By Tim Stannard

Barcelona president says no new deal can be announced with Messi due to financial constraints

It's the early hours of a damp Thursday morning, East Coast time, on July 1st and Sports Burst has some alarming fake news to report to the world. 

Lionel Messi is being listed as a Barcelona player on the club's official website, in the roster section. Barcelona has no more right to claim that than Newell's Old Boys, Messi's first team who have already made an offer to the player.  

This infraction is just one of the list of image-rights related activity that Barcelona cannot do in relation to Messi now that he is legally no longer contracted to the club. In theory, the team should not be using his image in anyway related to the new season nor selling jerseys for the new campaign with his name on it. 

All that is forbidden fruit until Barcelona set up a brand new deal with the contract-free footballer. But that doesn't look like happening anytime soon, according to club president Joan Laporta who spoke to Spanish radio on Wednesday night with an update. 

"I would like to announce his stay, but in these moments, I cannot say it because we are in the process of finding the best solution for both parties," announced Laporta. 

'Both parties' alludes to the financial strain on the club in putting together an offer that Messi will sign and one that doesn't fall foul of financial fair play rules for a club that is over a billion dollars in debt and whose wage bill is already 40% higher than it should be. 

United to wrap up Sancho deal 

Two of the biggest transfer deals of the soccer summer can expect to be concluded within the next week. Manchester United are just waiting on a medical and an agreement on personal teams with Jadon Sancho. The 21-year-old midfielder will be joining from Borussia Dortmund on a five-year deal for a reported $100m fee.

United's rivals, Manchester City, are also set to profit from the deal to the tune of $13m having sold the player to Dortmund in 2017. 

PSG are expected to announce the signing of Moroccan defender, Achraf Hakimi, who is set to join from Inter Milan for around $70m. 

Phoenix Suns return to NBA Finals nearly thirty years later 

The Phoenix Suns have lived by the philosophy that if you first you don't succeed, try, try again. And again. And again. And then some more.

After ten seasons in a row failing to even reach the NBA playoffs themselves, the Suns have actually made it all the way through to the finals for the first time in nearly thirty years. On Wednesday night the Suns beat the LA Clippers 130-103 to secure a 4-2 series Western Conference finals win and put the team into a final against either the Milwaukee Bucks or Atlanta Hawks. It will be first NBA finals appearance for the Suns since 1993 when they took on, and lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. 

'That's the way love goes' by Janet Jackson was the Billboard number one back in the day for Game 1 in that series , which is the traditional thing to write at this point.