Ravivoo, Khalaily, and Abu Fani Dominate Israeli Sports Headlines This Weekend

Israeli football has seen significant developments this weekend, highlighted by major transfers and club updates. Maccabi Tel Aviv held a press conference ahead of the new season where Jack Englidis emphasized owner Mitch Goldhar's ambitions for the club to be the best in Israel and competitive in Europe. Englidis also addressed the future of Roy Revivo, stating the club respects his potential and will consider offers that allow him to pursue a European career. Meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv is reportedly negotiating with defender Nikola Maraš, recently released by Alavés in Spain's second division.

In a record-breaking move, Anan Khalaily officially joined Crystal Palace for approximately 29 million euros, marking the largest transfer in Israeli football history. Maccabi Haifa stands to earn around 3.6 million euros from the deal due to sell-on and development fees. Khalaily is currently training with Crystal Palace and may feature in their Premier League opener. Another Israeli player, Mohammed Abu Fani, faces uncertainty at Red Star Belgrade, which might sell him less than two months after his signing following a red card in a Champions League qualifier. The decision will rest with new coach Albert Riera.

On the international front, Jeff Bezos acquired a one-third stake in Liverpool FC through the 1892 Holdings group, with the deal valued at about 6 billion pounds. Bezos is not expected to be involved in daily operations, but the group has an option to buy the club outright from John Henry at season's end. Barcelona submitted a third bid of 70 million euros for Manchester City's Spanish captain Rodri, hoping to finally secure his transfer after previous offers of 60 and 45 million euros were rejected.

In basketball, Dennis Schröder was traded from Cleveland to Charlotte for Terry Rozier and $4 million, freeing salary cap space for Cleveland to re-sign James Harden. Real Madrid announced the signing of Olivier Sarr, formerly of Oklahoma City and Cleveland in the NBA. Additionally, Israeli swimmer Tomer Shuster placed fifth in the 50m backstroke final at the European Championships with a time of 24.44 seconds, with more finals expected later in the evening.