexis Sanchez set to follow, he hinted at a comeback.

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"I could play easy in the Premier League, so if United need me, I'm here," he said. "But Galaxy has me, so I'm sorry.

"Nah, I did my job in Europe. I enjoyed it, I have 33 trophies that I brought with me here and hopefully I can get something here. And then we will see where that adventure finishes."

The former Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Barcelona and Juventus striker added that he still checks for United's results and was aware of the 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

"I look, I look, I look," he added. "I saw the last game and I think they were unlucky. If they score the penalty, it's a different game but a game in England is not finished until its finished.

"Anything can happen, especially in the last minutes where everything is in the heat of the moment."

Ibrahimovic said he is not surprised to see Wayne Rooney depart Major League Soccer but is not sure what he will do when his own contract is up at the end of the year.

"No, I'm not surprised [that he's going back]," Ibrahimovic said. "Absolutely not.

"I think he came, he tried, he did his best and, yeah, he had patience. You need a lot of patience and it has finished, the patience. I mean, my deal is until December 31. What happens afterwards I don't know.

"I'm in a different position than Wazza. Wazza is much younger than me. I am old but still dominating, still making the difference. Let's see what happens. I have to be feeling good physically."

Rooney and Ibrahimovic have both made headlines in recent weeks for criticising MLS and he called on the league to make improvements.

"I think MLS is an exciting league," he said. "It's a growing league -- a lot of things to come in place.

"New teams coming in. I mean, you have teams playing away for half the season and then they play at home because the stadium was not done. There's a lot of things happening.

"I enjoy it but there is a lot of things to become better, to come up in level, which it will time by time. We're in the U.S., where nothing is impossible.

"I think it will take time [to become a major soccer force] but they have all the possibilities they can.

"But there is a lot of rules here with the budget. I mean, you saw Rooney, he tweeted something with the travelling. It's not easy all those things."

With the Premier League window closed and the rest of Europe soon to follow, David Amoyal evaluates the hottest rumours from around the world of football.

Neymar to Barcelona: 55 percent

Despite the recent injuries to Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe, it's rather likely that the Brazilian superstar will leave France's capital before Monday's deadline. While Neymar has also been linked to Juventus and Real Madrid, Barcelona are the club taking the most concrete steps to sign him. The deal could be reached on the basis of either a loan with a forced option to buy next summer to cover his remaining amortised value, or for around €100 million plus Ousmane Dembele and Nelson Semedo.

Alexis Sanchez to Inter 75 percent

While there have been conflicting reports on the impact of Anthony Martial's injury on the negotiation to bring the Chile international to Milan, Manchester United and Inter continue to haggle over his substantial wages. Sanchez earns €12 million a season after taxes, which will be reduced by 25 percent considering the Red Devils aren't participating in the Champions League. Inter are willing to pay about €5 million with United covering the rest. Inter have raised the amount they are able to contribute to Sanchez's wages following Joao Mario's loan to Lokomotiv Moscow, and they are optimistic the deal can be closed this week.

Paulo Dybala to PSG: 45 percent

The Argentine striker didn't play at all in Juventus' season debut against Parma. Gonzalo Higuain started over him and both Federico Bernardeschi and Juan Cuadrado came off the bench. While Juventus' sporting director Fabio Paratici denied these decisions were related to the transfer market, Paris Saint-Germain are ready to make an offer of around €70 million to acquire him should Neymar be sold. While Dybala came close to joining Manchester United and Tottenham, he had reservations about his ability to adapt to the Premier League's style, and unlike the two English clubs, PSG are willing to forfeit his image rights for the time being in order to get a deal done before the deadline.

Mauro Icardi to Napoli: 10 percent

The war of words between Inter and Wanda Nara continues. On Sunday, the Argentine striker's wife and agent publicly stated that someone in command at the club asked the former captain to stay, which was categorically denied by Inter's executive director Beppe Marotta before Monday's game against Lecce. Inter's brass met with Icardi on Tuesday to once again reiterate that he is no longer part of their plans, but it's still rather unlikely that the striker will agree to join either Napoli or Juventus before the window closes on Monday. As an alternative to Icardi, Napoli are ready to sign Fernando Llorente, who is available on a Bosman deal.

Angel Correa to AC Milan: 55 percent

The Rossoneri have been after the Argentine striker for two months now, but their inability to offloan one of Andre Silva and Suso has made it difficult for them to meet Atletico Madrid's substantial valuation. Milan have continued to engage in talks to acquire Correa in the past week, they are willing to give Atletico a substantial percentage of any future sale on top of an offer of around €35 million, and are optimistic they will be able to at least loan Silva before the window closes. The Colchoneros are open to moving Correa as it would allow them to finance the Rodrigo acquisition.

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Franck Kessie to Monaco: 15 percent

The Ivorian midfielder has been linked to the Ligue 1 club for the past few weeks and he didn't start Milan's first match of the season against Udinese on Sunday. The Rossoneri are open to moving him as his sale would help generate the funds needed to add a player better suited to Marco Giampaolo's formation, but Kessie doesn't seem to be particularly intrigued by the destination as demonstrated by the fact he has asked for an exorbitant salary. As an alternative to Kessie, Monaco are also considering bringing back Tiemoue Bakayoko on loan from Chelsea.

Shkodran Mustafi to Roma: 5 percent

Roma were in dire need of a starting-caliber center-back even before surrendering three goals to Genoa in their Serie A home opener. While Arsenal are willing to move the German defender, the price of the transfer fee and player wages are too high for Roma's budget. It's much more likely that the Giallorossi will reach a deal with Juventus for Daniele Rugani by including a few prospects or close the deal with Liverpool for Dejan Lovren.

Nacho Monreal to Real Sociedad: 70 percent

While moving Mustafi in the next six days will be rather challenging, Monreal's willingness to lower his wages to facilitate a transfer will likely prove to be decisive in the negotiation with Real Sociedad. The Spaniard is being offered a two-year deal, which is quite enticing considering he's 33 years old and because he's behind Kieran Tierney and Sead Kolasinac in Unai Emery's pecking order.

Patrik Schick to RB Leipzig: 70 percent; Nikola Kalinic to Roma: 55 percent

Roma are looking for a new team for the most expensive purchase of the Monchi era. Schick never lived up to expectations in Italy's capital and he's not seen as a good fit in Paulo Fonseca's system. While the 23-year-old Czech international was also linked to Borussia Dortmund, he's looking for a team where he can play regularly, which also suits Roma considering the deal with RB Leipzig will be structured as a loan with an option to buy set at around €25 million. With Schick on his way out, Nikola Kalinic could return to Serie A to be Edin Dzeko's backup.

Pepe Reina to Real Madrid: 35 percent

The former Liverpool goalkeeper could be returning to Spain should Keylor Navas be sold to a team where he can be a starter. Reina is open to the move and considering he's the highest-paid backup keeper in Serie A, Milan are also eager to shed his wages from their payroll. In addition to Navas, there is however another potential domino: Should PSG make a significant offer for Gianluigi Donnarumma, Milan could hold on to Reina to mentor their next keeper of the future in Alessandro Plizzari.

In the seconds after he was struck on the neck by a ball from Jofra Archer at Lord's, Steven Smith has revealed his very first thoughts were of the death of his teammate Phillip Hughes almost five years ago.

Smith did not play in the 2014 Sheffield Shield match at the SCG when Hughes also took a blow to the neck with tragic consequences, but could not escape an immediate flashback to that eerily similar moment before he was able to rise to his feet again.

"I had a few things running through my head, particularly where I got hit, just a bit of past came up, if you know what I mean, from a few years ago," said Smith, speaking with media after the third Test in Leeds. "That was probably the first thing I thought about.

"Then I was like, 'I'm okay here,' and I was alright. I was a little bit sad but I was alright mentally for the rest of that afternoon."

While Smith said he had felt "pretty good" physically and returned to bat soon after passing all the initial concussion tests, he was later found to have delayed concussion, a sensation he described as similar to having drunk too much alcohol.

"It wasn't until later that evening that it hit me," said Smith. "When the doc asked me what did it feel like I said it felt like I had six beers last night and felt a little but under the weather, without the six beers unfortunately. That was the sort of feeling I got, that groggy feeling and that stuck around for a couple of days. Not a nice place to be in but these things happen and unfortunately missed what was a pretty amazing Test match."

After progressing through a number of tests, starting from a brisk walk and gradually working up to facing bowling from Mitchell Marsh and Michael Neser in the nets, Smith will play in Australia's tour match in Derby, starting Thursday, and if there is no recurrence of symptoms, he will return to the side for the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford next week. In the build-up to that he will face faster bowling from Australia's quicks in the nets.

Smith is also considering wearing a StemGuard attachment on his helmet as he tries to overcome the significant discomfort he feels when wearing the neck protector.

"I've tried them before, and I tried then the other day when I was batting and I reckon my heart rate went up about 30 or 40 straight away," said Smith. "I just feel claustrophobic. I compare it to being stuck in an MRI scan machine."

It is no surprise that someone who is famously obsessive about routine, repetitive movements and immaculately precise kit - he tapes his shoelaces inside his trouser legs so they can't be seen - would be reticent to change, but he accepts that at some stage he will need to adapt.

"It was different, but I think at some point they're probably going to become mandatory so I'm going to have to get used to them," said Smith. "And I'm sure the more I wear them, the more I practice with them, my heart rate will come down and everything will be okay.

"Had I been wearing a stem guard in the game, I'm not sure that would have made a difference, the way my head sort of went back and where it hit me. Of course, you always want to have as much protection as possible and for me now it's about trying it and trying to get used to it in the nets."

One thing Smith is adamant he won't change is the way he faces Archer and, while he expects to face more short balls in Manchester, he suggested it may help him if England opt to test him with a short-pitched barrage.

"If they're bowling up there it means they can't nick me off, or hit me on the pad or hit the stumps," said Smith. "With the Dukes ball, I don't know, that's an interesting ploy. So we'll see what happens.

"I'm not really going to change anything. There's been a bit of talk that he's got the wood over me, but he hasn't actually got me out.

"He hit me on the head on a wicket that was a bit up and down at Lord's. He actually didn't get me out so all the other bowlers have had more success against me I daresay. I've faced them a bit more, but they've all got me out a lot more. I'm pretty comfortable with that."

How did a year out of international cricket change Steven Smith? Most obviously there is the guitar he carts around with him these days, a way of building more to his life away from the game that consumed him to the point that he could not see beyond it at the most critical moment in South Africa last year.

You get the sense, too, that the Smith of early 2018 might not have been so fast to tell Nathan Lyon not to worry too much over the wrenching sequence of the Test's conclusion, in which Australia's No. 1 spin bowler fumbled a certain run out and then was denied an lbw shout that would also have brought victory. Equally, he might not have taken anywhere near as much pleasure in watching Ben Stokes conjure his Headingley miracle, coming as it did at the expense of Australia's chances of a quick kill to this Ashes series.

"A year out from the game - I sent Nathan Lyon a message the other night," Smith said. "He was a bit down after the game, I just said my year out has given me a lot of perspective that that's all it is, it's just a game. And whilst it's important on many levels to win and to play the right way and to do all those kind of things, ultimately it's just a game. I think that helped him a little bit.

"I'm still a cricket nut, no doubt. But yeah, I do have other interests: playing guitar, you probably saw my singing the other day. Copped a bit about that. The wife [Danni] stitched me up there. That's pretty much it. That and cricket, a bit of reading, Netflix, pretty chilled..."

Smith was anything but chilled as he watched the final day of the Leeds Test, having been ruled out of it due to his recovery from a concussion sustained at Lord's. Pat Cummins had revealed how animated Smith had got watching the closing passages of the Lord's Test from his London hotel room, and he joked that it might have been easier to watch Stokes hammer out a one-wicket victory for England from a similar vantage point.

But there was also a level of admiration for Stokes' skill and guts that demonstrated Smith's deep love of the game, something that he was not always able to articulate when holding the office of captaincy. "I wish they'd put me in a dark room. I'm not a great watcher of cricket, never really have been so didn't quite enjoy that," Smith said. "But what an advertisement for Test cricket, it was a pretty amazing innings from Stokesy.

"He completely turned the series on its head, we had an opportunity to wrap it up but he was incredible. Even if you go back to two nights before, when he bowled 14 overs straight. I rocked up to the ground next day and someone said that on average he bowled the quickest for the day as well, over those 14 overs. So that's a pretty amazing effort. He's a tough competitor, wants to be in the pressure moments, thrives under pressure as we've seen the last couple of months. He really turned the game at the end."

Unmistakably there is a sense in Smith that, having been missing from Headingley, he has now been inspired to raise his own game once more in the wake of Stokes. "You could just see the passion that he showed and the fight. He never gave up," Smith said. "You look at him, and I really admire this about him, when he scored a hundred he didn't even celebrate, didn't care. He had one thing on his mind and that was getting England over the line, and you've really go to admire that.

"When you're in those pressure moments you've got to want to be the one to deliver and do what you can for your team. He did that exceptionally well, and hopefully some of our boys can learn from that and when we're faced with similar situations, dig as deep as we can and do whatever we can to get our team over the line."

Telling also is the fact that Smith now sees Stokes' innings less as a spoiler for Australia than as setting-up the makings of a genuinely great Ashes series, of the kind that Smith himself has yet to experience: 2010-11, 2013, 2013-14, 2015 and 2017-18 all being knockouts or thrashings, one way or the other.

"That's really opened the series up," he said. "We had our chance to retain the Ashes but now we're going to have to work even harder and it just makes the series all that more exciting. We don't want to look behind, we want to keep looking forward and focus on what we can control now and that's Manchester.

"We've got a bit of time between now and then with a tour match in Derby, where I think a few guys will have a pretty chilled out week. It's been a long summer for guys that have been here for the World Cup or A-cricket before that, and this series. So everyone's got to do what they need to do to be ready for that next Test match in Manchester."

Doubtless Smith will be yearning to return to the comfortable batting cocoon he occupied at Edgbaston, and then got close to emulating at Lord's before Jofra Archer and the uneven nature of the pitch saw him struck the blow that pushed him out of Leeds. "Edgbaston was just first game back, fresh and I just wanted to bat, I didn't want to stop batting," he said. "So that worked out really well.

"Lord's I felt like probably more the first morning when I was doing all my eccentric stuff I was kind of in a good place then and maybe not as good a place mentally the next day. I think I was 13 overnight. All my movement patterns and the way I feel was really good so I'm comfortable with that and hopefully I can ramp up my training over the next few days and get in a position again where I'm comfortable and can go out and score some big runs again."

Little by little, Smith ramped up his training during the Headingley match, initially 15 minutes of throwdowns, then 25 minutes against Mitchell Marsh and Michael Neser, and he will doubtless face the likes of Mitchell Starc in the Derby nets before the tour game. But one thing that has not changed, even after his year out of cricket, is the way Smith will spend hours searching for a familiar comfortable feel of the bat in his hands and stance, a process that can take minutes, hours, or days.

"It's not a certain amount of balls," Smith said. "Believe it or not, I actually forget how I hold the bat. So I actually try and find that. Sometimes it takes me 10 balls, sometimes I go in straight away and it's fine, sometimes it takes me a couple of hundred balls.

"But when I get that feel, it's a look thing for me - when it looks right behind my foot that's when I know I'm good to go and I usually say it straight away to Hicky [batting coach Graeme Hick], I'll say 'I'm good. I'm on fire here. That's good, we're ready to play'.

"I want to get that back and then try and freshen up for the Test match and be in a frame of mind where I can bat for a long time again."

Sydney Thunder have re-signed Alex Blackwell and Rachael Haynes for the upcoming season of the Women's Big Bash League, with the latter named captain after Blackwell opted out. While Blackwell has signed a year's contract with the franchise, Haynes' deal extends to two years.

The extension means that 35-year-old Blackwell, who is also Thunder's all-time leading run-getter, will be playing a record-equalling 19th season of domestic cricket. She will join West Australian Lauren Ebsary as the longest-serving Australian domestic female player, since women's players went to a full season with the creation of the Women's National Cricket League in 1996-97.

"Continual improvement as a batter and team member is what I always look to achieve," Blackwell told cricket.com.au. "This season I will be juggling more responsibilities away from the playing field and I'm confident this will enhance my enjoyment of playing the game."

The other responsibilities Blackwell mentioned are to do with her position as director on the Cricket New South Wales board and her job as an associate genetics counsellor at Sydney Children's Hospital.

"It's a great foundation Alex and Jo [Broadbent, NSW Breakers mentor] created and I am looking forward to continuing that on," Haynes told AAP. "It's something I've done throughout my career and I'm comfortable in my ability to lead the team.

"Alex was really supportive about me taking over. We're really happy she has decided to go another year, her presence will be really good to have around the group."

Sydney Thunder will begin their campaign in the first-ever standalone WBBL with a derby clash against Sydney Sixers on October 18.

NEW YORK -- The quiet was deafening. Flashy Chicago Cubs star Javier Baez had been flying under the radar for most of August as his team had begun a second consecutive late-season fade. With All-Star catcher Willson Contreras on the shelf with a hamstring injury and slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo out with a back ailment, the Cubs needed someone -- besides newcomer Nicholas Castellanos -- to take over.

At least for one night, Baez awoke from his slumber to lead his desperate team to victory, beating the New York Mets 5-2 on Tuesday to break a three-game losing streak. The win allowed the Cubs to keep pace with the St. Louis Cardinals, who remain three games ahead of them in the National League Central. Baez's three extra-base hits -- including his 29th home run -- fueled the Cubs' win.

"When he's under control in the box, and he gets a good pitch to hit, he's dangerous," Castellanos said after the win.

Different versions of the same thing were repeated in the winning locker room after the Cubs' third consecutive road victory: When Baez is chasing pitches out of the zone, little good is going to come of it. But a walk here or there -- he also took one on Sunday -- and the benefits will be reaped.

"If he's able to do that a little more often he'll barrel the ball more consistently," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "When you have an organized strike zone, you will hit better. You're going to get better pitches to drive."

Baez hit a second-inning double to the wall in center off Mets starter Marcus Stroman, then hit a two-run blast to right field in the sixth, before doubling home a run in the eighth. In between was that second walk in as many games. Baez wasn't available after the game for comment but his teammates were more than happy to discuss his night.

"He's been working counts," Kris Bryant stated. "When he's not going good in the past, [he'll] want to go up there and hit the first pitch you see. I've been impressed, he's been taking a ton of pitches and more walks."

Asked if Baez simply said "enough is enough" considering his .772 OPS in August, Bryant wouldn't bite -- at least not all the way.

"This game will humble you real quick when you take that attitude," he said. "I don't think he takes that attitude. He just gets more determined and let's his natural ability take over. We all feel it when he gets going."

As much as Castellanos has been a breath of fresh air for the Cubs' offense, and as steady as Bryant has been most of the year, it's still Baez who is the straw that stirs the Cubs' offensive drink. Before the game, both Maddon and team president Theo Epstein sang a similar song of frustration over the Cubs' work at the plate. Issues have been percolating for years but most of the time the Cubs have been good enough to produce what's needed to win.

And Baez is usually in the middle of it all. The Cubs shouldn't need one player to carry them into and through September, but if anyone has that makeup it's the man known as "El Mago." He was feeling it so much on Tuesday, things backfired on him on the basepaths where he was thrown out twice, once trying to stretch one of his doubles into a triple and then after taking off early on a steal attempt. Neither play affected the outcome of the game because his bat took care of that for the Cubs.

"That was spry Javy out there today," Maddon said. "When Javy has it going on, we are [going]."

It was only a year ago that Baez finished second in MVP voting in the National League. He won't repeat that vote total this year, but that doesn't mean a big finish isn't in him. Cubs fans have been waiting for the next explosion. They may have gotten a glimpse of what's to come on Tuesday. His teammates feel they did.

"We have so many guys that can do that," Castellanos said. "Javy was our guy tonight. Hopefully he can carry it tomorrow and we can follow him."

It all comes down to that strike zone. The back-to-back games with walks won't make any highlight reels, but when Baez forces a pitcher into the zone, he can be unstoppable.

"Organized strike zone is what we're chasing right now," Maddon said with a smirk. "Pun intended."

Britain's Andy Murray continued his recovery from hip surgery with a 6-3 6-4 win over Slovakian Norbert Gombos at the Rafa Nadal Open in Mallorca.

The second-round Challenger Tour match did not begin under the lights until shortly after 10pm local time.

Wildcard Murray lost his serve once in each set but covered the court well against the world number 115, seeded three.

He won in one hour, 43 minutes and will play Matteo Viola in the third round.

In his third tournament since returning to singles following his surgery in January, Murray began his first Challenger Tour event for 14 years with a routine 6-0 6-1 win over 17-year-old Imran Sibille on Monday.

He was given more of a test by the unusual short, flat groundstrokes of 29-year-old Gombos, who reached his first ATP Tour quarter-final at the recent Citi Open, losing to eventual winner Nick Kyrgios.

Murray saved a break point in a high-calibre rally at 0-1 in the second set and another at 2-1, with Gombos unable to consistently match the precision of his illustrious three-time Grand Slam-winning opponent.

But after two fine winners in the seventh game, Gombos then broke Murray to level at 4-4, only to hand the break back immediately when he netted a forehand.

A cross-court forehand gave Murray three match points and he needed only one as he moved through to a meeting with Italian Viola, the world number 240, on Thursday.