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Tag: Barca

  • Barca to sell 5 senior players in January

    Barca to sell 5 senior players in January

    La Liga giant Barcelona are planning to offload as many as five senior players this January.

    Mundo Deportivo says the Catalan club’s money problems have been well documented and Ousmane Dembele could be moved on.

    Manchester United were heavily linked with the Frenchman who cost Barcelona £124m just three years ago.

    Persistent injury problems have blighted his Nou Camp career and Barcelona are now ready to cut their losses on the forward.

    Dembele could be available for just £45m but United are more interested in an initial loan deal with an option to buy.

    Martin Braithwaite, Carles Alena, Junior Firpo and Samuel Umtiti are also set to be sold.

  • Messi inspires Barca to first league win in five games

    Messi inspires Barca to first league win in five games

    Half-time substitute Lionel Messi turned the game around for Barcelona as they beat Real Betis for a first La Liga win in five games.

    Ousmane Dembele gave Barca the lead with a powerful effort and Antoine Griezmann had a penalty saved.

    Antonio Sanabria smashed home an equaliser just before half-time.

    But Messi came on at the break and had a hand in Griezmann’s equaliser and scored twice himself before teenager Pedri hit a late fifth.

    The Barca captain dummied Alba’s pass, taking two defenders and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo out of the equation, to leave Griezmann with a tap-in.

    He then put Barca ahead from the penalty spot after Aissa Mandi was sent off for handling Dembele’s shot on the line – a decision made after a lengthy video assistant referee review.

    Messi played a one-two with Sergi Roberto, who backheeled the ball into his path and he smashed it into the roof of the net.

    That was his first goal of the season for club or country which was not a penalty. The previous six had all been from the spot.

    He thought he had a hat-trick afterwards but his goal was disallowed for a Roberto offside.

    It was a much needed win for Ronald Koeman, whose side had only picked up two points from the previous four league games.

    They move up to eighth, one point behind Real Betis.

  • Nadal joins team of Barca presidential candidate

    Nadal joins team of Barca presidential candidate

    Toni Nadal, uncle and former coach of 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion Rafa, could be in line for a place on the board of Barcelona after announcing on Friday he has joined the team of presidential candidate Victor Font.

    Font is the favourite to win the upcoming election, which will take place no later than next March, but could be held earlier after Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned as president last month in order to avoid a vote of no confidence.

    If Font wins the presidency, Nadal will be in charge of institutional relations and will lead a new department created to promote good behaviour among youth players.

    “I’m excited and I hope to contribute to ensuring Barcelona remains the biggest club in the world and the top representative of Catalonia,” Nadal said at a presentation on Friday.

    “I want to create a model in which all players, from youth level up, learn not just to play football but how to represent an institution which is second only to the regional government of Catalonia, and that brings with it a big commitment.”

    Toni’s brother Miguel Angel Nadal made more than 200 appearances for Barca as a defender, playing alongside current coach Ronald Koeman in Johan Cruyff’s famous ‘Dream Team’ which won the club’s first European Cup in 1992.

    But nephew Rafa is an ardent Real Madrid fan.

    “I’m very aware that my nephew is a Real Madrid fan and my brother a former Barcelona player but I don’t hate our rivals,” he added.

    “What I’m concerned about is Barca and that they do as well as possible, regardless of whether Rafa supports Real Madrid or Fuenlabrada.”

    Nadal also said he and Font would do their best to ensure Lionel Messi remains at the club and signs a new contract before his current deal expires in June.

    “We have to make a huge effort to ensure he is happy to be with us,” he said.

    “It’s terrible that the best player in the club’s history wanted to leave. It shouldn’t be possible for him to be unhappy. We have to create a climate whereby he feels at ease.”

  • I wouldn’t hire him as Betis maintenance man, Joaquin slams Barca coach

    I wouldn’t hire him as Betis maintenance man, Joaquin slams Barca coach

    Real Betis great Joaquin has launched a furious attack on Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman.

    The pair previously clashed when together at Valencia.

    And Joaquin, before this weekend’s LaLiga game, declared: “He is not going to greet me and I am not going to greet him.

    “It was not the most beautiful experience of my sports career. It was not pleasant, but as I always say, one has to live through everything and that happened at that time. I don’t want to talk about that issue because honestly what happened hurt me.”

    Joaquin says he’d never hire Koeman for Betis – “not even as a maintenance man”.

    “I turned the page, we said everything. Fortunately, it did not last long and we were able to save the year by finishing in the most dignified way possible because the year (at Valencia) was very difficult.”

  • Man City drawing up new contract offer for Messi

    Man City drawing up new contract offer for Messi

    Premier League side Manchester City are planning a fresh move for Barcelona captain Lionel Messi.

    City pushed hard to sign Messi over the summer after the Argentine submitted a transfer demand. However, Barca refused to do business, referring City to Messi’s €700m buyout clause. The Argentine eventually withdrew his transfer demand.

    However, with his contract running down, City are ready to try again, reports the Telegraph.

    According to Barca sources, Messi’s future is likely to be resolved later in the campaign rather than imminently, regardless of Josep Bartomeu’s departure as president after a bitter fallout with the club’s greatest player.

    Barcelona’s elections for Bartomeu’s successor is scheduled for March, after which Messi’ future could become clearer. But it will still give City or other clubs a window where they can agree terms on a contract starting in July 2021, ending two decades at the club after moving from Argentina.

    City’s chief operating officer, Omar Berrada, recently stated that Messi is still being considered at the Etihad Stadium after missing out on him in the summer.

    “I think any club in the world would like to explore the possibility of him joining their team,” he said. “He’s probably an exception to potential investments that we’d do.”

  • Barca: Sacking Valverde made no sense – Pique

    Barca: Sacking Valverde made no sense – Pique

    Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has declared he was against the sacking of coach Ernesto Valverde.

    Valverde was axed halfway through last season with Barca top of the table and replaced by Quique Setien.

    Pique told La Vanguardia: “It did not seem coherent to me to kick the coach out in the middle of the season leading and having won the two previous leagues.”

    The defender also regrets that symbols of Barcelona are not currently part of the club.

    “I am surprised that people like Guardiola, Xavi, Puyol or Valdés are not in the club. You have to keep them always, they are part of Barça’s history,” he said.

  • UCL: Sweet 16 for Messi as Barca thump Ferencvaros

    UCL: Sweet 16 for Messi as Barca thump Ferencvaros

    Lionel Messi became the first player to score in 16 consecutive UEFA Champions League seasons as he guided FC Barcelona to a 5-1 victory over Hungarian side Ferencvaros.

    In their Group G opener at the Camp Nou on Tuesday, Messi netted from the penalty kick spot in the first half for his 116th career goal in the competition.

    The lively Ansu Fati added a second, while Philippe Coutinho grabbed another goal early in the second half.

    But FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was dismissed for impeding Tokmac Nguen, leading to a penalty kick for the visitors that was converted by Igor Kharatin.

    Any thoughts of a dramatic comeback were quashed, though, as 17-year-old Pedri netted his first FC Barcelona goal after arriving from second-tier Las Palmas at the start of the season.

    Dembele added the fifth late on.

    The Catalan side moves above Juventus on goal difference at the top of the table after the Italian champions won 2-0 away at Dynamo Kyiv earlier on Tuesday.

    The pair meet in Turin on Oct. 28.

    FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman left stalwart midfielder Sergio Busquets and striker Antoine Griezmann on the bench, perhaps with one eye on Saturday’s ‘El Clasico’ against bitter rivals Real Madrid.

    Ferencvaros are in the group stages for the first time in 25 years and had their moments.

    Striker Nguen produced a mazy run and fine finish, but his effort was correctly ruled offside, while Brazilian midfielder Isael struck the angle of post and crossbar with a fierce drive.

    Messi handed his side the lead after he both won and converted a penalty kick, bringing up another milestone in his career.

    Former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs is the only other player to net in 16 UEFA Champions League seasons, though the run was not consecutive.

    Fati then beat the offside trap from Frenkie de Jong’s lobbed pass and steered the ball into the net on the volley.

    Then, Coutinho profited from intricate build-up play by Messi and Fati to score.

    Ferencvaros, however, created what looked like being a nervous final 20 minutes as Pique could not handle the pace of Nguen and hauled the striker back in the box.

    He saw red for his indiscretion as Kharatin easily converted the spot-kick.

    But late goals from substitutes Pedri and Dembele against the tiring visitors sealed a satisfactory night for Koeman.

  • Suarez reveals one thing that will keep Messi at Barca

    Lionel Messi can be convinced to stay at FC Barcelona beyond this season, in spite of interest from Manchester City, his former team mate Luis Suarez says.

    The Barca captain tried to force his way out of the club in the close season, but he later agreed to stay until his contract ends in June 2021.

    The 33-year-old Argentina forward revealed his frustrations with the club’s board and a lack of planning, but said he would give his all this season.

    Messi, FC Barcelona’s all-time top goalscorer, is free to negotiate with other clubs from January, including Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who are interested in luring him to Manchester.

    “Maybe there’s the possibility of him playing for another club, but if he feels comfortable and happy, and a new board comes in, he will want to stay at the club,” Atletico Madrid striker Suarez said.

    “As a friend, I will be happy if things go well for him (at Barca), but also if he goes to another club.”

    FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has called club elections for March 2021.

    But he could be forced out sooner, with a no confidence vote set to be launched against him and the board.

    Messi will have no shortage of suitors if he decides to leave Camp Nou.

    Manchester City’s chief operating officer Omar Berrada left the door open for the striker in an interview.

    “It’s almost impossible to guess what will happen next summer,” said Berrada.

    “Messi is a generational talent. He’s the best player in the world and probably an exception to potential investments that we’d do out of the ordinary.

    “For every single position we have to be prepared, because there are so many things that can happen.

    ”But at the same time I think we have the financial strength and ability to make that investment (for a striker), when required.”

  • Memphis Depay agrees Barca move

    Memphis Depay agrees Barca move

    Lyon’s Netherlands forward Memphis Depay has agreed a contract with Barcelona and could move before Monday’s deadline, says the French club’s sporting director Juninho.

    The former Manchester United player, 26, was left out of the starting XI for Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Marseille.

    “He has reached an agreement with Barcelona, we don’t hide that at all,” said Juninho.

    *Meanwhile, defender Eric Garcia could also rejoin Barca from Manchester City.

    The Premier League club would allow the 19-year-old centre-back to move if they receive a reasonable offer, but are also prepared to let the Spaniard leave on a free transfer next summer.

    Garcia is out of contract at the end of this season and has told City he will not sign another one.

  • 10-man Barcelona humbles Celta Vigo

    10-man Barcelona humbles Celta Vigo

    Barcelona are still perfect in the La Liga season thanks to an impressive 3-0 win away to Celta Vigo, despite playing the second half with 10 men after Clément Lenglet’s red card.

    The Blaugrana were the better team for 90 minutes, never stopped attacking, and looked like a dominant team on the road. That is seriously impressive.

    Barça made a strong start to the game, pressing high up the pitch and sending plenty of bodies forward to deal with a parked bus from Celta, who looked to defend deep and hit Barça on the counter. The Blaugrana found a goal early thanks to a nice passing sequence around the box and a beautiful finish by Ansu Fati, and they looked set to stamp their authority on the game.

    For the most part the visitors did that, dominating possession and looking to invite Celta into pressuring them higher up to try and find spaces in behind. There weren’t any real chances, but Barça were in control and did a good job stopping the home team for creating danger on the counter.

    Then a game-changer happened: Clément Lenglet was shown a second yellow card for hitting Denis Suárez with his elbow, and we looked set for a nervous second half as Barça reached halftime up one goal but down to 10 men.

    Barça did not decide to just give Celta the ball and defend the lead. The first 25 minutes of the second half were amazing to watch, even better than the first-half performance. They scored early with a great run by Lionel Messi and an own goal from Olaza, and Barça continued to attack and look for a third. Messi had a goal disallowed, Coutinho forced a big save out of Villar, and the Blaugrana didn’t allow Celta any chances.

    But as time went on Barça started to run out of energy with a man down, and the home team started to control possession and press a lot. Baeza almost scored but hit the bar, and in the final 15 minutes, the Blaugrana were finally forced to retreat and try to defend their goal.

    They did that pretty well and even managed to score a third thanks to another genius run by Messi and a goal from Sergi Roberto.

    The final whistle eventually came to end an impressive performance away from home, especially with 10 men.