Juan Soto could be off to the Yankees or Dodgers (Picture: Getty)
Remember the outrage among Tottenham fans when Sol Campbell let his contract run down and joined Arsenal as a free agent? It still simmers today 23 years later.
Or when Robert Lewandowski left Borussia Dortmund, where he was beloved, and joined Bayern Munich to score 344 goals in 375 games, each one a dagger to the heart of his former fans in the Yellow Wall.
Then there’s Luis Enrique leaving Real Madrid for Barcelona and Luis Figo causing an equal amount of shockwaves by heading in the opposite direction.
What about Eric Cantona crossing the Pennines from Leeds United to Manchester United and Mo Johnston set to return to Celtic from Nantes only to sign for Glasgow rivals Rangers instead?
Cleveland Cavaliers fans went ballistic when LeBron James left his hometown NBA team to join the Miami Heat and before all that there was Babe Ruth allowed to leave the Boston Red Sox for the New York Yankees where he became a global star still revered around the world.
Now Juan Soto, another Bronx Bombers icon despite just spending one season in the famous pinstripes, is a free agent and expected to land a deal over 14 or 15 years estimated to be a walloping $700million, which equates to £550m.
The Yankees and their demanding and unforgiving fan base are desperate for Soto to return alongside Aaron Judge in their batting line-up and the Yanks are 4/6 favourites with BetMGM to snap him up.
Chelsea FC v Manchester City FC - Premier League
Todd Boehly has assembled a team of superstars with the Los Angeles Dodgers and could make them even better by signing free agent Juan Soto (Picture: AMA/Getty Images)
There will be untold angst if he goes elsewhere, especially if it is to Boston and perhaps even more so if it is to the crosstown Mets, where owner Steve Cohen has a personal net worth of £12.5billion and can outbid anyone if he really wants.
But maybe he will end up with the Los Angeles Dodgers who have just beaten the Yankees in the World Series.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is their head honcho and he has a team of accountants just as good as his all-star players on the diamond who have worked out a way to best Major League Baseball’s wage system to offer long contracts to players with most of their whopping payrolls deferred to when they retire.
Adding Soto to a line-up already including Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman could see the Dodgers rule the roost for the foreseeable future. They are 5/1 to with BetMGM to capture him and 4/1 with the same firm to win next year’s the Fall Classic.
• Fresh from a shock win over the impressive Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns head to Denver for an NFL Monday Night Football showdown. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is 24/1 with Betfred to score a touchdown against his old team. The Browns are 17/20 with Bet Victor to win with 6.5 points in their handicap market.
• Harry Brook hit a scintillating 171 to help England to an eight-wicket victory in the first Test against New Zealand at Christchurch. He is 4/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair to be the tourists’ top batter in the second Test in Wellington and England are 23/20 with bet Victor to wrap up the series with another triumph.
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