Tag: BARCELONA

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LIVERPOOL OFFER WIJNALDUM NEW CONTRACT TO WARD OFF BARCELONA INTEREST.

Liverpool have reportedly tabled a new three-year contract for Georginio Wijnaldum to fend off interest from Barcelona.

The Dutchman was closely linked with a move to the Spanish giants during the summer.

Barca manager Ronald Koeman is a big fan of the player and has managed him through the national team.

It involves a three-year contract extension and a big increase in wages.

They’re willing to improve his weekly wage from £75,000 to around £115,000 in a bid to keep him at Anfield.

The midfielder is yet to respond to the offer but he is expected to do so in the coming days.

The news is a big revelation in the ongoing Wijnaldum transfer saga.

He was thought to have begun negotiations with Barca officials during the summer.

Those talks never materialised into a transfer which is why he remains in England.

The signing of Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich was widely seen as manager Jurgen Klopp preparing for life without the 30-year-old.

Due to the current injury crisis at Liverpool, Klopp will now need to keep hold of the player.

He is missing Jordan Henderson, Joe Gomez and Virgil Van Dijk. Teammates Fabinho and Andy Robertson are also out through injury.

Liverpool face a new threat from continental Europe to keep Wijnaldum. Apparently Inter Milan have enquired about the player’s availability.

They’re now set to challenge Barca for the player’s signature, as he is seen as a great all-round midfielder.

It remains to be seen whether a new contract is enough to keep Wijnaldum at Anfield.

Liverpool’s next fixture is against Leicester City on Sunday 22nd November.

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LUIS SUAREZ TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19; URUGUAYAN TO MISS CLASH AGAINST BARCELONA.

Luis Suarez has tested positive for coronavirus, the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) confirmed on Monday (local time).

The association has also confirmed that the Atletico Madrid striker is currently following self-isolation guidelines. As a result of this positive result, Suarez will miss Uruguay’s World World Cup qualifying match against Brazil later today.

The striker will also miss Atletico Madrid’s match against Barcelona in La Liga on Saturday.

The AUF has also notified that goalkeeper Rodrigo Munoz and backroom staff member Matias Faral have also tested positive for coronavirus.

“The Uruguayan Football Association reports that swabs have been carried out on all the members of the senior team, resulting in the players Luis Suarez, Rodrigo Munoz and the official Matias Faral having tested positive for Covid-19, while all other tests are negative,” the AUF said in an official release.

“The three members mentioned are in good health and the corresponding measures have already been implemented,” it added.

Suarez had registered a goal in Uruguay’s last World Cup qualifying match against Colombia on Friday. The side ended up winning the match 3-0.

The striker has also been in good form for Atletico Madrid as he has registered five goals in six games for the club.

Atletico Madrid is currently in the third spot in the La Liga 2020-21 standings.

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FORMER LIVERPOOL AND BARCELONA MIDFIELDER, JAVIER MASCHERANO ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT.

Former Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has announced his retirement.

The 36-year-old had been playing in his native Argentina for Estudiantes, who he had joined a year ago from Chinese club Hebei China Fortune.

“I want to announce that today I am retiring from soccer professionally,” said Mascherano on Sunday evening.

“I want to thank this club that gave me the opportunity to finish my career in Argentina.”

Mascherano spent more than three years at Liverpool having been snapped up by Rafael Benitez in February 2007 on an initial loan deal from West Ham United that was delayed by a month after an appeal to FIFA to allow the transfer to go through after complications over ownership rights.

The deal was made permanent 12 months later for a fee of £18.6million.

Mascherano went on to make 139 appearances for Liverpool, scoring two goals, and played in the 2007 Champions League final defeat to AC Milan in Athens.

He had wanted to move to Barcelona in 2009 but, with the Reds refusing to entertain a move, stayed for another season before leaving for Camp Nou for £17.5million in mild acrimony after being omitted by Roy Hodgson from a defeat at Manchester City.

Mascherano was transformed into a centre-back at Barcelona and won the Champions League twice, including beating Manchester United at Wembley in 2011.

After the game, he said: “I want to say, I know that Liverpool supporters, after my exit, I know they were a little bit sad with me – this is for them as well.”

In almost eight years at Barcelona he won five La Liga titles, five Copa del Reys, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups. He also won 147 caps for Argentina and featured in their 2014 World Cup final defeat to Germany in Brazil.

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UCL: BARCELONA’S DYNAMO KYIV CLASH COULD BE CALLED OFF DUE TO COVID-19.

Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday night is at serious threat of being called off due to a breakout of coronavirus in the Ukrainian team’s squad.

Only 13 first-team players travelled to Spain on Monday, the minimum number established by UEFA’s health protocols.

An additional six from the youth team have made the journey, but if only one more player from List A tests positive than the match will be postponed.

Six players in total from the Ukrainian club have been infected, with more testing set to take place on Tuesday morning.

The six players last trained with the Dynamo squad on Sunday, according to reliable sources.

Though the players who have travelled tested negative, they could still manifest the disease at a later stage, increasing the risk that they could infect Barcelona players.

If the game has to be rescheduled, then a new date will have to be found before the cut-off point of January 28, which may prove difficult due to the heavily congested calendar.

Dynamo announced that the six covid-19 casualties are Nikolai Shaparenko, Alexandr Karavaev, Gueorgui Tsitaishvili, Denis Garmash, Mikkel Duelund and Tudor Baluta.

In addition, assistant coach Emil Karas and four other members of the backroom staff tested positive.

Goalkeepers Denys Boyko and Heorhiy Bushchan and defender Vitaliy Mykolenko also suffered injuries against Dnipro at the weekend, leaving the Ukrainian outfit short even further.

Coach Mircea Lucescu has been forced to call-up two goalkeepers from his reserves and another from the youth team, with the average age of the squad travelling out dropped to just 22.37 years.

They are scheduled to train on the pitch at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night.

Dynamo sit third in Champions League Group G, having lost their first game to Juventus before drawing with Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros.

Barcelona sit top with two wins from two, including an impressive 2-0 victory at Juve last week.

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UCL: JUVENTUS FALL TO MESSI’S BARCELONA WITHOUT CORONA-HIT RONALDO.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed Juventus’ Champions League clash against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona, two weeks after testing positive for coronavirus, with the Italian giants losing 2-0 at home on Wednesday in his absence.

Messi, 33, set up Ousmane Dembele to put Barca in front after quarter of an hour in Turin, adding a second himself from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

Alvaro Morata had three goals ruled out for offside for Juve who played the final five minutes a man down after Merih Demiral was sent off for a second yellow card.

Barcelona are top of Group G with six points after two games with Juventus on three. The reverse fixture takes place at the Camp Nou on December 8.

The 35-year-old Ronaldo, the top scorer in the history of the competition with 130 goals, was furious at missing out.

The Portuguese superstar had needed to test negative 24 hours before the game to take part in his sixth Champions League meeting against Argentine Messi.

They have not faced off since the five-time Ballon d’Or winner left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018.

Hours before kick-off, Ronaldo posted a photo on Instagram, stating: “Feeling good and healthy! Forza Juve!

Adding a comment for his 241 million Instagram followers on the swab tests used to detect the virus, he said: “PCR IS BULLSHIT.”

He later removed that post.

Ronaldo then posted a video of himself wearing the Juventus jersey running on a treadmill in his home gym, jumping off for his usual goal celebration before giving the thumbs up and wishing his teammates ‘good luck’.

Ronaldo first tested positive for Covid-19 on October 13 while playing with Portugal, and has been in self-isolation since returning to Italy.

He has reportedly tested positive 18 times.

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BARCELONA 1-3 REAL MADRID: MODRIC, RAMOS INSPIRE LOS BLANCOS VICTORY AT CAMP NOU.

Real Madrid laid down a marker in the La Liga title race as they won 3-1 at Barcelona in the first Clasico of the season.

Fede Valverde gave Real the dream start with a fifth-minute strike, before Ansu Fati became the youngest ever scorer in this fixture just three minutes later from close range.

But Sergio Ramos converted a 63rd-minute penalty that he won after VAR intervened, before Luka Modric rounded off a deserved victory in the final seconds of normal time with the calmest of finishes.

In an entertaining game, Thibaut Courtois was alert to deny Lionel Messi before half-time but Barca remain 10th and are six.

After a nightmare week for Zinedine Zidane, Real started the clash in the best way possible. Karim Benzema’s through-ball was perfect for Valverde, who took advantage of lackadaisical Barca defending and finished beyond Neto.

But that joy was short-lived as Barca sliced through the Real defence with their first attack. Jordi Alba bent his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and carried the ball into the box, where he squared for Fati who had a simple finish.

Philippe Coutinho and Messi had already tried their luck from range when Messi saw Courtois produce a moment of magic after 24 minutes. The Argentine used deft feet to beat Ramos in the box and fired in a shot to the near post with his right foot. Courtois was alert and threw himself across the goal to push the ball away.

The game was being played at a frantic pace and Real went straight up the other end to create a chance of their own. Benzema saw his low effort pushed away by Neto after Kroos had found him 15 yards out from goal.

It was Barca who looked most likely to take the lead after half-time. Fati dragged a low shot just wide of Courtois’ right-hand post, before Coutinho failed to hit the target with a header at the back post – Fati again the creator for the hosts.

And they were made to pay for those misses on the hour-mark. Ramos theatrically threw himself to the floor in the box as Kroos’ free-kick drifted out for a goal-kick. It looked to be a dive in real time but replays showed Clement Lenglet had pulled his shirt.

After consulting VAR and the screen by the side of the pitch, referee Juan Martinez Munuera changed his decision and pointed to the spot. Ramos made no mistake from the 12 yards.

Despite Barca pressing for an equaliser, it was Real who continued to create the better chances. Toni Kroos saw a Neto double save keep him at bay, while Ramos met a deep cross with a fierce volley which was brilliantly kept out by the foot of the keeper.

Modric made sure of the three points with the calmest of finishes in the final minute of stoppage time. Neto smothered the ball at Vinicius’ feet but it fell to sub Rodrygo, who squared it for Modric. The Croat rounded Neto, before taking his time and finishing between two defenders guarding the line with the outside of his boot.

It was a deserved victory for Real, who put behind their difficulties against Cadiz and Shakhtar Donestk to produce a perfect away display. Barca were bright in spells, but question marks will be asked over Ronald Koeman’s reluctance to make substitutes earlier.

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CAMP NOU SHOULD BE NAMED AFTER MESSI – PIQUE.

Gerard Pique has said Barcelona should name the redeveloped Camp Nou after Lionel Messi when it is finished and suggested the forward should have been allowed to leave in the summer if that is what he wanted.

Messi, 33, sent a burofax in August informing Barca of his desire to leave. President Josep Maria Bartomeu refused to let him go, though, and when Messi realised a legal battle was his only way out of the club — he argued a clause in his contract allowed him to leave for free — he decided to stay.

Pique has revealed he sent Messi a message at the time pointing out that a new president and board of directors would be elected within a year. However, despite encouraging him to stay, the Barca defender said Messi had earned the right to decide his own future.

“I didn’t have much to do with Leo during that moment because it was a very personal decision,” Pique told Spanish reporters. “I remember one message I sent: ‘Leo, it’s one year, then new people will come in…’

“Leo has more than earned the right to make a decision and if he felt he should leave… as president I would have acted differently. A player that has given so much in 16 years, you’re obliged to reach an agreement with him.

“[But] how can it be that the best player in history gets up one day and sends a burofax because he feels he’s not being listened to? What’s happening? Leo deserves the lot. The new stadium should be named after him.

“We have to preserve our figures, not discredit them. I am surprised people like Pep [Guardiola], [Carles] Puyol, Xavi [Hernandez] and [Victor] Valdes aren’t at the club. Something is not being done right.”

Pique’s interview provided the latest glimpse into the rift that exists between the players and the board at Camp Nou. He admitted his own relationship with Bartomeu is not great, said he would not have sacked Ernesto Valverde and was critical of plans to impose club-wide wage cuts to mitigate the financial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Having won two leagues and being top, to sack [Valverde] halfway through the season, as a project, doesn’t seem very coherent — I didn’t think it was logical,” he said.

Following Valverde’s dismissal, Cadena Ser revealed Barca had paid a third-party company in charge of several social media account to smear people related to the club, including Pique and other current players. The saga became known as “Barcagate.”

“It’s an atrocity as a Barcelona player to see my club spending money — money they’re now asking for from us — to criticise not just external people with a previous relationship to the club, but players still here,” Pique added.

Barca are now requesting players take a pay cut to alleviate the effects of the health crisis on the club’s accounts.

Pique, 33, is one of four players to voluntarily sign a new deal which sees him take a hit on his salary this season before being remunerated in the latter years of the deal. However, he also signed a burofax sent to the club which criticised plans to push through salary cuts of up to 30% across the club.

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SUAREZ ‘COULD HAVE STAYED’ – RONALD KOEMAN.

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman had been clear in his intention not to include Luis Suarez in his plans for the Catalans, but the Dutch manager now says the Uruguayan star could have stayed to prove him wrong.

Contrary to previous reports, Koeman said he did not have any problem with Suarez. He insisted that the 33-year-old would have been treated the same as the rest at Camp Nou if the latter had opted to stay instead of moving to Atletico Madrid.

“In the case of Suarez, it had become very difficult for him to start playing and I made that known to him. He found it difficult, but I never had any trouble with him at all,” Koeman said.

“He trained normally, trained well. He finally made the choice to leave and I said: ‘If you don’t leave, for whatever reason, then you are just one of the group, then you can prove that I was wrong’. He could have stayed, yes,” he continued.

Koeman said his choice not to include Suarez in his blueprint for Barca’s future was in part due to the star striker’s age, with the club slowly setting the table for the youngsters to take over.

“I’m good with Luis, but the club felt that we had to rejuvenate,” the 57-year-old coach said. “You can see that now in the team. Ansu Fati plays, he is 17 years old. We have Pedri, 17 years old, who gets his chances. Ronald Araujo is there at the age of 21. Trincao falls in a lot and is 20 years old, and we have taken Sergino Dest, who is 19. Those are all players for the future.”

Koeman’s statement was a counter to Suarez’s recent claim that Barcelona wanted him away from Lionel Messi.

Suarez signed a two-year deal with Atletico Madrid in September in a transfer that was denounced by the Argentine captain. In his farewell post for his friend on Instagram, Messi took a dig at his club, accusing Barcelona of “kicking” Suarez out.

“I think they wanted to remove me from Messi’s side,” Suarez said in an interview, claiming that there are “a lot of contradictions” in the accounts being stated by Barcelona.

“Maybe it annoyed them that I had a good relationship with Leo,” he added. “Perhaps they didn’t want him to be with me so much. I can’t find any reason to think that would damage the team, though.”

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I WAS BROUGHT TO TEARS BY BARCA EXIT- SUAREZ.

Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez has said he was brought to tears over the way his six-year stay at Barcelona ended.

Suarez, 33, joined Atletico last month after Barca told him he was no longer part of their plans despite having a year remaining on his contract.

The Uruguay international was one of several big-earners who moved on this summer as Barca attempted to reduce their wage bill to limit the financial repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.

“There were other ways to tell me that they wanted to change things,” Suarez, who was informed he was surplus to requirements in a brief telephone conversation with new coach Ronald Koeman in August, said.

“The way it was done and the feeling that they’re kicking you out is what hurt the most. Those few days [before my Atletico debut on Sept. 27] were really hard.

“I cried because of everything I was going through. I didn’t take the message from the club about moving on well. More than anything because of the way they handled it, because you have to accept when a cycle has come to the end.”

Barca captain Lionel Messi was also angry at the way Suarez’s departure was handled. He posted a message on social media when his former teammate joined Atletico which was critical of the Catalan club’s board.

“The way [Barca] went about it wasn’t good and that annoyed Leo, too,” Suarez, who left Barca as the club’s third top scorer of all time with 198 goals, added.

“He knows what we’ve been through and how tough it was for us at that moment. I am not surprised he supported me in public because I know him so well. I knew the pain he felt.

“There are things that people don’t know, but going to Barcelona training and being sent to train on your own because you’re not involved in the 11 vs. 11 game they’re playing.

“My wife saw how sad and dejected I was. What I wanted was to laugh and be happy on the pitch again and I had no doubts when the possibility of signing Atletico came up.”

Suarez scored twice on his Atletico debut in a 6-1 win against Granada but has failed to net in back-to-back goalless draws against Huesca and Villarreal since.

However, he scored a penalty on Thursday as Uruguay kicked off their qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup with a 2-1 win against Chile.

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BARCA PREPARING FOR MORE PAY-CUTS.

Barcelona are reportedly on a collision course with their first team stars with the Spanish La Liga football giants needing players to take another pay-cut to ease their finances amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Players took a 70 percent pay-cut back in March to ensure non-playing staff received all of their wages with the pandemic shutting down the sport.

But in a week where the club announced losses of £88million, Marca report the club are seeking another pay-cut from players although it remains unclear whether that would give the squad the power to rescind contracts and walk away for free.

The report details the club’s plan for a “substantial modification of the collective working contract”.

If successful, the plan will see playing and non-playing staff take wage cuts in the coming weeks and months.

One player will act as a representative for Ronald Koeman’s squad when negotiating with the board at a meeting regarding the cuts.

Lionel Messi was key in handling the first round of cuts but with players, including the Argentine, currently away on international duty it remains difficult for the squad to select who will represent them.

The key issue the club need to iron out before pushing on with planned cuts is how another reduction would affect the Spanish Workers’ Statute.

Marca’s report makes the claim that judicial sources in Spain have indicated to them that players and employees may have the legal right to rescind their contract if deals are modified for financial reasons.

Messi, who filed a burofax to the club earlier this summer informing the of his desire to leave and secure a move to Manchester City, would no doubt be very interested in the potential to walk away for nothing.

He was eventually told he would not be sold unless his £630m release clause was met and having argued the clause was invalid, he was left with no choice but to accept another season at the Nou Camp.

It will take meetings with every player to ensure, from the club’s side, that no squad member would go down the route of termination if and when further pay-cuts are put forward and agreed upon.

Barcelona’s limited dealings in the transfer market was largely down to the financial armageddon the club are battling through.

Koeman made Lyon attacker Memphis Depay a top target but Barcelona were unable to finance a deal for the Dutchman on deadline day.