Barcelona
Leo Messi assures Ronald Koeman of his commitment after first training
Ronald Koeman and Lionel Messi’s first meeting since the six-time Ballon d’Or winner decided to stay at Barcelona this season was very positive for everyone involved. Messi was set to leave the club this summer after becoming disillusioned with life at the Nou Camp but after being told he couldn’t leave for free he relented and has decided to stay this season. After missing training last week, the forward returned for his first pre-season session on Monday and met with the new manager before joining in. According to Mundo Deportivo, Koeman told the 33-year-old he was happy for him to be back but warned he only wanted players committed to the club. The newspaper reports that Messi told the manager he was committed and promised him that he’d return to his best form for the team this season. ...
Philippe Coutinho to remain at Barcelona after Ronald Koeman call
Philippe Coutinho will remain at Barcelona for the upcoming 2020/21 season, according to his agent Kia Joorabchian. Coutinho spent last term on loan at Bayern Munich, making 38 appearances as they won the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB Pokal. The 28-year-old was offered to several Premier League clubs – including Arsenal and Newcastle – but Joorabchian claims that new head coach Ronald Koeman has since persuaded him to stay. “Coutinho to stay at Barça? Yes,” he told Talksport. “Koeman called him right after the Champions League victory with Bayern and told him he’s very much in his plans and would like him to return. “Coutinho was due to return on September 7th, but he began training earlier because he didn’t want to lose his momentum and fitness.” Coutinho has made 76 appearances fo...
Barcelona prepare final offer to land Lautaro Martinez from Inter
Barcelona are preparing a final offer for Lautaro Martinez, with the beleaguered Blaugrana ready to test Inter’s resolve as they prepare for life without Luis Suarez at the head of their attack. New boss Ronald Koeman recently made it clear to the Uruguayan, despite him being close friends with wantaway Lionel Messi, that he would no longer be a key player for the Catalans and should attempt to find a new club. And although Lyon attacker Memphis Depay has been mooted as a potential successor due to his ties with Koeman, Goal reports that Lautaro remains at the top Barca’s wishlist, with the Argentine seen as a complete centre-forward in the precise mould the club are looking for. There are many complications in the way, however, the most notable of which being the fact that Suarez still ha...
Leeds United reportedly want midfielder who’s very dangerous in the box
Leeds United are interested in signing Rafinha from Barcelona in the summer transfer window, according to Sport. It has been reported that Leeds, who have been promoted to the Premier League for the 2020-21 campaign, have held talks with Spanish and European giants Barcelona over the signing of the 27-year-old midfielder. Talks will continue, with the Brazil international himself keen on a move to the Premier League, according to the report in the Spanish publication. Rafinha would be a superb signing for Leeds United Rafinha may not have been as successful as his brother and former Barcelona central midfielder Thiago – who won the Champions League with Bayern Munich last season – but the 27-year-old is a very good midfielder. The 27-year-old does not seem to have a future at Barcelona, wi...
Elland Road will erupt if Leeds can sign in-demand £14m Everton target this summer – SL View
Leeds United are on a roll here. Following their return to the Premier League, the Whites have already made two fantastic signings – Rodrigo and Robin Koch – with the former having arrived on a club-record transfer fee. However, Marcelo Bielsa is looking for more. The Argentine possibly needs to sign a midfielder, another defender, and a top-quality attacking player / forward. Even a goalkeeper is required. According to latest reports from Spanish newspaper Sport, Leeds are showing interest in signing Rafinha from Barcelona this summer. The Whites have reportedly held talks with the La Liga giants over the signing of the 27-year-old midfielder. Rafinha is way down the pecking order at Barcelona, and the club are looking to offload him this summer. Several Premier League clubs have reg...
Journalist: Spurs suffer blow in their attempt to sign £89m midfielder
Tottenham have shown an interest in signing Lucas de Vega from Barcelona this summer. Earlier this week, Spanish publication Diario AS claimed that Spurs are keen on signing the Barcelona B midfielder. In fact, the north Londoners were reportedly working on a deal to bring him to England. The highly-rated 20-year-old has been chased by a host of clubs including the likes of Sporting Gijon, Malaga, Tenerife, and Real Zaragoza. He impressed heavily on loan at Segunda Division B side Cartegena last term where he made 17 league appearances. According to Tom Allnut, sports correspondent in Spain for AFP, Barcelona have informed Spurs that the player won’t be sold. The Catalan giants see him as an important player for Barca B this season. Barca have told Tottenham Lucas de Vega not for...
Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos hopes Leo Messi stays at Barcelona
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos insists he wants Lionel Messi to stay at Barcelona, for the good of LaLiga. Messi’s father Jorge flew into Barcelona on Wednesday for crunch talks with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, with the player’s camp reportedly hoping to engineer a move to Manchester City. But when asked about the situation at Spain’s pre-Germany press conference, Los Blancos skipper Ramos gave a surprising answer. “This doesn’t concern us,” Ramos told reporters. “He’s earned the right to decide his future, I don’t know if he’s doing it in the best possible way, but Spanish football, Barcelona and Real Madrid players – because we want to face the best – want him to stay. “He makes LaLiga better, his team is better with him and El Clásico is more beautiful with him. “I have nothi...
Report: Everton plotting for £36m Barcelona target who scored 15 goals last season
Everton are reportedly interested in signing former Manchester United winger Memphis Depay this summer, according to reports from The Sun. The 26-year-old has taken his game to a whole new level since moving to Lyon from Manchester United in 2017. The Dutchman was integral in Lyon’s charge to last season’s Champions League semi-final and he is being chased by Everton and Barcelona. The 26-year-old scored 15 goals and provided two assists from 22 games for the Ligue 1 side in all competitions last season. He has started the new season with a bang, netting a hat-trick in Lyon’s 4-1 thrashing of Dijon yesterday. However, the winger has said that he is not sure whether he will complete the season with the Ligue 1 side. Depay said, as quoted by The Sun: “I do not see the future, ...
Gary Neville: I hope Lionel Messi doesn’t do very well for Manchester City
Gary Neville cannot see his former employers at Manchester United joining the race for Lionel Messi and hopes the mercurial Argentine “doesn’t do very well” if he ends up leaving Barcelona for Manchester City. A switch to England continues to be mooted for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner. Messi has informed those at Camp Nou of his desire to move on, with further talks set to be held with the Liga club’s board as he mulls over his options during a period of personal frustration. Neville believes a compromise will be reached that keeps the South American in Catalunya, with an all-time great merely “flexing his muscles” and sending warning signals to the Blaugrana. If a stunning switch were to be made, though, then the ex-United defender concedes that the Ethiad Stadium – alongside one-time ...
Atletico Madrid to battle Juventus for Barcelona star
Atletico Madrid are considering a shock move for Barcelona star Luis Suarez, if the Uruguayan international leaves the Camp Nou this summer. Suarez has been linked with an exit from the Camp Nou, as part of a wider reshuffle of the squad by new manager Ronald Koeman ahead of the 2020-21 season. Serie A giants Juventus are rumoured to be monitoring the situation with Suarez’s future in Catalonia, however as per the front page of Saturday’s edition of Diario AS, Atletico are keen. Both clubs will keep an eye on the evolving changes between Suarez and Koeman, with club captain Lionel Messi aslo reportedly unhappy at Suarez’s potential departure as part of his own exit talks. The former Liverpool man is into the final year of his contract with the Catalans, and at 33 years of age, he might not...
Manchester United ‘focusing on Jadon Sancho not Lionel Messi’
Manchester United are maintaining focus on signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, despite reported interest in Lionel Messi. The Argentine has handed in an official transfer request to leave Barcelona after 20 years. United are one of a number of clubs linked with the 33-year-old. But Sancho remains United’s top target, according to Sky Sports presenter Kavel Solhekol. “The next Premier League club: Manchester United,” Solhekol said on The Transfer Show. “No comment from them as far as any potential move for Lionel Messi is concerned. “Our information is that they’re No 1 target remains Jadon Sancho but of course potentially, Manchester United do have the finances to be able to do a deal.” Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for D...
Bayern Munich make Lionel Messi transfer decision
Bayern Munich will not be making an audacious swoop to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona as they simply can’t afford it, according to club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. On Tuesday, Messi sent a fax to Barca officials indicating his desire to leave the club, requesting that he be let out of his contract. The Argentine is unhappy at the decline of the Blaugrana on the field, as in 2019/20 they failed to win any major silverware for the first time in 12 years. He is also disillusioned with how the club is being run at boardroom level. It was actually Bayern who arguably caused the final straw for Messi as it was the German side’s 8-2 destruction of Barca in the Champions League which led to Quique Setien being fired and then the player handing in his request to leave. Only a handful of clubs arou...
