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Atletico Madrid prepared to include Joao Felix in shock swap deal with Barcelona

Wednesday, March 20, 2024 | 0 comment


 

Joao Felix’s situation will be one to watch this summer. Atletico Madrid have no intention of having him in their squad for next season, but Barcelona – his most likely destination for 2024-25 – do not want to sign him permanently because they feel his asking price is way over the top.


Another loan deal looks the most likely outcome, and that could include an option to make the deal permanent. However, there is also a chance of Felix becoming an official Barcelona player this summer too, as they could get him for nothing, or at least on a significantly reduced fee.


According to Ruben Uria (via Sport), Atleti could lower their demands for Felix if Barcelona agree to give them Robert Lewandowski for free, similar to the situation involving Luis Suarez back in 2020. If the Catalan side adhere, Los Rojiblancos would drastically reduce their asking price for Felix, or give him away for no additional cost.


Atletico Madrid’s interest in Lewandowski appears to be very real, and some members of the Barcelona hierarchy are very keen to part ways with the Polish veteran this summer because of his excessive wages. This situation could be one to keep an eye on.

Barcelona closely tracking Bundesliga forward with €50 million release clause

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RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko is having a satisfactory debut season with the German team, having scored 11 goals and two assists across 34 outings in all competitions.


A few months ago, Barcelona scouts were said to be preparing a report on the 20-year-old’s performance and if a report from Mundo Deportivo is to be believed, they continue to monitor the Slovenian, who has a contract with the German team until 2028.


Barcelona will not rush

As the 2023-24 football season approaches its climax, clubs are already contemplating their strategies for the next season. 


However, Barcelona’s current strategy is a bit different. The club’s sporting director, Deco, remains firm in his stance that it is premature to make any decisions about the future. 


He emphasises that their current focus lies on competing in La Liga and striving for success in the Champions League.



Nevertheless, discussions about potential transfers and squad adjustments are underway across departments of the club and the aforementioned outlet has highlighted that Sesko has attracted attention from Barça and other top clubs.


There is a clause to deal with 

The spotlight falls on Sesko, who happens to have attracted a lot of attention across Europe and interestingly enough, possesses a release clause valued at €50 million in his current contract. 


The outlet affirms that Barcelona do not have the financial capacity to meet his €50 million release clause and on top of that, major clubs like Real Madrid, AC Milan, Chelsea, and Arsenal have taken notice of Sesko’s potential.


While speculation mounts about potential transfers, Deco and Barcelona maintain their focus on the remaining challenges of the current season. 


Their priority remains securing victories in La Liga and to pursue glory in the Champions League. As the season reaches its climax, decisions about the future will inevitably be made.


And a call will be made on whether to pursue Sesko or not, especially with speculations surrounding Robert Lewandowski’s future.

Barcelona to play Real Madrid, Manchester City and AC Milan on US pre-season tour 2024

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 The club will head to America once more




Barcelona have confirmed their pre-season tour plans and will face Real Madrid, Manchester City and AC Milan in the United States this summer.


The Catalan giants will fly out at the end of July and play their first game on 30th against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando.


Next up is a trip to the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey for another pre-season Clasico against Real Madrid on August 3.


Barcelona’s final game of the tour is against AC Milan in Baltimore on August 6. After that the team will fly back to the Catalunya to finalise preparations for the new campaign.


The club will have a new manager at the helm for the tour of course. Xavi has already announced his intention to step down at the end of the season.


Barcelona may also be without some key players for the tour as there is a busy summer of international football to look forward to.


Euro 2024 and the Paris Olympics are both set to take place, which could see some Barca players miss the tour depending on their international commitments.



Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United eye 17-year-old Barcelona jewel

Thursday, March 14, 2024 | 0 comment

                                                   

In Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona have unearthed yet another gem from their famed La Masia academy. Just 17 years old, the centre-back is already a regular under Xavi and even put in a Man of the Match display on his UEFA Champions League debut vs Napoli on Tuesday.

Naturally, his explosion has not gone unnoticed for the teenage defender is all set for his maiden call-up to the Spanish national team.


At the same time, clubs from outside are starting to cast admiring glances towards the teenage prodigy.


Arsenal, City, United, Chelsea all interested

Indeed, as per SPORT, Cubarsi is attracting interest from as many as four Premier League bigwigs in the form of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United.


The 17-year-old’s current contract with Barcelona runs until 2026 but comes with only a €10 million release clause, which has alerted the aforementioned Premier League clubs.


Manchester City have already scouted him, with reports in the past indicating that manager Pep Guardiola is a major admirer.


Meanwhile, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea are keeping a close eye on his movements. The Blues’ interest is not entirely new either for they made an attempt to sign Cubarsi before his renewal last year.


Cubarsi dreams of Barcelona



However, signing Cubarsi will be difficult for all the aforementioned clubs as Cubarsi dreams only of succeeding at Barcelona.


At the moment, the 17-year-old is living his dream of playing in the Catalans’ first team. As such, he does not think about anything else than becoming a key player in the team of his heart.


Furthermore, Barça have already communicated to the player’s agents that the intention is to improve his contract.


There is a good understanding between the two parties, so it does not seem difficult to reach an agreement once they sit down to talk. As such, despite the interest from a host of top English clubs, Barcelona have nothing to worry about as far as Cubarsi is concerned.

Barcelona wonderkid will earn first-ever national team call-up this week

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Barcelona teenage wonderkid Pau Cubarsi will be the big surprise in the squad list to be announced by Spain manager Luis de la Fuente this Friday, reports AS.

Furthermore, the Barcelona leadership is aware that the 17-year-old centre-back will receive his first call-up to the national team in two days’ time.


Tremendous rise in stature


It was just around two months that Cubarsi made his first-team debut for Barcelona, as a 16-year-old rising talent with immense potential.


Fast forward to March, the defender, now 17, has become a regular in Xavi Hernandez’s side, made his UEFA Champions League debut this week against Napoli and even put in a Man of the Match display on the night.


Cubarsi’s rapid rise at club level is now set to be mirrored at the international level as well. Reports of De la Fuente considering calling him up to the squad for the international break this month have been doing the rounds for a while.


Now, it appears that the decision has already been made and Cubarsi will be fast-tracked into the Spain senior setup despite his age.


Cubarsi was originally going to be called up to the U-21 national team, but his performance against Napoli has changed things.


The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) are keeping a tight lid on the matter and are not making any statements on the matter.


But the Barça leaders are already taking Cubarsi’s call-up for granted and are internally saying that it is more than well-deserved. “He will be Spain’s centre-back for many years to come,” they say within the club.


Spain will face Colombia (22 March) and Brazil (26 March) during this break, and Cubarsi could very well make his debut as a senior international.

Barcelona gem wins MVP against Napoli after dominant display

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The victory over Napoli was one that really boosted the confidence of Barcelona in great fashion. Not only did the Catalan giants manage to overcome their Italian opponents, but they managed to do so with a strong 3-1 scoreline. Beyond just Barcelona managing to find offensive opportunities, they were defensively strong as well.


The usual suspects in Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde continuously provided great cover to the their Blaugrana teammates. Moreover, Joao Cancelo persistently provided offensive depth and created a sense of danger on the left flank whenever he would travel upfield with the ball at his feet.


Yet, the most complete performance from a defender came from neither of these three names. Instead, it was 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi who constantly rose high, both literally and figuratively, and delivered a performance for the ages, both creatively and defensively.



Cubarsi even walked away with the MVP award from the game. Despite this clash against Napoli being his debut on the European stage, Cubarsi managed the game for Barcelona like a seasoned veteran with the legs of a young and hungry hound.


Playing the entirety of the 90 minutes and additional time, at no point did Cubarsi give Xavi a single reason to want to take him off. Instead, changes around him continuously took place but the 17-year-old remained on the field. With the 80 touches he had all game, Cubarsi truly made every action count.


Completing 61 passes with a success percentage of 90%, the Barcelona gem was precise. Moreover, he completed 9 out of his 15 attempted long balls, a few of which ended up creating some of the most dangerous chances that Barcelona conjured up. Moreover, he was not dispossessed a single time throughout the entire game.


Defensively, Cubarsi was just as unreal if not more. Coming up against a proven superstar like Victor Osimhen, many would have to keep their nerves in order. Cubarsi, on the other hand, was ready to show the Nigerian striker a defender who was neither intimidated nor short of better quality.


The 17-year-old won each of the three tackles he attempted, and also made 5 clearances across the game. Moreover, he had one interception and made 5 recoveries for Barcelona, some of them in very dangerous areas that could have created problems for Xavi’s team.


Furthermore, he even won all six of the duels he contested for with a 100% success rate, winning thrice on the ground and even winning all three of his duels in the air.


The footballing world is gradually going to realize his name, and it is indeed a special one. Many have tried to come into Barcelona and leave their mark as a Barça centre back, but few have possessed the DNA of the club and its philosophy as much as Cubarsi does. It is truly up to the imagination what this pearl’s true projection really is.


BARÇA NEWS Barcelona president holds talks with €120-140 million Liverpool forward’s agent

Monday, March 11, 2024 | 0 comment

 

With the transfer window not very far away, Barcelona are chalking out their plans for the summer with director Deco and president Joan Laporta both busy with various endeavours.


Earlier today, we reported that the Barcelona president had met with Pini Zahavi, the agent of Robert Lewandowski and managerial target Hansi Flick.


It appears that Laporta has been keeping himself quite busy having held a meeting with another agent recently.


Laporta met Luis Diaz’s representative


Indeed, as per reports relayed by SPORT, Barcelona president Joan Laporta met with, Carlos Van Strahlen. the agent of Liverpool forward Luis Diaz.


The Liverpool winger is making a good comeback after an injury that sidelined him for much of last season, and is now an undisputed starter under Jurgen Klopp, scoring eleven goals and providing five assists.


Diaz had been on Laporta’s radar before his move to Liverpool and it appears that the Barça president has not forgotten the Colombian international as he had dinner with his agent.


Move unfeasible


As per the report, Laporta is understood to have asked for the hypothetical figures it would take for Diaz to leave Liverpool for Barcelona.


In response, the agent is believed to have mentioned a mammoth figure worth around €120-140 million. Given the starring role he has in Liverpool’s project and the fact that his contract runs until 2027, the figure is not surprising.


Given Barcelona’s financial demands, reaching such a sum is out of the question and Laporta conveyed the same to Diaz’s agent. “It is unfeasible”, the Barça president is understood to have replied.


As mentioned earlier, Barça and Laporta were keen on Diaz in the past as well, while he was still at FC Porto. However, as the club president had revealed back in November 2022, by the time they made their move, the player was in advanced talks with Liverpool.


“There was practically no choice. When we arrived, he was a player that really interested us, but Liverpool already had very advanced negotiations with Porto,” said the president.


Now, given the figures likely to be involved, a move for Diaz this summer can be ruled out.

Barcelona beat Real Madrid, Man City to sign 18-year-old playmaker – report

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Barcelona beat Real Madrid, Man City to sign 18-year-old playmaker – report

Barcelona and Real Madrid find themselves butting heads in pursuit of almost every young and prodigious talent in Spain and outside.

Over the past few transfer windows, the Clasico rivals have warred over the signings of Pablo Torre, Endrick, and Arda Guler, among others.

Another young talent who piqued the interest of both the Spanish super clubs as well as Manchester City is Rayo Vallecano playmaker Marcos Parriego.


Parriego chooses Barcelona

And, as per a report from journalist Rodra P, Parriego has chosen Barcelona despite having offers from both Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Parriego still in his second year of youth football, has shone for Rayo this season. The 18-year-old from Soto del Real came through Real Madrid’s youth academy, playing there through the Alevín stage.

However, the white club decided to discard him, and he continued his training in Vallecas.

Now, despite having offers from both Manchester City and Real Madrid, the teenage playmaker has opted to sign for Barcelona, primarily for two reasons.

As per the report, the economic offer of the Catalans is much higher than those of Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Secondly, the sporting project presented by Barça happens to be more convincing. The cases of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde, and Gavi reinforce the club’s idea of betting on the academy and Parriego believes it would be easier for him to reach the first team of Barça than at Real Madrid.

Where does Parriego play?
As per the report, Parriego stands out for being a quality playmaker. Left-footed, the 18-year-old is one of those who can play freely all over the front line, and with the talent to make a difference from set pieces as well.

According to those who know him closely, this year the 18-year-old has made a leap forward in two differential facets: physique and character.

Thus, Barça have decided to go for Parriego with an offer that has beaten the attempts of Real Madrid and Manchester City. Los Blancos tried until the last moment, but have now given up on a player they had in their ranks and who will now wear the colours of their eternal rivals.

 
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