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With Barcelona now closing the signing of Raphinha and renewing Ousmane Dembele, manager Xavi Hernandez is now asking the club to make a concerted push to bring Robert Lewandowski in.

This claim comes from Diario AS, with the report stating that the manager is pressuring the Barça board to sign the 33-year-old Bayern Munich superstar as soon as possible.

And it is then claimed that club president Joan Laporta has promised Xavi that the operation to sign Lewandowski is ‘well underway’ with there expected to be some positive news in the coming days.

These claims come despite reports suggesting that Bayern Munich had once again asserted that Lewandowski will not be sold.

AS states that a deal could be concluded for a fee of around €45 million plus variables even though Bayern Munich are said to be holding out for €50 million. The Poland captain has already agreed a three-year deal worth €9 million per season with Barcelona.

The report goes on to suggest that the deal could be finalised in the coming days, which could make it possible for Lewandowski to attend Barça’s first friendly fixture on their United States tour against Inter Miami on July 20.

If so, it would give the centre-forward time to train with his new teammates before Barcelona lock horns with arch-rivals Real Madrid in a friendly encounter in Las Vegas on July 24. While it would be a challenge for him to play in that game, the report states that such a scenario is plausible.

Lewandowski has not hidden the fact that he is intent on joining the Blaugrana this summer. But Bayern Munich have been the biggest roadblock in the deal being completed. Whether there is any change in the coming days, as the report suggests, remains to be seen.

If Barça are able to close the deal for the former Borussia Dortmund hitman, they would have terrifying depth in the attacking unit, with the likes of Dembele, Raphinha, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

However, it could also spell the end of Memphis Depay, who could be deemed surplus to requirements if the Catalans bring in Lewandowski.
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After a long-running soap opera that went on for months together, Ousmane Dembele has finally signed a new contract with Barcelona.

The 25-year-old had become a free agent when his previous deal expired on June 30. But, with no major European club taking an interest in signing him on a Bosman deal, the French ace was left with little choice but to renew with the Blaugrana.

Dembele has signed a two-year contract with Barcelona, which will run until the summer of 2024.

Reports in France suggest that he will be pocketing an €11 million per year net salary, but Spanish sources claim that those figures are inaccurate, with the winger supposedly taking a 40% pay cut.

Nevertheless, Dembele is a Barcelona player yet again after close to two weeks of being a free agent. Speaking at his presentation after signing the contract, the forward said:

“I feel very happy about the renewal. Barça has been my dream club since I was little. I really want the season to start and give it my all.”

Talking about his time at Camp Nou, Dembele added: “The first years when I arrived here were difficult for me with all the injuries, but now I now feel part of the team and the city and I will continue to defend the crest.”

Dembele admitted that he took his time for the renewal, but insisted that staying at Camp Nou had always been his priority.

“My renewal has always been a priority for me. I told the boss and coach about that. It took a long time, but now everyone is happy. I’m looking forward to starting the season and helping the team. Barça have to compete for La Liga and the Champions League,” he said.

“I will work hard with the coach. Hopefully this is the year for me and Barça,” he added.

pic.twitter.com/eoITtaEs68— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) July 14, 2022

President Joan Laporta also spoke on the occasion, stating his admiration for Dembele, as he said: “I admire Dembélé as a player and person. It is an important day for the club. Ousmane is a very good player and we all know that. It is difficult to compare him with anyone on the football pitch.”

The Barcelona supremo thanked the Frenchman’s agent Moussa Sissoko and everyone else involved who made the contract extension possible.

“I’d like to thank everyone who made this deal possible including Dembélé’s agent, Sissoko,” Laporta said.

Source: BarçaTV+
The post Ousmane Dembele and Joan Laporta speak after the Frenchman re-signs with Barcelona appeared first on Barca Universal.

A recent report from Diario AS has offered an update on the future of Memphis Depay. The former Manchester United attacker is one of many players who are facing an uncertain future at the club.

As such, he is yet to register himself for Barcelona’s upcoming pre-season tour to the United States. The Dutchman is currently waiting for the club to hand him a definitive decision over his role and future at Camp Nou before he can commit himself for the season ahead.

Depay joined the Barcelona camp last summer. He was tasked with the unenviable job of replacing Lionel Messi. While not many expected him to actually fill the Argentine’s boots, the attacker was still regarded as a crucial piece of Ronald Koeman’s attacking setup.

The Dutchman did not disappoint either, enjoying a promising start to his career at Barça. However, an unfortunate injury, coupled with the January additions of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore, along with the sacking of Koeman, gravely affected his role in the first team.

During the second half of the season, Depay failed to establish himself as a first-team regular. And his role in the team could dwindle further following the capture of Raphinha.

Barcelona have also extended the contract of Ousmane Dembele. The collective presence of Dembele and Raphinha in the Barça attack next season, coupled with the potential addition of Robert Lewandowski means Depay is not included in Xavi’s plans.

And, as per the report, the attacker has been informed the same and will be allowed to leave the club this summer.

The Catalans are hoping to include the Dutchman in the deal to sign Jules Kounde, knowing Sevilla might be open to an exchange of players that may help the Blaugrana lower the cost of the operation.

However, if Depay is not interested in joining Sevilla, Barça are looking for a fee of around €20 million. The 28-year-old only has one year left on his contract, however, so it will not be surprising to see the club settling for less.

Manchester United chiefs have left Barcelona without concluding a deal to sign midfielder Frenkie de Jong – leaving them thoroughly frustrated by the whole ordeal.

United CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough jetted to the Catalan capital on Monday to ramp up talks to sign the Dutchman. De Jong had returned to training at Barca’s facilities earlier in the day as the club attempted to negotiate his exit.

United already had an initial transfer fee agreed with Barcelona for the value of £56.2million with reports from Spain claiming that the two clubs had also shaken hands on a total package worth £72million.

Arnold and Murtough had led a United delegation who dined with their Barcelona counterparts – club president Joan Laporta, alongside the club’s transfer officials Mateu Alemany, Jordi Cruyff and Rafa Yuste – at the Via Veneto restaurant on Thursday of last week in the Catalan capital. The United chiefs then returned to the city on Monday to continue talks over food at the Triton restaurant, near Camp Nou.

Despite an agreement being reached between the clubs over the pricing and structure of a deal, the transfer cannot yet be concluded as De Jong has yet to give his consent to a move. Arnold and Murtough left the city on Wednesday empty-handed.

New United boss Erik ten Hag held a phone call to convince the player that he should join his project at Old Trafford. De Jong, 25, was informed that he would be the ‘conductor of the orchestra’ and would be an undisputed starter under Ten Hag – a similar role to the one he enjoyed so much in Amsterdam.

Yet conversely, there have been reports that De Jong has a list of 10 reasons for not joining United and former Blaugrana boss Ronald Koeman insists that De Jong has no intention of leaving Barca.

De Jong is one of the highest earners at Barcelona and he is also owed a series of payments that through amortizations and other clauses that are part of his deal. The problem for the club is that they are currently unable to process such payments, complicating the player’s future.

It remains unclear if the player’s move is being held up over these payments or if he does not intend to complete a transfer to United. However, the English club is confident their patience over negotiations would pay off as Barca privately have been open to his departure despite their stance of insisting he is not for sale.

The Dutchman is back at Barcelona’s training facilities as the club commence their pre-season training but the midfielder’s relationship with Xavi is on the rocks

Frenkie de Jong has returned to training at Barcelona but his relationship with boss Xavi Hernandez has broken down as Manchester United remain hopeful on signing the midfielder.

United have an initial transfer fee agreed with Barcelona with the value of £56.2million to sign the midfielder this summer. However, the deal has hit a significant stumbling block due to the outstanding payments De Jong is owed by Barca.

Despite their bullish public stance that the Dutchman will be remaining at the Camp Nou, Barca are privately claiming that they are open to his departure this summer. A fresh report has claimed that De Jong’s relationship with Barca officials has broken down.

A report from Diario AS has now claimed that the bond between De Jong and Xavi had never fully taken off, but now was more strained than ever. The player is said to feel that the coach does not trust fully in him and that has impacted on his commitment to the club.

The report references an interview from De Jong earlier in the season, after a league clash against Mallorca in which the midfielder insisted: “Xavi has given me confidence. The conversation with him was very good. Xavi has told me that he has confidence in me, I have confidence in me. Everyone is happy.” However, the body language throughout that interview appeared to suggest otherwise.

After Barca conceded a late equaliser away to Osasuna midway through the season in La Liga, Xavi lamented: “We don’t have footballers with the total packaging to control the game.” It is believed that was a pointed reference to De Jong, whose job in the side’s midfield is to control matches.

De Jong’s relationship with Barcelona president Joan Laporta has already proved to be strained. The midfielder was a signing made by the club’s former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, with the acquisition seen as a vindication for that board – as they beat Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain to the player’s signature, with a special visit to the player included in order to convince him to join Barca.

After Barca lost in the Spanish Supercopa to Real Madrid, the club released a video of Laporta going into the dressing room after the game to praise his players for their performance – alluding to the fact that the game was much closer than had been anticipated despite the loss. In the aftermath of that match, De Jong said: “It makes me a little sad to say that we are proud when we have lost. At Barca, when you lose you have to be disappointed.”

It is a transfer saga that has drawn into months but the future of De Jong remains unclear, with Barca still open to concluding his sale to United – but there appears to be little committal from any party regarding the deal.

It is a busy summer transfer window at the Camp Nou with Xavi Hernandez instructing Barcelona to ramp up the incomings and outgoings after agreeing a fee for Frenkie de Jong’s sale

Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has instructed the club to find any exits for seven players after they reached an agreement over the terms of Frenkie de Jong’s transfer to Manchester United.

The Catalan club have allowed defender Clement Lenglet to join Tottenham on a season-long loan while they did not extend the short-term contract of Dani Alves, who is now a free agent. Philippe Coutinho has joined Aston Villa in a permanent deal while Adama Traore and Luuk de Jong have both finalised their loan spells at Camp Nou.

Yet Xavi is still hopeful of a clearout among his first-team squad after Barca confirmed their first two summer arrivals with Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie – two deals that have been in place since March – moving to the club as free agents from Chelsea and Milan respectively.

Those two arrivals are part of Xavi’s dream Barcelona line-up for this season, which could include up to eight new signings, but more first-team squad exits are needed if the majority of those deals are to come to fruition.

As Diario Sport outlines, the club are prepared to ‘force’ the departure of three players after instruction from Xavi. Goalkeeper Neto, central defender Samuel Umtiti and striker Martin Braithwaite have all been told they form no part of Xavi’s plans and will be allowed to leave for free should suitable clubs come in.

This follows on from a report from Mundo Deportivo, which names the same players as being excluded from the club’s pre-season tour, with defender Oscar Mingueza, midfielder Riqui Puig – whose contract at Camp Nou expires next year – and Albanian striker Rey Manaj, who is believed to be on the verge of joining Watford, all being instructed they are not part of the Blaugrana’s plans.

The situation for Memphis Depay is different, although the club will allow the Dutch international – who joined as a free agent last year – to leave should a suitable offer arrive. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres were signed in January while Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski are wanted this summer.

As detailed by Sport, Memphis has a ‘foot and a half’ outside of Barca but the player will not be joining Tottenham. He was not enticed by joining the club and although he prefers to stay at Camp Nou, he values regular first-team football above everything else so should the club’s preferred deals come to fruition, he should move on.

Barcelona are undergoing significant changes within their squad as boss Xavi Hernandez eyes a new-look XI ahead of the new campaign.

Barca did not extend the short-term contract of Dani Alves even though the veteran right-back was hoping to stay at the club while Clement Lenglet has joined Tottenham on a season-long loan deal. Philippe Coutinho has joined Aston Villa in a permanent deal while Adama Traore and Luuk de Jong have both finalised their loan spells at Camp Nou.

Furthermore, the Catalan club have agreed a £56.2million upfront fee with Manchester United for the transfer of midfielder Frenkie de Jong, while five other players will be excluded from their pre-season tour ahead of expected sales.

Barca have already confirmed two summer arrivals into their first-team squad as Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie – two deals that have been in place since March – have joined the club as free agents from Chelsea and Milan respectively.

Having already signed one defender from the Blues, they are hopeful of raiding Stamford Bridge for defensive duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso. Both players have been earmarked by Xavi to form part of his new-look defence, while they are also hopeful of beating Chelsea to the signature of in-demand Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

As outlined by Diario Sport, Barca are hopeful of continuing to rejuvenate their attack following the January signings of Ferran Torres from Manchester City and the arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Arsenal. It follows a report from Sport outlining Manchester City star’s Bernardo Silva’s desire to move to the Catalan club.

Barca are also edging towards a deal to sign winger Raphinha from Leeds while Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski remains a primary target for the club. Those rumours prompted Barca boss Xavi to address the transfer rumours directly about the forward, who bagged a remarkable 50 goals this term and has surpassed the 40-goal landmark in seven successive seasons.

Of course, not all of these deals will be possible due to the nature of the transfer market and Barca’s own financial issues. However, it is clear that Xavi has huge plans for the club for this summer and beyond as he continues to revolutionise their starting line-up.

Xavi’s potential new Barcelona XI : Ter Stegen; Azpilicueta, Kounde, Christensen, Alonso; Gavi, Pedri, Kessie; Silva, Lewandowski, Raphinha

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are keeping a close eye on Gavi’s contractual negotiations with Barcelona according to The Mirror and carried by Mundo Deportivo.

Gavi, who has starred for La Roja over the past two weeks in the Nations League, sees his current deal at Camp Nou expire in the summer of 2023 and negotiations to renew it have been laboured. Rival clubs have had their interest piqued.

Gavi, still just 17 years of age, broke into the first team at Barcelona at the beginning of the season and has proven himself to be one of the most exciting teenagers in the European game. Barcelona remain confident, however, that they will lock him down.

Gavi – born and raised in Los Palacios y Villafranca in Seville – has played 34 games in La Liga for Barcelona this season. He has contributed two goals and six assists and earned nine caps for the Spanish national team, scoring his first goal in Prague just last week.

Barcelona are setting their sights on one of the most promising players to succeed Jordi Alba on the left front.

According to the Catalan newspaper Sport, Barcelona had expressed its desire to sign Marcos Alonso, a Chelsea player, but the English team is inflexible, as described by the Spanish press.

Henrique joined French club Monaco in 2018, coming from Atletico Madrid, on a five-year contract.

The newspaper pointed out that Barcelona puts an alternative to Marcos Alonso, the Brazilian Caio Henrique, who performed well, as he scored two goals and provided 12 assists during the last season, accompanied by Monaco.

His numbers indicate that he is the best Brazilian left-back playing in the major European leagues, with higher numbers than Alex Sandro with Juventus, and Alex Telles with Manchester United.

Of the Brazilians who play in the five major European leagues, only Vinicius Jr made 16 more assists, and Caio Henrique put himself in second place by beating compatriots such as Gabriel Jesus with 11, Rodrygo with 9 and Neymar Jr. with 8.

In the French league, he exceeded his numbers, Lucas Paqueta, the Lyon star, and Gerson, the Marseille player, who provided 7 assists.

The 25-year-old has a high technical quality, as he played in the youth categories in Santos as a defensive midfielder, and now he has developed greatly and helps build play in a good tactical way, and has developed in terms of the defensive side.

Barcelona has been watching him since he came to Atletico Madrid under 18, and now it’s time to try to sign him and bring him to the Xavi Hernandez battalion.

Barcelona is not the only player interested in the player, as there are several Premier League clubs watching him in preparation for opening negotiations with him and his club, and his contract will expire in 2025 and the value of his transfer is estimated between 20 and 25 million euros.

Robert Lewandowski has become one of the most talked-about figures in the ongoing summer transfer window.

The Polish forward has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, soon after publicly admitting his desire to leave Bayern Munich in the summer, during the end of the 2021/22 Bundesliga campaign.

However, Lewandowski is still yet to leave Bayern Munich despite months of negotiations with FC Barcelona over a potential move to Camp Nou.

Bayern Munich have appeared quite persistent in their bid to keep hold of the star striker, who is now set to resume his pre-season training in Bavaria tomorrow, reports Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Lewandowski, though, still harbours hope of sealing a move away from Allianz Arena. He has maintained his desire to join Barcelona ahead of the new season and become a part of Xavi Hernandez’s setup at Camp Nou.

The forward even has an agreement with Barcelona over personal terms. But the Catalans have a long way to go before they can reach an agreement with Bayern.

Plettenberg suggests Barcelona’s current offer for Lewandowski is far too low and will not be enough to convince the Bavarians. The German Rekordmeister are expecting a figure of around €50-55 million for the services of the Polish international this summer.

All is not lost for Barcelona, however, as they are expecting to utilise their economic levers to create a sizable financial revenue. The potential sale of Frenkie de Jong could prove to be valuable as well, although the Dutchman’s exit appears to be unlikely.

There are indications that both Lewandowski and Barcelona must remain patient if they are to reach their objective this summer, knowing Bayern Munich may have to end up settling for a sale, especially in light of speculations over a potential move for Matthijs de Ligt.