Catalans
La Liga chief: Impossible for Barca to keep Lionel Messi without departures
Barcelona must considerably reduce their wage bill in order to keep Lionel Messi, LaLiga chief Javier Tebas said on Thursday, adding that the club would not be shown any leniency when it comes to obeying the league’s strict financial control rules. Messi, Barca’s all-time top scorer and appearance maker, ended his 21-year association with the club last month and is currently a free agent as the Catalans cannot offer him a new deal due to their financial predicament. President Joan Laporta said last month that Messi was keen to remain at the club but giving him a new deal was being held up by the league’s Financial Fair Play regulations. Spanish media reports had suggested LaLiga could relax the rules to allow the six-time Ballon d’Or winner to stay at Barca but Tebas said there was no chan...
Report: Barcelona open to selling Antoine Griezmann for the right price
Italian Sky Sports journalist Matteo Moretto has proclaimed that Barcelona are willing to sell French superstar Antoine Griezmann in the summer if they were to receive an adequate offer, in order to try and ease the pressure on their accounts. After a far from optimal start to his stint in Garnet and Blue, Griezmann has largely managed to turn his fortunes around. He has established himself as a very useful asset for Barcelona, and proved to be an instrumental part of the Catalans’ Copa del Rey triumph. However, despite his turn of form, there has been constant speculation regarding Antoine Griezmann’s departure from Barcelona. Considering the massive cost of his transfer from Atletico Madrid two seasons ago and his high wages, the club might be open to a sale in the summer. The upcoming t...
Paris Saint-Germain wait for Neymar to sign contract extension
Paris Saint-Germain were revelling in the joy of knocking holders Bayern Munich out of the Champions League in midweek when Neymar offered more cause for celebration. In an interview with Brazilian broadcaster TNT Sports following PSG’s away-goals victory in the quarter-finals, Neymar dropped a clear hint that he would be staying at PSG beyond the end of his current contract. “For me there is no debate, it is obvious that I feel very comfortable here and at home at Paris Saint-Germain. I feel happier than I did before,” the world’s most expensive player said. His current contract, signed following his arrival from Barcelona for 222 million euros ($264m) in 2017, runs out at the end of next season, at the same time as Kylian Mbappe’s deal. It has been reported in France since the Bayern gam...
Asisat Oshoala cleared to return for Barcelona despite Fortuna Hjorring injury
Asisat Oshoala’s absence from Barcelona victory over Santa Teresa will not prevent her from taking part in Wednesday’s second leg against Fortuna Hjorring in the Women’s Champions League. The Nigerian featured in the final 13 minutes for Lluis Cortes’ team, after replacing hat-trick hero Jenni Hermoso at Estadi Johan Cruyff, as the Spanish champions cruised to a 4-0 first-leg victory. Oshoala was forced to watch the last match against Santa from the sidelines, having been left out due to an injury on her right foot. Besides the Nigerian, teammates Lieke Martens and Andrea Falcon also missed the Santa trip due to discomfort in their knees on Friday. Ahead of their trip to Denmark, Oshoala and Martens, however, were cleared to make the Barcelona squad to Hjorring for the second leg match. Th...
Inter preparing offer for Junior Firpo
The name Junior Firpo continues to be on the Inter agenda. According to the newspaper ‘Sport’, the Italians will try again for the Barca player in January: they are studying a six month or year and a half loan with option to buy. Inter Milan haven’t forgotten about Junior Firpo, one of their big alternatives for down the left. The Italian outfit are still interested in the Barcelona player and are reportedly studying a six month or year and a half loan with option to buy. All of this while the 24-year-old LB continues to not be in Ronald Koeman’s plans, as the 192 minutes that he has played this season demonstrate, which increase the rumours about his possible exit. Junior is under contract at Barca until June 2024 and his market value is around 12.3 million euros. According to the newspap...
Quique Setien: Barcelona yet to inform me of sack
Former Barcelona coach Quique Setien claims the Catalans have not compensated him for his early dismissal, or even called to inform of his contract termination three months on. Setien replaced Ernesto Valverde in January signing on a contract until 2022 as the club hoped to reconnect with their philosophy of exciting, possession-based football. However, Setien’s time at Barça was marred with problems, from an apparently strained relationship with talisman Lionel Messi that reportedly spread to other members of the squad, to underwhelming results and performances on the pitch. The culmination of numerous issues at the club was the 8-2 humiliation by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final. The embarrassing result contributed to Messi’s desire to leave and effectively spelled the...
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...
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 City, Inter Milan favourites to sign Lionel Messi
Manchester City and Inter are considered the favourites to sign Lionel Messi, according to The Independent. The 33-year-old shocked the world of football when he outlined his intention to leave Barcelona after 20 years at the club on Tuesday. There is confidence within Messi’s camp that the clause in his contract that would allow the Argentine to leave Barça for free will be triggered. However, the Catalans believe that clause has expired and will demand a transfer fee of around €700m for Messi. Manchester City are believed to be working on structuring a deal and the report states that a reunion with Pep Guardiola seems to be the most likely option if Messi does end up leaving the Camp Nou. Guardiola is believed to have been in contact with Messi in recent weeks to discuss a potential move...
Barcelona outclass Villarreal after recent disappointments
Barcelona responded to a trying week by thrashing Villarreal 4-1 away to stay alive in the Liga title race, producing one of their best displays under coach Quique Setien. The Catalans had drawn their last two matches to hand more momentum to league leaders Real Madrid but Sunday’s win took them to 73 points after 34 games, four behind their arch-rivals who won 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao earlier on Sunday. An own goal from Pau Torres put Barca in front in the third minute, with Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno levelling on the rebound in the 14th before the visitors restored their lead through an outstanding curling strike from Luis Suarez six minutes later. Antoine Griezmann stretched Barca’s advantage just before the break with a sublime chip, having been dropped from the starting lineup in the la...
