Barcelona
Gary Lineker expects Manchester clubs or PSG to win Harry Kane race
Gary Lineker believes that both Manchester clubs and Paris Saint-Germain are the favourites to land Harry Kane in the summer, although he expects Daniel Levy to fight hard to keep Tottenham’s star man. Kane recorded 22 goals and 14 assists in the Premier League last season to secure both the golden boot and the playmaker award, despite Spurs finishing in seventh place in the table. As reported by Goal on May 17, the Spurs forward, who will captain England at the upcoming European Championship in the summer, wants to leave the north Londoners and Lineker can understand his desire for trophies. “I think that it would be worrying [to see him dominate the league if he joins Manchester City],” Lineker told Goal. “I would love to see him at Barcelona but they are going for [Sergio] Aguero and ar...
Barcelona intensify contract talks for €50m attacker, five-year deal on the table – report
Barcelona have intensified talks with the representatives of Ousmane Dembele over a new long-term contract, Mundo Deportivo claims. The Frenchman has been with the Blaugrana for the past four seasons, but he has managed just 118 appearances due to multiple injuries. However, he was able to stay unscathed for most of the 2020/21 campaign, and the Blaugrana are committed to keeping him at the club. Dembele turned down a new deal in October last year, but the club have now intensified talks with his agents. They are willing to hand him a five-year deal. The attacker’s existing contract expires in June 2022. Aside from the wage concerns, Dembele also has differences over the sporting project. Sportslens view: The Blaugrana have placed their trust in Dembele over the past few years, where he ha...
Barcelona announce the signing of Eric Garcia
Finally, the signing of Eric Garcia has been officially announced by Barcelona. The 20-year-old centre-back has been linked to the club for almost a year now. He came very close to signing for his boyhood club last summer before the talks broke down on the deadline day, as well as January of this year. Garcia had spent nine years at the youth level in Barça before moving to Manchester City in 2017. The youngster has been captain of almost all the youth Barça teams he played at. He was also the captain of the U-19 team of Manchester City. After a triumphant spell with Manchester City in England, Garcia will return to Catalonia, securing the Premier League winners medal twice. Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, rates the young centre-back very highly. When asked about not selecting Ga...
Season Review: where would Barcelona be without Messi?
The last year or so has been a rollercoaster ride for Barcelona. An underwhelming start to the season, followed by an explosive opening to 2021, followed by disappointing ending, saw La Blaugrana end the season in third place. On top of this, they suffered more Champions League humiliation at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, but were able to end their mini trophy drought in the Copa del Rey. Best Player – Lionel Messi Messi celebrates ANOTHER goal for Barcelona No explanation needed, really. Throughout the season, Messi got 38 goals and 12 assists in all competitions. But that only tells half the story. The Argentine does so much outside of goals and assists. It’s almost impossible to comprehend without watching week in week out. If any other player was producing this level of performance...
UEFA supremo: Barcelona, Real Madrid & Juventus ‘paralysed themselves’ with ‘strange’ Super League approach
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus have “paralysed themselves” with their “strange” approach to the Super League, according to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin. A controversial proposal for a new competition to rival the Champions League was met with universal condemnation in April, leading to the withdrawal of nine of the original 12 founding clubs. The Super League plans were subsequently put on hold, but Barca, Real and Juve have vowed to continue pushing for change despite being threatened with serious sanctions by UEFA, who are in the process of investigating their involvement in the breakaway. The three remaining clubs released a statement criticising European football’s main governing body last week, which read: “FC Barcelona, Juventus FC and Real Madrid CF wish to express their a...
PSG president: Super League didn’t have the interests of football at heart
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi says the Super League project was not in football’s best interests, insisting the Champions League must be protected. PSG were not among the 12 founding members of the competition, which pledged to break away from UEFA and compete with or replace the Champions League. The plan collapsed within days of its announcement, as football’s governing bodies and fan protests convinced nine clubs to pull out and Al-Khelaifi believes football is better off without the controversial idea. “Football has been around for years and years. The Super League did not have at heart to defend the interests of football,” he told AFP. “You can envisage changes but not break the tradition that every club can hope to achieve their dreams. “All teams must have the opp...
£18m-rated star confirms he has made the ‘brave decision’ to join Barcelona
Manchester City centre-back Eric Garcia has confirmed that he will join Barcelona on a free transfer when his contract expires next month. It has been known for a while that the 20-year-old will be signing for the Catalan giants, and the defender has now formally confirmed the deal. In an interview with L’Esportiu, Garcia said that he has made the ‘brave decision’ to return to the Blaugrana, where he spent 10 years in the academy. He said: “I have thought about my future, what I think is the best now. I think it’s a brave decision. I am very convinced of the step I have taken.” Garcia could be playing alongside compatriot Gerard Pique next term. The 34-year-old left Manchester United in 2008 for a return to the Blaugrana, where he is now a club legend. When compared with Pique’s path, Garc...
Report: Aguero puts Barcelona move on hold amid Messi’s contract uncertainty
Sergio Aguero has reportedly decided to put his impending move to Barcelona on hold amid the contractual uncertainty surrounding his close friend Lionel Messi. The 32-year-old looked to be a step away from completing a move to Camp Nou after calling time on his ten-year stint at the Etihad Stadium. However, the situation has taken a twist, as Aguero now wants to make sure Messi will remain at Barcelona before putting pen to paper on a contract, per Mundo Deportivo. Everyone at the club is confident the six-time Ballon d’Or winner will commit to fresh terms in the coming weeks. Although president Joan Laporta recently admitted the discussions are progressing well, the 33-year-old has yet to sign a new deal. With Messi’s current contract running out in a month, Manchester City and Paris Sain...
Barcelona confident of securing Premier League duo within the next week
Barcelona are confident of securing Premier League duo Sergio Aguero and Gerginio Wijnaldum on free transfers within the next week, Sky Sports reports. Representatives of both players have been at the Nou Camp over the last few days to discuss the final terms of their proposed contracts. Finalising a deal for Aguero should develop more rapidly, with the striker’s final game for Manchester City coming in the Champions League final against Chelsea on Saturday. Long-term Barcelona target Wijnaldum said his goodbyes to his Liverpool teammates after the Reds’ final league game of the season last weekend. The Catalan giants have been crippled by the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic, with debts reaching more than £1 billion, and they have been targeting players approaching ...
Barcelona president gives update on the futures of Lionel Messi and Ronald Koeman
Recently elected Barcelona president Joan Laporta has spoken about the futures of star man Lionel Messi and manager Ronald Koeman. It has been a turbulent season at Camp Nou. Koeman found himself under severe pressure after a poor first half of the season, with La Blaugrana looking way off the pace in the title race. A round of 16 humiliation at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League did little to ease the tension. Koeman’s side have been unable to win the title However, the Dutchman managed to turn things around, winning the Copa del Rey and putting themselves within touching distance of the top of the table going into the final few weeks. Carelessly dropped points against Granada and Levante saw them lose their grip on the title race, and they eventually ended the season in ...
Barcelona approach Lionel Messi’s father-agent with contract proposal
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has pitched Lionel Messi’s father-agent Jorge Messi with a contract offer that would see his son spend the next two years at Camp Nou. The 33-year-old has less than two months left to run on his current deal in Spain and has yet to pledge his future to Barcelona following another turbulent season. Messi seemed to be on the verge of cutting short his trophy-laden career at Camp Nou last summer, but former president Josep Maria Bartomeu managed to persuade him to stay put. An embarrassing 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2019/20 and the club’s decision to release Luis Suarez last summer nearly pushed the six-time Ballon d’Or winner away from La Liga. Despite convincing their captain and headline performer to remain, the Ca...
Paolo Maldini: Gianluigi Donnarumma to leave AC Milan as free agent
Gianluigi Donnarumma will leave AC Milan this summer, club director Paolo Maldini announced on Wednesday, with the Italy goalkeeper set to pick his new club as a free agent. Donnarumma’s Milan contract expires at the end of the month and he has been linked with moves to La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, Manchester United and even bitter Serie A rivals Juventus. “We need to show respect for someone who has given a lot to Milan, he has never disrespected us. We’re going our separate ways but I can only wish him the very best,” Milan legend Maldini said on social media platform Twitch. Seven-time European champions Milan finished second in Serie A last weekend, securing Champions League football for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. Donnarumma was a near ever-present in Stefa...
