STRASBOURG, France (AP) — Real Madrid sold center forward Jacobo Ortega on Monday to French club Strasbourg, which recouped more then five times the transfer fee by selling two players to Ipswich.
Strasbourg, owned by Chelsea’s holding company BlueCo, is under financial scrutiny from UEFA and its 13 million euros ($15 million) fine in June for overspending was the biggest imposed by the European soccer body on any club last season.
The 20-year-old Ortega cost a reported 10 million euros ($11.6 million) from Madrid to help replace Paraguay forward Julio Enciso, who left Strasbourg for newly-promoted Ipswich, where he spent time on loan two seasons ago when the club was last in the Premier League.
Enciso started all five Paraguay games at the World Cup and scored against Germany in the round of 32. He also featured in an opening 4-1 loss to the United States and a testy and aggressive 1-0 loss to France in the round of 16.
Ipswich said it also signed Strasbourg's 20-year-old midfielder Abdoul Ouattara, with the two deals reportedly costing a combined 50 million euros ($58 million).
Enciso and Ouattara signed five-year contracts, Ipswich said, and reunite with coach Gary O'Neil, who was at Strasbourg for the second half of last season.
Strasbourg's offseason transfer trading now shows a profit of about 80 million euros ($92 million), after being advised by UEFA to “significantly decrease” player costs in 2026.
Two significant sales have been to parent club Chelsea, who signed Strasbourg captain Emmanuel Emegha and Argentina midfielder Valentín Barco.
Madrid did not provide any details about the deal for Ortega, who scored in the UEFA Youth League final against Club Brugge in Lausanne last season. After a 1-1 draw, Madrid won the title — effectively the Champions League for under-19 teams — in a penalty shootout.
Strasbourg said Ortega, who never played for the Madrid first team, signed a five-year contract.
The French club also signed U.S. midfielder Gio Reyna from Borussia Mönchengladbach this month.
Strasbourg reached the Conference League semifinals last season and placed eighth in Ligue 1, but did not qualify for any of UEFA's European competitions.
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FILE - France's Dayot Upamecano (4) challenges for the ball with with Paraguay's Julio Enciso (19) during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Paraguay and France in Philadelphia, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file)
FILE- Real Madrid's players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Youth League final soccer match between Club Brugge and Real Madrid in Lausanne, Switzerland, Monday, April 20, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP, file)
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets running back Breece Hall strained his groin during practice Monday and will have tests to determine the severity of the injury.
Coach Aaron Glenn appeared cautiously optimistic after practice that Hall’s injury wasn't serious.
“I don’t think it was a big deal,” he said, “but I want to make sure I get the evaluation on that.”
Hall, the team’s top running back coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing season, caught a pass late in the practice session, pulled up and fell to the rain-slicked grass. He got up and walked gingerly to the sideline, where trainers appeared to be examining his upper right thigh/abdomen area.
“My stomach dropped a little bit, for sure,” backup running back Braelon Allen said. “From the sound of it, it don't seem too serious, so hope he can get back as quickly as possible.”
The 25-year-old Hall is considered a key to New York’s offense. He received a three-year contract extension in the offseason from the Jets worth up to $45.75 million. The team had used the franchise tag on Hall, whose contract — which will pay him $15.25 million per year — made him the third-highest paid running back in the NFL at the time.
Hall ran for a career-high 1,065 yards last season despite missing the final game with a knee ailment, becoming the first Jets player to top 1,000 yards rushing in a season since Chris Ivory in 2015. The 2022 second-round draft pick from Iowa State has 1,000 yards from scrimmage in three straight seasons, making him just the sixth player — and fifth running back — in franchise history to accomplish that feat.
If Hall needs to miss some time, the Jets' backfield will be a bit short-handed. Isaiah Davis, a fifth-round pick in 2024, is sidelined with what Glenn has said is a minor knee injury. Allen, Kene Nwangwu and undrafted rookies Sam Scott and Chip Trayanum are the other running backs on New York's roster.
“Injuries are a part of this league,” Glenn said. “It's the biggest equalizer in this league. I think as a coach, obviously you don't want to see any of your players go down, but you also have to continue to move forward.”
Allen, who was limited to four games with a knee injury last season, would step into the starter's role if Hall is out for any practices and the two remaining preseason games. The 2024 fourth-rounder said it was a “sigh of relief” to run for a 31-yard touchdown in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay on Saturday night, showing he's healthy.
"I know that most people think that, that once you lose a starter, there's a huge drop-off," Glenn said. “I like to look at it like all of our guys are starters.”
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New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) leads his team onto the field before a preseason NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) runs from Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ayden Garnes, left, during the first half of a preseason NFL football game, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Jets running back Breece Hall runs up field during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
