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Tag: Barca

  • La Liga giant sign Sergio Aguero on free transfer

    La Liga giant sign Sergio Aguero on free transfer

    FC Barcelona completed the signing of Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero on a free transfer on Monday.

    The 32-year-old striker underwent medical tests in Spain Monday, just two days after his last match for Manchester City ended in a 1-0 UEFA Champions League final defeat to Chelsea.

    “FC Barcelona and Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero have reached an agreement for the player to join the club from July 1 when his contract with Manchester City expires,” Barca said on Monday.

    “The player will sign a contract until the end of the 2022/2023 season and his buyout clause is set at 100 million euros.”

    The formal presentation was set for later in the day.

    The Argentina international will link up with friend and international team-mate Lionel Messi at Camp Nou on July 1 after his Manchester City contract expires.

    “Everyone at Manchester City will like to take this opportunity to thank Sergio for his incredible contribution to our success over the last decade and wish him well on the remainder of his career,” the English champions said in a statement.

    Aguero spent five years in La Liga with Atletico Madrid until 2011, when he moved to Manchester City for a reported fee of 35 million pounds.

    He scored a club-record 260 goals in 389 appearances in all competitions during a glittering decade in Manchester.

    Aguero famously secured Manchester City’s first English Premier League (EPL) title in 2011/2012 with an injury-time winner against Queens Park Rangers (QPR) on the final day of the season.

    The Argentine won the top-flight title five times in England.

    He also won six League Cups and the FA Cup in 2018/2019 as part of a domestic treble under Pep Guardiola.

    The Spaniard had described the forward as “a special person” who would be irreplaceable for the club.

    Aguero scored twice on his final league appearance for Manchester City in the 5-0 win over Everton this month.

    The goals took him to 184 in the Premier League — fourth in the all-time charts.

    It also helped to break Wayne Rooney’s record for the most goals scored in the competition for a single club.

  • Barca ready to announce signing of Man City defender

    Barca ready to announce signing of Man City defender

    Barcelona are set to announce the signing of Manchester City defender Eric Garcia this morning.

    RAC1 say Garcia will be officially announced on Monday as a new player for Barcelona. It will be the start of a big week for president Joan Laporta.

    Barcelona’s plans are to announce Eric Garcia on Monday morning and present him on Tuesday at Camp Nou with a press conference. After Eric, it will be Kun Aguero’s turn.

    He is likely to be announced as a Barca player this coming week, along with Emerson. Garcia already admitted this Saturday that his arrival at FC Barcelona is signed and sealed.

    “It’s a brave decision,” said the centre-back.

  • Barca president tells Koeman ‘you’re being replaced’

    Barca president tells Koeman ‘you’re being replaced’

    Ronald Koeman knows he’s a dead man walking at Barcelona, it has been revealed.

    TV3 says during his meeting with Barca president Joan Laporta, Koeman was informed a new coach was being sought.

    Vice president Rafa Yuste and football director Mateu Alemany were both present, along with Koeman’s agent Rob Jansen.

    And during the meeting, Laporta told Koeman they were seeking to replace him and planned to have the new coach appointed within 15 days.

    If no appointment is made, then Koeman would be supported to fulfill the final year of his current Barca contract.

  • Barca reach agreement to sign Liverpool midfielder

    Barca reach agreement to sign Liverpool midfielder

    Departing Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum is set to join La Liga giant FC Barcelona.

    Wijnaldum’s agent and lawyer were both in Barcelona yesterday for talks with Blaugrana officials.

    The Holland midfielder is off contract next month and declared on Sunday plans to leave Liverpool.

    Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reported Wijnaldum has now committed to a three-year contract with Barca.

    The Dutchman is now waiting on final details over the terms of the deal to be settled by his representatives. However, an announcement could be made within days.

  • Koeman remains Barca coach after Laporta meeting

    Koeman remains Barca coach after Laporta meeting

    Ronald Koeman remains Barcelona coach after meeting with president Joan Laporta on Tuesday.

    Both parties have called for a new meeting, that could take place in the near future. It is clear that a proposal was made, and those involved want some time to analyse before making a decision, says Marca.

    Just before 8pm, Koeman turned up a Barcelona’s Camp Nou offices accompanied by his representative Rob Jansen.

    The Barcelona boss held talks with president Laporta and director of football Mateu Alemany, as they looked to address the Dutchman’s future at the club,

    The meeting lasted less than 30 minutes, and it is not yet known what the outcome was, though news of whether or not Koeman will stay on as Barcelona coach is expected soon.

    Ten minutes after Koeman and his agent left the Camp Nou offices, Laporta, Alemany and Ramon Yuste also departed.

    Koeman has always made clear that he has a contract with Barcelona, despite the fact that Laporta has claimed that this is the end of a cycle for the club.

  • Suarez says Koeman has “no personality”, blasts ex-Barca president

    Suarez says Koeman has “no personality”, blasts ex-Barca president

    Luis Suarez has slammed Ronald Koeman for lacking personality and also hit out at former FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu after winning La Liga with Atletico Madrid.

    The 34-year-old striker was controversially allowed to leave Barca for domestic rivals Atletico Madrid after six successful seasons at Camp Nou.

    Suarez responded by firing in 21 goals in 32 league matches for Atletico Madrid, including two in their final two matches in priceless wins against Osasuna and Real Valladolid.

    The Uruguay forward has regularly discussed how hurt he was by his Barca departure.

    He looked at it from a fresh angle after showing his emotion when Atletico Madrid got over the line to claim league glory.

    “I will always be grateful to FC Barcelona and I’m never going to go against FC Barcelona, they have given me everything and allowed me to get to the elite,” Suarez said.

    “But obviously the president [Bartomeu] said everything in the press instead of calling me.

    “Then the moment they wanted Leo [Messi] to stay they called me to use me to convince him, to talk to [Antoine] Griezmann. So, why didn’t they call me when they wanted me to leave?

    “Koeman told me I wasn’t in his plans, then he said, `If we don’t figure this out by tomorrow, you’re back in my plans and I’m counting on you against Villarreal’.

    “I saw then that the man had no personality. He was not strong enough to tell me I was not needed.

    “No one [from Barca’s management has] congratulated me, but I nearly sent them a photo!”

    Suarez added he would find it “impossible” to leave Atletico Madrid ahead of next season.

    The club have confirmed he would stay for the second year of his contract should he wish to do so.

    Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, meanwhile, has discussed the circumstances around signing Suarez, insisting he was not going to let the opportunity slide.

    “I was very happy from the first day I spoke with him. I had already spoken with him when he was at Liverpool, in an effort for him to sign with us but he chose FC Barcelona,” Simeone said.

  • La Liga: Barca coach Ronald Koeman may yet avoid sack

    La Liga: Barca coach Ronald Koeman may yet avoid sack

    Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman may yet avoid the sack when meeting with president Joan Laporta this week.

    Sport says Koeman remains in charge for now and has one year to run on his contract but his future is uncertain. The coming days will be intense and a final decision must be made before the first week of June. Anything could happen. The only thing that’s certain right now is the uncertainty.

    Koeman said goodbye to the players for the summer on Sunday but the message was “see you again” because no one has communicated to him otherwise.

    He will meet with Laporta in the coming days and conclusions will be withdrawn. Koeman will detail how he’s seen the end of the season and the changes he feels are necessary to take Barça to the next level.

    Laporta will listen but it’s another thing if he buys Koeman’s explanations. In fact, if it wasn’t for the club’s financial position, many believe the Dutchman would already be gone.

  • Mikel Arteta added to Barca president shortlist

    Mikel Arteta added to Barca president shortlist

    Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is on the shortlist of Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

    After a disappointing end to the season, Barca coach Ronald Koeman is under pressure to keep hold of his job. He is set to meet with Laporta tomorrow to discuss his situation.

    Mundo Deportivo says Laporta is expected to show Koeman the door and begin the search for a replacement.

    Al Sadd coach Xavi is favourite, though not alone with Arteta also being considered.

    Belgium coach Roberto Martinez is another being discussed inside Laporta’s board room as he casts a wide net.

  • Messi to miss Barca’s final match of La Liga season

    Messi to miss Barca’s final match of La Liga season

    Lionel Messi will sit out FC Barcelona’s final match of the 2020/2021 La Liga season against Eibar on Saturday.

    The club confirmed on Friday their captain has been granted permission to start his holidays early before he begins preparations for the Copa America with Argentina.

    Midfielder Pedri will also skip the game at Ipurua after a hectic season, with Barca unable to finish any higher than third in the table.

    Messi has played in all but two of Barca’s league games in 2020/2021, making 47 appearances in all competitions.

    He leads the goalscoring charts in La Liga with 30, seven clear of nearest rival Gerard Moreno, meaning he is almost certain to win the Pichichi trophy for the eighth time in his career.

    It is unclear whether Messi will play again for the Catalans where he broke the club’s appearance record with 778 matches.

    He also broke the world record for most goals at one club with 672 goals this season.

    The 33-year-old’s future at Camp Nou remains in doubt, with his contract expiring in June and no agreement yet reached on an extension.

    Messi attempted to leave last year, with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) said to be interested, but he was thwarted by former president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

    The return of Joan Laporta, who has a good relationship with Messi, as Bartomeu’s successor this year could play a part in the player’s decision over his future.

    Laporta is reported to have sanctioned a 10-year contract offer for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

    Barca have also been tipped to sign Messi’s Argentina team-mate Sergio Aguero on a free transfer after he leaves Manchester City.

  • Aguero accepts 60%-plus pay-cut to join Barca

    Aguero accepts 60%-plus pay-cut to join Barca

    Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is accepting a hefty pay-cut to move to Barcelona this summer.

    Aguero will leave City when his contract expires at the end of next month.

    Beteve says Aguero has agreed to join the La Liga giants on a two-year deal that could see him link up with his international team-mate Lionel Messi next season.

    The report also claims that the striker has lowered his salary demands to help push the deal over the line.

    Aguero was said to be earning £12million a year at Manchester City, while his new deal at Barcelona will see him earn £4.4m (€5m).

    Aguero is no stranger to La Liga having spent five years with Atletico Madrid before his move to Manchester in 2011.

    Barcelona also hope Aguero’s arrival will convince Messi to stay put and sign a new two-year contract with his current deal due to expire at the end of June.