Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images
Last night El Mundo leaked confidential details regarding Lionel Messi’s demands to sign a new contract with Barcelona back in 2020.

The report included details such as the seven-time Ballon d’Or’s demands of a private box for his and Luis Suarez’s family at Camp Nou, €10 million renewal bonus and repayment for salary reductions among others.

Now, Barcelona have issued an official statement slamming the leaks, stating that the information made public was part of a judicial procedure. The statement from the Catalan giants reads as follows:

“In relation to the information published today in El Mundo del Siglo XXI , under the title ‘BarçaLeaks, the secret archives of the club, part 1’, FC Barcelona expresses its outrage at the interested leak of some information that would form part of a judicial procedure.

“The Club also regrets that the media outlet boasts of having had ‘access to a huge amount of documentation and emails that are in the possession of the Barçagate investigation’ when this information and documentation has not yet been shared with the parties.”

The statement further adds that Barcelona will consider taking legal actions against the media outlet due to the leaks of confidential information.

“In any case, the article in question makes public documents that have nothing to do with the investigation of the case and their use threatens the reputation and confidentiality of the Club.

“For this reason, and with the aim of protecting the rights of FC Barcelona, ​​the Club’s legal services are already studying the appropriate measures to take.”

Messi eventually did not sign any new contract with the club and departed Barça last year as a free agent, joining Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal.

Barring an interesting twist in the tale, it seems quite certain that Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona at the end of the season, taking Inter Miami as a possible destination.

The 34-year-old midfielder has been with the Blaugrana for half his life, but it looks like a new chapter is on the horizon now. Replacing it will not be the easy task, which is why the search is already underway.
Advertising

The Barcelona board has already identified several potential solutions moving forward in Busquets’ role, and hopes to have a decision ready to be implemented before the midfielder departs.

The list of potential replacements includes two names that the Catalan club have been watching for a while: Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi and Wolverhampton’s Ruben Neves.

Barcelona like the Basque midfielder very much, but Real Sociedad are known to be a tough negotiator and are unlikely to let their local star leave for less than his release clause, which is currently set at €60m.

At the age of 23, Zubimendi has already made over 100 appearances for the Sociedad first team and is continuing to improve. He was part of the Spanish team that won the silver medal at the last Olympics.

Robin Nevis
Another major name under Busquets’ role is Ruben Neves, who, at 25 and with 30 caps for Portugal, is a more established option.

Of course, it will not come cheap either, but is represented by Jorge Mendes, who has an excellent relationship with Joan Laporta.

But Barcelona have other ideas, and they may decide they don’t need to go out and sign a replacement. Nico, currently on loan at Valencia, could return home to inherit sixth place, so Xavi will be keeping a close eye on him this season.

It’s safe to say that Real Madrid have one of the best forward ensembles in world football. In Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr, Los Blancos potentially have the most feared attacking duo in Europe.

Additionally, Rodrygo is one of the most gifted youngsters in the world, while Eden Hazard still possesses bags of technical quality, despite being past his prime.

And with Federico Valverde’s evolution as a right winger, it’s next to impossible for most sides on the planet to hold a torch to the European champions’ options up front.

However, Gerard Deulofeu, one of Europe’s most in-form forwards has hinted at his desire to join Real Madrid, adding to their embarrassment of riches in the forward department.

“If they come, how are you going to say no?”, he said, when asked if he would be willing to join Real Madrid, by MARCA.

Ultimately, this revelation is controversial, to say the least, considering the current Udinese talisman is also a La Masia graduate.

The 28-year-old also represented Barcelona’s first team between 2011 and 2013, following which he had loan stints with Everton and Sevilla, before joining the former permanently in 2015. Deulofeu returned to Barça in 2017, but the reunion lasted just six months as he moved to Watford soon.

It is not a surprise that the temptation of playing for Real Madrid is major for any player in the world. After all, the side from the Spanish capital won a double just last season, and remain the only team in Europe to have triumphed in every game this term as well.

With five league assists for a Udinese side that are at the summit of Serie A, Deulofeu looks like a man possessed in Italy currently as well.

While some may consider the option of bringing in the Spaniard as a viable option to bolster the frontline, Real Madrid’s incredible adaptation in Benzema’s absence indicates they are more than fine up top.

During the interview, Deulofeu also named Benzema as his pick for the Ballon d’Or 2022.

RELATED TOPICS:BARCELONAGERARD DEULOFEUREAL MADRIDCLICK TO COMMENT
REAL MADRID NEWSUEFA planning new ‘mini tournament’ at the start of each season, featuring four teamsPublished 2 hours agoon September 20, 2022By Adithya EshwarlaPhoto by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
The format of the UEFA Champions League has faced severe criticism in recent years with several top European clubs proposing a change in its format.

The situation peaked when clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Juventus openly declared the formation of an autonomous European Super League last year.

Needless to say, UEFA have been trying to find ways to reinvent their competitions in recent years to appease both the clubs and the public. David Ornstein brings to light a new proposal on the table that the association consider introducing next year.

The new event will be a mini-tournament with four participating teams. It will be held before the start of the new season and will be called the ‘Opening Tournament.’

The winners of the previous edition of the Champions League will be given a guaranteed spot in the competition with the other three participants being top-performing European sides, likely semi-finalists.

Some powerful club executives have also been considering the possibility of hosting some matches in foreign markets like the United States, China and the Middle East. One of the main promoters of taking the games out of Europe is said to be PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Needless to say, Real Madrid will be amongst the favourites to take part in the event given their terrific form in Europe in recent years. Moreover, Florentino Perez has always been in favour of playing tournaments with stronger opposition and the new tournament is a mini version of the Super League he planned.

When Xavi took charge of Barcelona during the 2021/22 season, it’s safe to say that the squad was far from ideal.

However, a summer of lavish spending has meant the Spanish boss has had a lot more tools to work with in order to fulfil the club’s ultimate dream of returning to the top again.

Amidst the host of superstars the 42-year-old can select from, it has been revealed that he is unlikely to veer away from a set spine he has now built at the Spotify Camp Nou.

As per a report by SPORT, Xavi’s ‘immovables’ at Barça consist of the likes of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Pedri, Gavi, Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski.

One of the former legendary midfielder’s prime goals was to ensure that ter Stegen finds his best form yet again and so far, this season, his redemption arc is fully in motion, conceding a mere goal in six La Liga matches.

As for Araujo, he has not played in only one game this term, while Kounde has only been benched once, since his registration mid-campaign.

Unsurprisingly, Pedri has played the second most minutes out of any outfield player this season at Barcelona (604), which speaks volumes of his importance to the side.

In a similar vein, Gavi was only rested in the side’s 5-1 battering of Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League.

Lewandowski, who is currently the leading goalscorer in the league with eight goals, has the most minutes out of any outfield player at the club (629), while the revitalized Dembele has missed just one match in all competitions up until this point.

With an enviable core at his disposal, Xavi has quality and stability in abundance within his ranks, which makes him best placed to lead Barcelona’s rise to the summit.

Ousmane Dembele (25) is one of Barcelona’s best performing players at the start of the season and has full confidence in Xavi Hernandez, but history could have been quite different.

Continuing the Frenchman at FC Barcelona was never easy, and there were months of long negotiations that finally ended with a winger renewal until 2024 when it already looked like he wouldn’t continue as a wolf.

One of the teams that looked like a potential destination for Dembele over the past summer was Paris Saint-Germain and there was talk of early talks about a merger with Leonardo, but a change in the Paris team’s sporting management has caused plans to change. This is what the current sporting director Luis Campos indicated in statements to “RMC Sport”, justifying his decision not to sign with Dembele.

“I really like Ousmane Dembele. He is a very good player, but we did not sign him because he plays on the wing and we play without a wing. When you form a team, you have to make sure that everything fits together like Dembele may be at PSG,” said Luis Campos about the possibility of Dembele at PSG. .

With Mbappe, Messi and Neymar as a luxury avatar in Paris, Dembele’s ownership is also not assured and from PSG they have preferred to bolster other, more important positions in the squad. Will they regret now?

Once the 2022/23 season begins, records prove that the courageous investments made by Joan Laporta’s board of directors are correct when it comes to activating the levers in order to strengthen the team.

Robert Lewandowski leads the causes of FC Barcelona, ​​as the Polish striker scored 11 goals in the eight official matches he played in the Barcelona shirt, and is one of the mainstays that keep fans excited for this new team.

The transfer market became a phase of opportunity for the Catalan entity and those years in which the club was in difficulty and the club had to sell footballers so that it could close the exits – or give up – for some footballers. In this sense, the web portal associated with Barça culemania.com indicates the movements that Matteo Alemani and his company will make next summer, since it is also expected to be very mobile.

First, the summer market opening date of 2023 will be one day after the contracts of important players such as Sergio Busquets or Memphis Depay have expired. Earth Axis had already decided to end his role as a footballer at the time, while the Dutch striker’s future was still on the horizon. The exit did not materialize last August, and against Elche, he once again began to show his quality with a superb goal with a personal signature included.

The Blaugrana Sports Administration will also have to address the cases of Jordi Alba and Pique. The entity will provide the 23 million that Busquets will receive today and can do the same with the second and fourth leaders’ high chips. They both have a contract until the summer of 2024 and have lost ownership of Xavi’s team, and for this reason, a friendly departure can be agreed or the contract terminated, as Barcelona did with footballers such as Neto, Ureki, Boeing or Monegueza.

Aside from the sacred cow issue – which would kick up a very significant amount of the wage bill – the Collie Sports Department could shut down Leo Messi’s famous return to Barcelona. It is one of the great surprises that the club can prepare for next summer, because apart from the salary space that the departure of the leaders will provide, Messi ends his contract with Paris Saint-Germain on June 30, 2023.

Laporta confirms that they are also studying to get a young alternative striker with a lot of potential who accepts to replace Lewandowski, apart from noting that Barcelona have not forgotten Juan Foyth, Xavi’s favorite winger who will replace the Bellerin player. Which is also free next summer. But the surprise, most shocking of all, will be the possible departure of Ansu Fati, who had an alternative status, a contract until 2027 and a very high market price given his status at a young age of 19.

Xavi hailed a team win after Barca’s display against Elche while Ronald Araujo wanted to bounce back quickly from the loss to Bayern.

FC Barcelona quickly recovered their heads after their defeat against Bayern Munich by crushing Elche. A real team victory that Xavi appreciated, he who rotated by aligning Memphis Depay in particular:
“We have a very big team now. Everyone is training well, reacting well. Remember this season is strange and we need everyone to be in their best game. We have to become a family “You win titles with a great team, not with a fixed starting XI. We have 25 players, and all of them could start every game. Then it’s my turn to make the decisions.

Everyone is ready to play at any time, and it shows. Everyone can make a difference. We always have room to improve. We had a good start to the season. I’m very grateful. I’m happy to have won . It was very important. After their red card, the game changed completely.”

He said in remarks reported by Barça Universal before praising the young Alejandro Baldé: “Balde is an excellent left-back. We have three excellent left-backs. Jordi, Marcos and Balde. is created several chances today. I am very happy for him, he is very mature. It never ceases to amaze me that a child of Balde’s age plays as well as he does. He will give us a lot. His condition physics is barbaric.”

Former Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes that the return of his friend, Lionel Messi, to the “Camp Nou” castle is possible in the future, but the Catalan giant’s management will decide the matter.

And many reports have previously appeared that there is a possibility for the attacking winger of the Paris Saint-Germain team to return to Barcelona, ​​​​after the expiration of his contract at the end of the current season on June 30, 2023.

Cesc Fabregas made important statements about the Barcelona team this season after the loss to Bayern Munich, in statements on Radio “RAC1”, and said: “I see a strong team capable of competing for championships.”

The veteran midfielder continued, “Marcos Alonso is a great player, he is good at taking free kicks, and if he has opportunities to score, he will definitely score.”

When asked about the possibility of Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba remaining on the bench this season with Barcelona, ​​Cesc responded by saying: “Accepting that costs a lot, especially since they will train on the second day of the match with the bench while the basics recover.”

He concluded by talking about the possibility of Messi returning to the “Camp Nou” stadium by saying: “I do not know if it is possible or not, it could be an option if Barcelona is open to that, in the end, the decision is up to him and the club, it will be a happy ending.”

The 18-year-old starred for Vasco da Gama in his first season and is the focus of interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Newcastle.

Despite all their efforts this summer, Barcelona still faces one obvious problem to solve over the next 12 months, and that is the search for a replacement for Sergio Busquets.

However, a potential long-term solution may not be so far-fetched.

Andre Santos has already been compared to Busquets in his native Brazil, and reports suggest that Barcelona have made two offers for the young midfielder, which Vasco da Gama rejected, and have also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Newcastle and Everton.

The comparison to Busquets is fair enough in terms of his passing ability and the way Andre can handle and resist pressure, although the extra dimension he can bring in the final third is what makes him one of the most interesting defensive midfielders in the world.

He has the stamina to play the number 8 player, can carry the ball the length of the court, and his debut season as a key player in the first team demonstrated Andrey’s ability to score, both from moving and from set pieces.

So some see it as the number 8, the shirt he wears in Vasco, as he follows in the footsteps of one of the club’s symbols Juninho.

Juninho, who made his name in Europe thanks to his ability to take free kicks while in Lyon, said of Andre when speaking to YouTube channel Resenha Loading: “Physically, he’s a beast without the ball. I would have liked to see his GPS. Technically speaking, it is superior to the others.

“He won’t be better than me, he’ll be a lot better than me. He’s a much more complete player. At 18, I didn’t play half of what he does, I’m not ashamed to say that.”

Paxton Aaronson: The brother of the star of the United States national team following his path

In addition to Juninho, Andre has also surpassed recent Vasco Academy graduates Felipe Coutinho, Douglas Luiz and Alan – all of whom are now playing in the Premier League – in terms of what he has achieved at his age.

The youngest goalscorer in the club’s history, scoring five goals in 25 first-team appearances, and although the bulk of them have come in the second division, there is no doubt that he will be able to make the same impact in the first division.

Veteran Vasco midfielder Nene said in a recent interview: “It doesn’t even look like he’s that young. He has incredible maturity in coaching, like he’s been with us for many years.

“He has vision to play, a lot of quality and he is good at breaking lines. He is already in the Brazil U-20 team and who knows, maybe soon he will shine in the first national team? He will be a great player.”

Andrei has lived a journey to get to this level, starting his football education at the age of four when he was a little overweight kid and his grandmother enrolled him in a local futsal club in Rio de Janeiro.

She was concerned about Andre’s size, but he quickly fell in love with the game and shed the fat before catching the attention of Vasco’s scouts two years later.

Having become the club’s youngest player in the 21st century, Vasco is now working hard to tie him to a new contract to keep him at the club for at least another 12 months.

The club know the lure of Europe will ultimately be too much for Andre to resist, but Vasco is keen to ensure they get a fair price, with up to €35m (£30m/$35m) already floated for the player keen to keep his feet. In the field.

Andre told GM, “I’m very focused, serious and want to win. I want to win all the time, and I don’t let my teammates rest, because I always want to improve.”

This development could carry him to the Camp Nou, and a more dynamic version of Busquets could find themselves playing the starring role with Barcelona.