With the first pick of the 2019 MLS Draft, FC Cincinnati takes … a timeout. 

As if you needed any more proof of the superfluous nature of the MLS SuperDraft these days, expansion club FC Cincinnati needed to take a timeout before making the first pick of the 2019 draft on Friday in Chicago — not to mention the quirk of even being able to call a timeout. 

The Diego Lainez transfer is complete. And he’s headed to Spain.

The exciting 18-year-old winger made the move from Club América to Real Betis on Thursday. The LaLiga club will pay América a reported $16 million for Lainez’s services.

Valencia has confirmed that forward Michy Batshuayi will end his loan early, sending him back to London at the end of the month, which could prove crucial for the Blues’ title run this season.

While serving his first loan in Borussia Dortmund during the second half of 2017-18, the Belgian scored seven goals in just 10 Bundesliga games. He was then shipped to Spain to play for Valencia last August, but he could not find the same magic.

Real Madrid doesn’t like losing players for cheap. Because of the club’s massive history in world football and its financial muscle, the players Los Blancos bring in are meant to be world-class. Apart from Real's huge wage bill and transfer budget, the amazing part of player contracts at the club are the release clauses, and young players like Brahim Diaz are no exception. 

There's been a lot of news surrounding American players abroad in Europe lately.

Since 2013, the CIES Football Observatory has annually been releasing a list of the top 100 valued footballers from Europe’s “Big-5” leagues. It’s a fascinating concept because rather than just saying “Messi is the best, he’s No. 1. Ronaldo is second-best, he’s No.

When Neymar made his record-breaking transfer from Barcelona to PSG, his former Brazilian club Santos, with which he played from the age of 11, received a windfall of nearly $16 million as a solidarity payment.

Chelsea made its first big splash in the transfer window, adding USMNT star forward Christian Pulisic to the roster. The forward was purchased from Borussia Dortmund for a jaw-dropping $73.1 million, the largest fee for an American player in history. The Christian Pulisic transfer fee more than tripled the previous record, which was held by fellow USMNT star John Brooks.