Tag: Spain

Latest reports from ESPN have claimed that Barcelona and Edinson Cavani have made contact ahead of a summer transfer move for the Manchester United striker.

Cavani, 34, has a contract at United until the end of the 2021/22 season but has fallen down the pecking order at the club, making only eight appearances this season following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The reports suggest that the contact between both parties was to gauge Cavani’s interest following comments from the striker (via The Times) about wanting a Barcelona move earlier in the season.

Barcelona is currently on the hunt for attacking reinforcements due to the fitness issues being suffered by that section of their squad. ESPN sources report that Barcelona are only targeting players who have not played regularly for their clubs this season.

ESPN also reports that while Cavani is very much interested in a Barcelona move, he plans to speak with incoming interim manager Ralf Rangnick about his plans before making a decision.

Barcelona’s financial problems making negotiations difficult

Barcelona are in serious debt and is looking to save money anyhow they can. This includes selling off players and getting in players on loan or on a free transfer in the coming window.

The Catalan club’s financial situation is making most of their endeavours difficult, but Barcelona CEO Ferran Reverter has now confirmed the club will be able to sign players in January, but that they will have to be clever about how they fund any new arrivals.

This is why, according to reports, Barcelona is only going after players who have not played much for their clubs with hopes of getting them on loan without an obligation to make the move permanent or on a short-term contract. 

The 34-year-old Uruguayan fits what the club wants, but the club is also looking at Manchester City’s Ferran Torres and Raheem Sterling, as well as Chelsea’s Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.

Barcelona and Real Madrid battle LaLiga over CVC investment

Elsewhere, Barcelona and Real Madrid, along with Athletic Club Bilbao have written to other LaLiga clubs to support their bid to thwart private equity group CVC’s €2bn cash injection into Spanish football.

Financial Times reports that both clubs, who are still after their European Super League bid which was rejected by football governing bodies, have a counter-offer which they claim is economically superior to the CVC and LaLiga offer.

LaLiga have called the latest moves by Barcelona and Real Madrid “hypothetical”, and labelled it an “improvised proposal elaborated without the minimum rigour required”.

LaLiga will be presenting the full details of the CVC deal to all the clubs in the first and second division of the competition on December 10.

Barcelona and Real Madrid, who are working with Bank of America, JPMorgan and HSBC on their own alternative funding, hope to be able to convince the other clubs to pay no heed to the LaLiga and CVC deal.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba may never get his dream move to Real Madrid after the LaLiga giants’ latest transfer decision, according to reports by Marca.

Paul Pogba will be out of a contract at Manchester United by summer and his agent Mino Raiola has been cooking up a storm in the media concerning the 28-year-old’s contract situation.

The French midfielder who left Manchester United in 2012 to Juventus and returned in 2016 for £89 million in a world-record transfer has not found life as easy as he did while in Turin.

A U-20 and senior World Cup winner with France, Pogba’s talents have never been called into question. Yet, getting the best out of him at Manchester United has been the biggest challenge of every coach he has played for at the club to date.

This has sometimes been interpreted as an attitude problem by some of his coaches, pundits, former United players and by many fans of the club, with his £290,000 weekly salary not doing him any favours.

Pogba is currently out injured and will return in January to full training, but is still Manchester United’s biggest headache from the dressing room due to his contract situation.

Real Madrid to look elsewhere; believes Pogba will not fit in club’s system

The 28-year-old will be a free agent in the summer and is leaning towards an exit from Old Trafford, despite reports of Manchester United wanting to strike a new deal with him.

Mino Raiola, Pogba’s agent, has been front and centre of the whole issue, even claiming at one time that Pogba will not sign a new contract at United no matter what is offered.

This statement by Raiola is believed to have been made in the confidence of Pogba securing a move to Real Madrid because of the good relationship between Raiola and Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez.

Paul Pogba has also previously expressed an ‘eternal desire’ to play for Los Blancos, but may now be facing dashed hopes as the club has admitted that the midfielder doesn’t fit their system and won’t be an option for them in the coming transfer windows.

It is worthy of note that Paul Pogba has come close to joining Madrid in the past on a few occasions, and that the club admires the player greatly. However, under Carlo Ancelotti, he is no longer an option as the club has decided to find replacements for other areas in their squad.

Rangnick appointment may spell the end for Pogba at Manchester United

Real Madrid shifting their focus from Paul Pogba to other areas may lead to the Frenchman signing a new deal with Manchester United, but with Raiola’s comments hanging over the club, it could be a difficult process.

It is also understood that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a positive influence on the Frenchman, and his exit from the club could lead to Pogba not signing a new deal.

Ralf Rangnick’s appointment as interim head coach could even make matters more complicated for Pogba. The German has stated in the past that Pogba is not his kind of player.

Rangnick is not expected to make any drastic changes in his six-month interim manager spell but if he does, Pogba may become the new focal point of the team or may be forced out of the squad.

Manchester City forward Ferran Torres is close to a move back to LaLiga with an agreement already reached with Barcelona for his services, according to reports.

Marca reports that the Spaniard’s agent was in Spain last week to meet with Barcelona’s management concerning a potential switch for his client. The report also claims that Barcelona’s director of football, Mateu Alemany is currently in Manchester to discuss the deal with City’s management as the club prepares for the financial obligations that the signing will impose on them.

Barcelona is looking to bolster their frontline due to the injuries affecting the squad and has been in the market for a new striker. Raheem Sterling, Torres’ teammate at Manchester City, was among the leading options. The 21-year-old has now overtaken his 26-year-old teammate as Barcelona’s leading candidate.

Marca also reports that the clubs are the only parties slowing down the deal, as there’s already a deal in place between Ferran Torres and Barcelona.

It is important to mention that the youngster was on Barcelona’s radar last summer and was keen on the move, but that the Catalan club chose to go for Francisco Trincao instead, who is now spending the season on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers in England.

Ferran Torres enticed by the Xavi project

While the reports claim that the 21-year-old Spanish international is not desperate to leave the Etihad, the idea of leading the line at a brand new Barcelona under Xavi Hernandez does appeal to him.

The forward is also worried about Manchester City’s prospects of signing a big name striker next season, which will limit his playing time at the club even more.

Barcelona have promised Torres an important role in the squad in their initial contact and hope that a deal can be agreed upon between them and City in January.

Torres joined Manchester City from his hometown club Valencia in August 2020 on a five-year contract for a reported transfer fee of €23 million. He has since scored 16 goals for the Citizens in 43 appearances in all competitions.

His time at Manchester City also helped him earn his first call-up to the Spanish national team, for who he has since featured 22 times, scoring 12 goals.

Barcelona eyeing Manchester City trio

While the young Spaniard may have replaced Raheem Sterling at the top of Barcelona’s priority list for attacking replacements, the 26-year-old Englishman is still a target for the Catalan giants.

City, however, will only sanction the deal if Barcelona’s proposed loan deal for Sterling comes with an obligation for the Catalan club to sign him permanently after.

Bernardo Silva is the other name on Barcelona’s list, and it is understood that the little Portuguese is also keen on a move to LaLiga. However, Manchester City’s valuation is sure to scare Barcelona away, who are currently down in the dumps with their finances.

Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner are reportedly on Barcelona’s radar, according to surprising reports.

Barcelona is in the market for a forward and at the top of their list is Raheem Sterling of Manchester City, who has found game time at the Etihad a little hard to come by this season.

It’s not the first time Barcelona is inquiring about the Englishman, however. The club made a move for him last summer but the £45 million price tag was enough to scare Barcelona – who is currently dealing with a financial crisis – away.

The injury crisis at the Catalan club is forcing the management to look for options to shore up their attack in January, however on a temporary basis. Raheem Sterling’s name has come up again but it has now been reported that the deal may be as difficult as it was in the summer.

This has made Barcelona turn their sights to Chelsea’s Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, who, according to ESPN, the club’s management have earmarked as backups to the Manchester City forward.

Ziyech and Werner finding life tough in England

Since both forwards moved to Chelsea last season from Ajax Amsterdam and Red Bull Leipzig respectively, they have found life difficult.

Ziyech’s time at Chelsea has been marred mostly by injury which kept him on the sidelines for most of the first season. Werner, meanwhile, enjoyed life under Frank Lampard but has struggled to convince fellow German, Thomas Tuchel, now at the helm of affairs at Chelsea.

Under Tuchel this season, Ziyech has made 11 appearances for the UEFA Champions League title holders this season but has started only two of those games. Werner on the other hand has made just nine appearances, with six of them coming as a starter. The German forward has also battled some fitness issues but still hasn’t quite managed to convince his compatriot enough to return him to the starting lineup like in the Lampard era.

Barcelona, however, is only interested in a loan offer for these players, as the club’s finances will not allow them to hit the market the way they usually would.

It is worthy of note that Barcelona has been following Hakim Ziyech, who was a member of that brilliant Ajax team of 2018/19, for quite a while and passed up the chance to sign him due to the Eredivisie club’s valuation of the winger at that time.

Chelsea is reported to be open to a loan deal for the Moroccan, however, presenting Barcelona the chance to finally get their man.

Barcelona’s lack of funds may hinder any positive transfer business

The Joan Laporta administration took over a Barcelona that was almost run to the ground by the J.M. Bartomeu administration. The club is billions of Euros in debt, and are struggling to keep the sporting project alive.

Making any signings in the coming winter and summer window at least will be determined by how much of their wage bill they can free up, as they only have a meagre €97 million operating budget for the whole of 2021/22.

Mateu Alemany has already stated to the press that the club is unable to register any new signings as things stand when the transfer window opens in the new year, including Dani Alves who signed on a free earlier in November 2021.

It remains to be seen how much of their current wage bill they can free up to support the signing – on loan or otherwise – of any new players.

Rumours from the 2021 summer transfer window about Barcelona going after Arsenal’s captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have resurfaced again. The striker is said to remain a target for the Catalan giants for the winter transfer window of 2021, per International Business Times.

New reports, however, now place Manchester City as Barcelona’s competition for the Gabonese striker’s signature. It remains to be said about who will eventually get Aubameyang if he chooses to leave Arsenal, however, due to the wages he demands.

Barcelona’s attackers have suffered fitness issues this season. Sergio Aguero will be out for a few months as doctors monitor his heart condition to determine if he’ll ever play football professionally again. Ansu Fati suffered another injury that’ll keep him out for a few more weeks after only returning following a lengthy lay-off.

Luuk De Jong is not a favourite of Xavi Hernandez, having only been brought to the club on Ronald Koeman’s behest, and Martin Braithwaite is another striker who may not be getting as much playing time under Xavi Hernandez when he returns from his lengthy injury layoff.

This is why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s name has come up once again as a striker option for Barcelona, as reports claim that Xavi is monitoring the striker’s situation at Arsenal.

Xavi already has an opinion on Aubameyang 

The rumours of Aubameyang to Barcelona have been circulating for the better part of two seasons, and Xavi weighed in on the matter while he was still manager at Qatari side Al-Sadd.

Speaking on the rumours then which linked both Aubameyang and Liverpool forward Sadio Mane to Barcelona, Xavi said, “Mane and Aubemayang can kill you in open space. But Barcelona needs players who know how to move in small spaces.”

“I am thinking about a player who would adapt to Barcelona and it’s not easy to find one.”

It is left to the imagination to figure out if Xavi has changed his mind on Aubameyang being the kind of player that fits Barcelona’s profile, or if these reports are only resurfacing due to the issues surrounding Barcelona’s attack right now.

Barcelona to face fierce competition from Manchester City

Aubameyang currently has one year left on his Arsenal contract and earns £12.58 million annually. Barcelona are reportedly willing to take the risk to bring him to Camp Nou but will be facing competition from Manchester City owners, City Football Group, who can easily match his wages.

The Aubameyang deal will cost any club €20 million, but it remains to see if Arsenal will be willing to part with the striker whose form has improved after a turbulent 2020/21 season.

He only just recovered from injury himself and could prove to be risky business for Barcelona, who are reportedly only considering the striker due to the many injuries to their forward line.