Author name: gool

Barcelona is close to resolving the deal to replace Frenchman Ousmane Dembele from the English Premier League after fierce competition with Chelsea and Arsenal.

Barcelona is seeking to strengthen its offensive line after Dembele’s agents refused to renew the contract due to financial disputes, and it seems that the Brazilian winger Rafinha, the Leeds United player, is the most prominent candidate to compensate for Dembele’s departure.

The name Rafinha was associated with leaving Leeds United this summer, after the good levels that the Brazilian player provided during the past two seasons.

According to what was published by the Spanish newspaper “Sport”, Deco arrived in Barcelona to negotiate with the Catalan club regarding the transfer of his client, Rafinha, from Leeds United to the Blaugrana.
The newspaper hinted that Barcelona wanted to sign Rafinha for 5 seasons, but it is believed that the deal depends on the future of Ousmane Dembele.

Dembele’s contract with Barcelona expires at the end of this season, but the Frenchman can still stay in the “Camp Nou”, and Dembele’s stay excludes the possibility of Barcelona joining Rafinha.

And the Catalan newspaper reported, that the Brazilian Rafinha, the Leeds United star, had rejected tempting offers from London clubs in order to move to this summer.

The newspaper pointed out that Arsenal and Chelsea had already made tempting offers to sign Rafinha, but the latter rejected all of them in order to fulfill his dream of moving to the Camp Nou.
And the newspaper said, that Rafinha is not looking for money, he only wants to play in the Barcelona shirt in the new season.

Rafinha joined Leeds United in the summer of 2020 and established himself as one of the most decisive players in the Premier League.

The famous Catalan journalist, Gerard Romero, revealed new details today regarding the Brazilian’s transfer to the Catalan club.

Romero indicated that Matteo Alemani, Barcelona’s sporting director, and Rafinha’s Portuguese agent, Deco, have been in the club’s corridors since this morning, stressing that the deal may take place in the coming hours.

English press reports have confirmed that Chelsea and Arsenal are competing with Barcelona for the services of the Brazilian wing.

It is worth noting that Rafinha’s contract with Leeds United will expire in the summer of 2024, and he participated in the last season with the team 36 games, and succeeded in scoring 11 goals, and making three others.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez and Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich striker, met in one place on the island of Ibiza.

The contract of the 33-year-old Polish striker Robert Lewandowski with Bayern Munich is scheduled to expire in the summer of 2023.

And Lewandowski announced his desire to leave Bayern Munich more than once, and many reports claimed that the Polish already had an agreement with Barcelona.

According to the newspaper “Mundo Deportivo”, Xavi and Lewandowski were in the same restaurant on the island of Ibiza, this evening, Wednesday.

The newspaper pointed out that Xavi and Lewandowski exchanged words and they communicated inside the restaurant,
The newspaper said that they took the opportunity to exchange some words about the current situation and the Polish star’s desire to leave Bayern towards Barcelona.

The newspaper pointed out that Lewandowski assured Xavi during their meeting in Ibiza that he would continue to work with all his strength to join Barcelona, ​​despite Bayern Munich’s position.

The newspaper reported that Barcelona has so far submitted 3 offers to the Bavarian club’s management in order to include the Polish striker in the current summer Mercato.

However, the German club’s management adheres to its opinion and strongly opposes Lewandowski’s departure to Barcelona during the current summer Mercato.

A new club has expressed its interest in signing Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti, during the current summer transfer window.

Umtiti is at the top of the list of players that Barcelona seeks to get rid of during the current summer Mercato, and despite receiving several offers from European clubs, but the French defender has not responded to any of them so far.

In this regard, the French newspaper, “L’Equipe”, stated that the French club Rennes, competing in the French first division, made an offer to Barcelona to sign Umtiti, in order to fill the void left by Moroccan Nayef Akrad.

Moroccan player Nayef Akrad left Rennes a few days ago, heading to West Ham United for 35 million euros, after spending two years with the French club.

And the French newspaper hinted that Umtiti asked for more time to make a decision, and compare the offers presented to him to choose the best one.

She stated that the “outcast Barcelona defender” had received offers from several clubs, most notably the French Olympique Lyon, his former club, the Italian Fiorentina, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas from Turkey.

The 28-year-old French defender joined Barcelona in the summer of 2016, coming from Lyon for 25 million euros, after his brilliance with the French national team in the European Nations Cup “Euro”, which was held in the same year.

The Cameroonian defender suffered from injuries and fluctuated levels with Barcelona, ​​and participated in 132 matches over 6 seasons at Camp Nou, during which he scored two goals.

Throughout last season, Umtiti participated in one match with Barcelona, ​​while he missed almost 4 months due to multiple injuries.

Spanish press reports revealed that Barcelona decided to sign Portuguese international Ruben Neves, Wolverhampton midfielder.

The Portuguese midfielder is receiving great attention from Barcelona’s sports administration, but it is difficult to sign him this summer.

Barcelona coach Xavi gave the green light to the management to settle the Ruben Neves deal, to strengthen the midfield before the start of the new season.

And according to what was published by the Spanish newspaper “Sport”, the 25-year-old is the first choice in the search for a replacement for Sergio Busquets, and it is likely that the club will enter negotiations with Wolverhampton to include the middle of the field, especially after entering Manchester United.

Neves wants to move away from Wolverhampton and join a team that will participate in the Champions League next season, and this condition applies only to Barcelona and not Manchester United, despite making an offer of 50 million euros.

Neves is considered one of the most distinguished players in the midfield in the English Premier League for years, and his name has recently been linked to the possibility of moving to Barcelona or Manchester United, but which one prefers the Portuguese?!

The Catalan newspaper indicated that Neves would prefer moving to Barcelona in the Spanish League than moving to Manchester United under the leadership of new coach Eric Ten Hag.

Although Xavi believes that Busquets can still perform at the highest level and continue to be one of the backbone members of the team, the presence of Man United on the line of negotiations with the English club made Xavi demand Laporta to hurry in order to bring the deal, especially after the possible departure of De Jong.

Barcelona was considering signing Neves next summer, after the end of the 2022/2023 season, with only one year left on his contract, in addition to the expiration of Busquets’ contract.

Although the club is very interested in Robin Neves, but he does not intend to risk and enter into negotiations this summer, especially since his price next summer may drop to 40 million euros, and then the economic situation may be better.

The Catalan newspaper stated, that the Neves deal may include players, and this is what encouraged Wolverhampton to ask for Barcelona midfielder, Nico, but the Catalan club is hesitant about the player’s departure system, whether sale or loan.

French press reports revealed that the divorce of Brazilian international Neymar da Silva and his French club, Paris Saint-Germain, is imminent after the relationship between the player and the president of his club entered a dead end, against the background of the statements made by the latter that criticized the samba leader.

The report indicated that the management of the Paris Saint-Germain club informed Neymar’s relatives that he would not keep him. The report stressed that the two sides are looking for the best exit for both of them, especially after their desire to secede from the other.

Neymar is open to leaving because he has always said he should feel loved at his club, and there is no objection on the part of PSG to him leaving now.

According to the French newspaper, “Le Parisien”, Neymar is close to leaving Paris Saint-Germain, and that Barcelona is the closest to joining the player during the current summer transfers.

The 30-year-old Neymar da Silva was associated with leaving Paris Saint-Germain this summer, especially after club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi hinted about the possibility of the Brazilian leaving the team.

The famous Spanish “El Chiringuito” program also reported that the French Paris Saint-Germain administration is communicating with its counterpart Barcelona about the possibility of selling the Brazilian Neymar da Silva to them during the summer transfer market.

Jose Alvarez, one of the journalists on the program, explained that the Barcelona administration had received a call from Paris Saint-Germain mediators, as well as Benny Zahavi, Polish business agent Robert Lewandowski, regarding the idea of ​​​​recovering Neymar da Silva in the amount of 50 million euros, negotiable.

The journalist added that Neymar da Silva would be very happy to return to the Barcelona team after his many attempts to do so in the past years.

The famous journalist explained that Barcelona president Joan Laporta does not rule out signing Neymar, as he will help him a lot in the Barca project, especially as he wants to prove himself again.

Neymar had a bad season with Paris Saint-Germain, where he scored 13 goals and made 8 in 28 games, and on the other hand, press reports revealed that the Brazilian offered himself to Barcelona, ​​​​through his agent, Benny Zahavi.

And the Spanish program stated that Benny Zahavi, the agent of the Brazilian star Neymar, offered the player to Barcelona, ​​​​Spain, to include him during the current summer transfer period.

The program said that with Barcelona losing the deal of the Polish star Robert Lewandowski, the Bayern Munich striker, his agent, Benny Zahavi, offered Neymar to the Catalan club.

He confirmed that the Brazilian star Neymar deal would cost Barcelona only 50 million euros, and Zahavi offered him if the Lewandowski deal failed.

He stressed that the Brazilian Neymar sees his return to Barcelona again as a good thing for him, stressing that it is the only team he wants to move to if he leaves Paris Saint-Germain.

But at the same time, the program confirmed that Barcelona is not thinking, at least for the time being, of Neymar, despite the good relationship between Joan Laporta, the club’s president and his board of directors, and agent Benny Zahavi, where the priority at the moment is to sign Lewandowski.

It is worth noting that the Barcelona team is suffering from an economic crisis through which it cannot sign the Brazilian Neymar, who has a contract with Paris Saint-Germain that expires in June 2025.

The Spanish coach, Xavi Hernandez, coach of Barcelona, ​​​​has begun to develop a plan in which there is no retreat or surrender regarding the disposal of the elements that are redundant in the coming seasons.

To this end, Spanish coach Xavi Hernandez, coach of Barcelona, ​​has made a bold decision regarding the players who are out of his plans, and the administration wants to get rid of them in the current summer period.

In this context, the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo revealed that Xavi decided not to call up players who are out of his plans in the first week of the official preparations for the new football season.

On top of those excluded from the first week of pre-season are Oscar Mingueza, Samuel Umtiti and Ricky Butch, as Xavi intends to give them enough time to focus on finding a team for each of them quietly in the coming period, as the trio know that they are outside the coach’s plans for the new season.

According to the same newspaper, the Barcelona administration is forced to get rid of some players, to equalize the law of fair play and be able to restrict newcomers.

The Catalan club was able to officially settle the two deals of Andreas Christensen and Frank Kessie, and they will be announced in the coming days.

Denmark’s Martin Braithwaite is also in this group, knowing that he has more summer vacation days than the trio due to his participation with Denmark in the European Nations League, during the last break.

Xavi will leave the space for the quartet to negotiate with any other team to decide their future in the coming period, provided that none of them will be present in the Catalan team’s summer tour in the United States of America.

It seems that the transfer series of Bayern Munich player Robert Lewandowski is nearing its end after a tug of war in the past few days between him and his club, and Barcelona as a third party.

Lewandowski is in the last year of his contract, and clearly announced his desire to leave Bayern Munich towards Barcelona this summer, but the German club has refused this until this moment, and demanded the player to fulfill his contract until the end.

Robert Lewandowski is sticking to the decision to move to Barcelona during the next summer transfers, in light of reaching an agreement with the Catalan club and coach Xavi Hernandez.

Barcelona’s new offer to sign Lewandowski came at a time when Xavi, the coach of the Catalan team, requested the necessity of quickly resolving the contract with the Polish striker to be in the preparatory camp for the new season.

In this context, the “Radio Catalunya” network revealed that Barcelona had already sent its last offer to Bayern Munich, in order to contract with Lewandowski.

She indicated that Lewandowski is currently very optimistic about his departure from Bayern Munich, despite the Bavarian club’s request for 75 million euros, to allow him to leave, which Barcelona will certainly not pay.

On the level of personal salary, Lewandowski has already concluded an agreement with Barcelona on an annual salary of 12 million euros, with a contract that extends for three seasons.

The network, quoting the Spanish newspaper “Sport”, stated that Barcelona wanted to end the contract deal with Robert Lewandowski and began moving to convince the Bavarian club, where Barca offered 40 million euros, in addition to some variables worth about 10 million euros, in order to get the best striker in the world. Europe currently.

The “Sport” report indicated that Barcelona President Joan Laporta did not lose hope in concluding the deal and made contact with Lewandowski and his agent Benny Zahavi.

Last week, the player called for patience.

The Barcelona president assured the Polish striker that it is still his number one target and that the delay is due to the precarious financial situation of the club, which requires the sale of some players to make room on the salary cap to register new players.

Lewandowski submitted a request to Laporta to complete a deal before July 12, which is when Bayern begins preparing for the new season.

In a related context, the German newspaper “Bild” described Barcelona’s recent offer to join the Polish striker as a “huge offer”, as the German newspaper considers that the Catalan team’s approach to paying 50 million euros between fixed and variable may lead to Bayern Munich’s approval to enter negotiations with the Spanish club.

The German newspaper also indicated in its reports, that the possibility of Frankie de Jong’s transfer to Manchester United may give Barcelona space to negotiate, if he leaves, the Dutch midfielder will leave between 65 and 80 million euros in the Catalan coffers and the Blaugrana will be more financially strong, and seeks to satisfy Xavi with the arrival of Robert Lewandowski.

The Catalan newspaper stated that Barcelona’s latest offer will be in the range of 40 million euros, in addition to the variables.

The administration will not go further, given that the player has one year in his current contract, and also given his age.

The Polish star moved to Bayern in 2014 from Dortmund, and since then he represented the team’s colors in 375 matches in all competitions, scoring 344 goals and making 72 goals for his teammates.

It is worth noting that Bayern Munich refused to respond to Barcelona’s second offer, which it made to include Lewandowski, worth 32 million euros, in addition to 6 million euros in variables.

Barcelona remain keen to part with Memphis Depay for the right price in this transfer window.

The attacker has been on the Bianconeri’s radar since he was at Lyon and signed for Barça at the beginning of last season.

The Catalans have been getting rid of some of their players to have money for new signings.

Juve’s interest in Depay has reignited as they look to add a new striker to their squad to support Dusan Vlahovic.

The Dutchman’s contract in Spain expires at the end of next season and his current employers are now looking to sell him.

Tuttojuve reports that they want €20m to get rid of the former failure of Manchester United.

This information gives Juve an idea of ​​what they would need to add Depay to their squad.

Juve FC says

Depay has been one of Juve’s main targets and has been a good attacker at Lyon and PSV.

But he failed at United and Barca are not so happy to have him in their team.

The attacker would be a bet for Juve because he hasn’t fared so well at a top club so far, and there’s no guarantee he’ll do better when he moves to Turin.

Frenkie de Jong has told Manchester United and Barcelona he doesn’t want to leave the Nou Camp, according to reports in Spain. It’s emerged over the past 24 hours that the Red Devils are close to landing the 25-year-old. However, this fresh development now suggests otherwise and will likely have Erik ten Hag concerned behind the scenes. 

It’s been an open secret that United want to sign De Jong this summer, with the 25-year-old Ten Hag’s top transfer target as he looks to build a dynasty at Old Trafford. Over the past 24 hours, it’s been suggested the Red Devils have made progress when it comes to striking a deal.

However, at the 11th hour, Catalan newspaper Sport claim De Jong has told both United and Barcelona that he doesn’t intend to jump ship. It’s stated the Netherlands international is ‘determined’ to stay at the Nou Camp.

And he’s now transmitted this to both clubs involved, striking United a hammer transfer blow in the process.

United are said to be the only team showing ‘real interest’ in De Jong, despite links to Manchester City and Bayern Munich arising in the past. Ten Hag is said to want De Jong to be ‘one of the leaders of his project’, with the Red Devils pushing hard to secure the arrival of the 25-year-old.

The situation is described as ‘tense’ with De Jong determined to be a Barcelona hit, having struggled for consistency in the three years since his move from Ajax.

De Jong ‘even doubts his agent’, Ali Dursan, for trying to get him to join United this summer. And the 25-year-old is also unhappy at the way he’s being treated, feeling Barcelona and other parties are putting pressure on him to make the move to the Premier League.

De Jong could still end up moving to United, who have promised to make him one of their best-paid players. That’s in the wake of Paul Pogba’s departure, with the France international rejecting an offer of £300,000 a week in order to return to Juventus.

Barcelona need to balance their finances. And if De Jong does up staying in Catalonia, rather than going, then it’s likely he’ll have to take a substantial pay cut to help the La Liga titans balance the books.

United’s current offer supposedly ‘hardly comes close’ to what De Jong currently earns at Barcelona – and it seems like this saga is set to roll on for a little while longer.

Meanwhile, Express Sport recently sat down to talk with United legend Wes Brown. And he expressed a belief De Jong would be a major addition to the Red Devils, saying: “Yeah I do, I think he’s a quality player who is good on the ball.

“He’s not shy with the ball and we obviously know we’ve had a lot of players leave, especially midfielders in general.

“Whether they were getting to the end, a bit older, but there’s been quite a lot gone. So we’re pretty thin there. Midfield is definitely a signing that we need and De Jong, I think, would fit the bill very nicely.”

A recent report from RAC1 has issued an update on Barcelona’s TV rights issue, suggesting the club could be in for a bit of a ride as they attempt to sell at least 10% of the rights by Thursday.

Earlier this month, the Barcelona assembly approved the motion of selling a quarter of the club’s TV rights deal in an attempt to generate revenue. Simultaneously, the assembly also approved the sale of 49.9% of BLM.

Among the two, the sale of TV rights is expected to generate significant revenue. The report from Helena Condis suggests Barça are set to reach an agreement with Sixth Street, an American investment group.

They will pay €205 million for 10% of the TV rights, which will help Barcelona close the 2021/22 season with profits.

The list of other suitors include global banking giants Goldman Sachs, along with other financial behemoths. But with just one week remaining before Barça kickstart their training for the new season, the club are certainly running out of time.

It will be imperative for the Catalans to sanction the sale of their assets as soon as possible, knowing the funds generated through the deal could go a long way in helping Barça cover their losses and bring in new players, starting with Robert Lewandowski.

Barcelona expect the situation to become clearer in the coming week, but given the current circumstances, the club are facing a race against time, especially if they continue to hold out for a hefty price tag for the TV rights.