AFCON and Asian Cup final pairing decided, Chelsea wants Michel Sanchez. Daily Digest for February 7

The Dailysports team has curated a digest of the prominent sporting events, news, and rumors featured in the media on Wednesday, February 7th.

Barcelona is bracing for significant roster changes in the summer

According to reports from Sport, the club's sporting director, Deco, will be tasked with a substantial overhaul of the squad following Xavi's departure.

It is anticipated that up to six players may depart from the team. Besides Marcos Alonso and Sergi Roberto, Rafinha, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, and Jules Kounde could find themselves on the exit list. Regarding transfers, Deco will endeavor to secure a defensive midfielder, a left-winger, and a left-back.

The final pairing of the 2023 Asian Cup has been determined

The Cup will be contested between the national teams of Jordan and Qatar. The final match will take place on Saturday, February 10th, commencing at 16:00 Central European Time.

Chelsea's owner is keen on inviting Michel Sanchez to replace Pochettino

Chelsea's owner, Tedd Bowley, is currently occupied with the search for a successor to head coach Mauricio Pochettino. There's a possibility that the London club's owner may not wait until summer and may opt for radical decisions sooner.

As reported by Teamtalk, Boehly is eager to appoint Girona's manager, Michel Sanchez, to the coaching helm.

Bayern Munich is eyeing Mike Maignan

Milan is presently engaged in negotiation for a long-term contract with one of its players, but Bayern Munich might intervene. According to Tuttosport, the Bavarian club is attempting to intercept Milan's goalkeeper, whom they see as a long-term replacement for Manuel Neuer.

Nadal has registered for the Indian Wells Masters

Rafael Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner, will participate in the ATP 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, USA. The Spaniard has been included in the participant list based on his protected ranking. The Indian Wells tournament is scheduled to take place from March 6th to 17th.

Participants' revenue in the Champions League is set to increase

UEFA has decided to make changes to its funding structure due to the threat of a Super League. The organization has set a threshold of €4.8 billion, which is €500 million higher, for men's club competitions from 2024 to 2027. Out of the total revenue, €3.317 billion goes to clubs participating in European competitions: the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Europa League, and Nations League. Notably, almost 75% of this income goes to the first two tournaments.

France secured gold in the mixed relay at the Biathlon World Championships

On February 7th, the Biathlon World Championships 2024 commenced, featuring the mixed relay as the opening race. The gold medal in this discipline was claimed by the French team, who completed the course in 1 hour, 9 minutes, and 24.4 seconds. They emerged victorious despite nine misses at the shooting range and incurring one penalty lap.

For the first time since 2019, there has been a change in the world champions of the mixed relay in biathlon. Following Norway's four consecutive gold medals at the competitions in Nové Město, the French team secured victory despite incurring a penalty lap.

The final pairing of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has been decided

Nigeria triumphed over South Africa in a penalty shootout (4:2), while Ivory Coast emerged victorious against DR Congo (1:0). The final match of the Africa Cup of Nations will take place on Sunday, February 11th, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.