Barcelona
El Clasico Match Preview, Team News and Predicted Line-up: Barcelona
The 245th competitive El Clasico clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid will take place tomorrow at the Camp Nou. [embedded content] Both sides are currently tied on 96 victories apiece with 52 draws, and football fans across the globe will be tuning in to catch one of the most-watched games. Madrid left Barcelona with a point when they came visiting last term before beating the Catalans 2-0 at home in March to fire their title charge. Ronald Koeman’s side were handed a 1-0 loss at Getafe last weekend after starting the season with two wins and a draw, and they quickly bounced back with a 5-1 win over Hungarian minnows Ferencvaros in their Champions League opener on Tuesday. Madrid are a wounded animal heading into Saturday’s clash after suffering consecutive defeats at the hands of Cadiz...
Champions League: Marcus Rashford’s late strike sinks PSG again as Sevilla draw at Chelsea
Marcus Rashford was once again the hero as he scored a late goal to claim a 2-1 away win for Manchester United over Paris Saint-Germain in Group H, in Tuesday’s Champions League. In the round of 16 of the 2018/2019 Champions League season, Rashford converted a 94th minute penalty, as United overturned a 2-0 home defeat to beat PSG 3-1 and advance into the quarter-finals. This is the first time since 2004, PSG have lost a Champions League group game at home. PSG’s last two home defeats in the Champions League have come against United. Bruno Fernandes opened scoring in the 24th minute for United from the penalty spot. Ten minutes into the second half PSG were back on level terms following an own goal by Anthony Martial. But in the 87th minute Martial grabbed the winner with a superb strike t...
Biggest Football Club Sponsorships in 2020
The global appeal of football makes it a hugely lucrative proposition for brands who are eager to showcase their goods and services. Financial services, sportswear, gambling, airlines and automotive are amongst a plethora of sectors that have some form of financial link-up with the sport. This has allowed clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester United to become truly global brands that generate huge revenues on an annual basis. Read on as we look at some of the biggest clubs in the world and the money-spinning sponsorship agreements they currently benefit from. Real Madrid According to Forbes, La Liga giants Real Madrid are currently ranked as the most valuable football club in the world. Their total revenue for 2018/19 was more than £665 million, with over 40 percent of that figure gener...
Koeman explains to Messi why he had to let Suarez go
New Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has detailed his chat with Lionel Messi over the sale of his pal and teammate Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid in the summer transfer window. After spending six years at the Nou Camp, scoring 198 goals in 283 appearances, and helping the Catalan giants secure four La Liga titles, four Copas del Rey and the Champions League, Suarez was unceremoniously dumped by the club at the arrival of new boss Ronald Koeman. The 33-year-old forward was sold to Atletico Madrid during the summer transfer window and has made an immediate impact in the Spanish capital where he scored two goals and assisted one on his first appearance. Messi, who also tried to engineer a move out of Nou Camp, had publicly expressed his displeasure in the manner in which the ...
Georginio Wijnaldum speaks on Barcelona interest and his Liverpool future
Liverpool and Netherlands midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has insisted that he was not close to joining Barcelona during the recent international transfer window. The Blaugrana dismissed Quique Setien from the head coach role shortly after their humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in August. He was replaced by Ronald Koeman, who was previously the manager of the Netherlands and that led to the speculation that Wijnaldum could be keen on a reunion. However, that was not the case and Wijnaldum has now revealed that there was no concrete interest from the Blaugrana and he did not have to think about the same. “I don’t think [the Barcelona interest] was that serious, otherwise you would have read a bit more, or more would have happened. There was nothing concrete. I ...
‘It’s true’, Ronald Koeman confirms Barcelona are interested in signing £27m-rated centre-back
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has acknowledged that the club are looking to land the services of Eric Garcia from Manchester City before Monday’s transfer deadline. Garcia made his debut for the Cityzens last term and he has since made only 11 starts for the club across all competitions. He has declined the opportunity to sign a new deal beyond June 2021 and this has increased the speculation regarding his future. Earlier on Friday, Pep Guardiola admitted that Garcia wants to return to the Blaugrana, where he spent nine years in the youth ranks. Koeman has now confirmed that the Blaugrana are indeed interested in Garcia, but he is unsure whether the club can get a deal over the line. “It’s true we want Eric Garcia here. I’ve seen Pep’s comments and that’s how it is,” He told in a press conf...
Lyon set deadline for Memphis Depay’s departure
Olympique Lyonnais have set Barcelona an ultimatum on signing their forward Memphis Depay this transfer window, as per Diario AS. The report cites how Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has told French media outlet Telefoot: “I think I will tell the players that all those who did not leave on Friday will remain at Lyon. As of Friday there will be no more departures.” It is reported how he is referencing both Memphis and midfielder Houssem Aouar – who has been linked with a switch to Arsenal. The Blaugrana are keen on a move for Memphis but it remains unlikely that they will be able to finance a deal, despite clearing Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez from their wage bill. Memphis, 26, netted 11 goals across his last 18 matches for the Dutch national side and has also developed into ...
Barcelona, Jorge Mendes dispute length of Ansu Fati’s contract
Barcelona and agent Jorge Mendes are in dispute about the length of contract of their teenage star Ansu Fati, according to reports. Diario Sport build on a report from the ‘Tot Costa’ programme on Catalunya Ràdio that the Blaugrana believe they hold an option to extend the 17-year-old’s contract through to 2024, with Mendes adamant that the current deal is set to expire in 2022 with no extension. As reported earlier this month, the player’s release clause has moved from €170m to €400m after he was promoted to the club’s first-team squad for the current campaign. Fati was the star of the show in the Blaugrana’s first game of the 2020-21 campaign, with two goals in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Villarreal. The Spain international picked up where he left off from 2019-20, when he netted eight goals i...
Wolves complete signing of Barcelona star
Wolves have completed the signing of right-back Nelson Semedo from Barcelona in a deal worth around £29m. Semedo has signed a contract that will keep him at Molineux until June 2023, with an option to extend it to June 2025. Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was in the market for another option at right-back following the sale of Republic of Ireland international Matt Doherty to Tottenham on a four-year-deal. Semedo is represented by Gestifute, the agency run by Jorge Mendes, who plays a key part in many Wolves’ deals. The 26-year-old former Benfica defender becomes Wolves’ fifth signing of the transfer window following the arrivals of Fabio Silva, Fernando Marcal, Vitor Ferreira and Ki-Jana Hoever. Hoever signed from Liverpool last week as forward Diogo Jota’s completed a move in the ...
‘One step away’: Fabrizio Romano delivers latest exciting Wolves transfer update
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has just claimed that Wolverhampton Wanderers are ‘one step away’ from signing Nelson Semedo from Barcelona. He claims that Wolves submitted a new bid yesterday, and Barcelona are ready to accept that offer. At the moment, Wolves are working on agreeing personal terms with the player, which shouldn’t be a big problem. Wolves are ‘one step away’ from signing Nelson Semedo. New bid submitted yesterday and Barcelona are now ready to accept. Work in progress also on personal terms to be agreed.On next hours Barça are gonna sell Semedo to #Wolves and Vidal to #Inter. Here we go soon! 🐺 #FCB — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 20, 2020 Barcelona are struggling with their finances, and the club need to offload some of their players to raise funds ...
Report: Wolves keen on Barcelona star as Jorge Mendes plots move
According to Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), Wolverhampton Wanderers are keen on Barcelona right-back Nelson Semedo as they look to bring in a replacement for Matt Doherty. The Republic of Ireland international joined Tottenham Hotspur last month after 10 years at the Molineux Stadium, and manager Nuno Espirito Santo reckons Semedo could be perfect to fill the spot he left behind. Wolves are now attempting to get a deal done for the Portuguese international, and they have recruited the services of super agent Jorge Mendes to help get a move over the line. Barcelona want around £37 million for the 26-year-old, and if Wolves are ready to break their transfer record for a right-back remains to be seen. Semedo has played 124 games for the Spanish giants since arriving from Benfica in the ...
Andy Cole believes in Manchester United strike force with or without Jadon Sancho
Manchester United are still being heavily linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho. There’s just over two weeks to go until the transfer window shuts, so the Reds would want to be getting a move on if they plan to land Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s main target this summer. Talks have not progressed like we would have wanted and the thought of daily updates has become tiresome. We call it saga, in Germany they refer to it was ‘Sancho Poker’. Former Man United striker Andy Cole doesn’t sound too bothered about the club potentially missing out on Sancho this summer. Cole thinks United already have enough striking talent. “Ole’s got Man United playing the way Man United should be player — attacking football,” Cole told the Daily Mirror. “Some of the signings Ole’s made have made Manche...
