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Barca Facing Neymar, Lautaro Conundrum

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The Blaugrana are hoping to revamp their forward line with two stellar signings but their hopes hinge on the success of a post-season clear-out
On Tuesday morning, a Tidesports source claimed Inter were ready to send a message to Barcelona.
“You want Lautaro?” the headline ran. “Give us Griezmann.”
It was labelled it a “crazy idea” and no such proposal has been made, but, to the outsider, it would not have appeared so far-fetched.
As it stands, Inter would lose their dynamic 22-year-old forward Lautaro Martinez for ‘only’ €111 million (£97m/$121m) if Barca activate the Argentine’s present buy-out clause, which expires on July 15.
At least by including Griezmann in a swap deal, the Nerazzurri would immediately secure a fine replacement, a World Cup winner with a point to prove. Indeed, the French forward would probably be open to a move.
Even before his protracted transfer to Camp Nou, Griezmann didn’t look a natural fit for Barcelona’s three-man attack. As has shown so often in the past for France and Atletico Madrid, he has better playing off a more conventional No.9. Like Romelu Lukaku, for example…
Of course, Barca paid €120m (£105m/$131m) to sign Griezmann just last summer but do they really need him? Did they ever?
What Barca needed – and still need, is a successor for their 33-year-old first-choice centre-forward Luis Suarez. While Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak is considered an attractive ‘Plan B’, Lautaro looks better equipped than any other forward in world football to fill Suarez’s shoes and the Blaugrana are willing to offer the 22-year-old a contract worth €10m (£9m/$11m) a year.
So, a deal involving Griezmann would solve everyone’s problems, right? Perhaps, but nothing at Barcelona is quite so straightforward right now, not even a straight swap deal.
Even before all hell broke loose at boardroom level, the Blaugrana had financial worries.
Barca set aside €60m (£52m/$66m) for player transfers during the 2020-21 financial year. However, €31m (£26m/$34m) has already gone on Francisco Trincao, who will arrive from Braga in July.
Of far greater and more pressing concern, though, is the fact that Barca needs sto raise €124m (£108m/$136m) in player sales to meet their budgetary requirements for 2019-20.
The hope is that Getafe, Betis, Schalke and Nice all activate their options to buy Marc Cucurella, Jean-Clair Todibo, Carles Perez and Moussa Wague, respectively, at the end of the season.
If those loan deals are made permanent, it would generate €52m in funds, which would still leave Barca significantly short of their target. That is why they would listen to offers for former starting centre-back Samuel Umtiti, January signing Martin Braithwaite, La Masia product Carles Alena and even Nelson Semedo.
However, finding a buyer for Philippe Coutinho is Barca’s primary concern.
The Brazilian is presently on loan at Bayern Munich but the Bavarians have zero interest in their option to make the deal permanent for €120m (£105m/$131m).
Barca has just as little interest in retaining Coutinho’s services and, at this stage, they would be willing to let their €160m (£140m/$175m) signing from Liverpool go for ‘just’ €80m (£70m/$87.5m).
Coutinho, though, will still prove difficult to shift. Liverpool has improved since January 2018; Coutinho has regressed.
Barca’s asking price may not be met. Consequently, the Blaugrana could even decide to cut their losses on Ousmane Dembele, the talented but inconsistent, injury-riddled winger who joined from Borussia Dortmund in August 2017 for €105m (£92m/€115m).
In the current market, Barca would be lucky to get a third of that money. And that is the Catalans’ other concern.
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit football hard, shaking its fragile financial foundations to their very core. There is no telling what effect the current, worldwide uncertainty will have on the transfer market.
However, it seems unlikely that even wealthy clubs would be willing to invest vast sums of money in underperforming or injury-prone players.
That is obviously a great cause for concern for Barca, given their transfer plans will be dictated by the success of their summer clear-out.
As well as removing well-paid veterans from the wage bill, such as Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal, the Catalans need to sell several players to not only balance the books for 2019-20 but generate additional money to buy players for next season.
Josep Maria Bartomeu has bigger worries right now but the under-fire Barcelona president still wants to bring Neymar back to Camp Nou.
The sporting side of the club, though, have prioritised Lautaro, believing him to be the ideal Suarez replacement.
Barca being Barca, they will try to buy both. But that looks impossible right now, unless Griezmann is offloaded. And this is where the situation gets even more complicated and ridiculous.
If Barca is to sign Lautaro for ‘just’ €111m, they need to do so before his buy-out clause rises on July 16. Making Griezmann part of the deal would, thus, make sense, given their financial constraints.
However, Barca does not want to let Griezmann leave without knowing for certain that Neymar is returning, and that is just not going to happen.
There is even an acceptance at Camp Nou that the Neymar soap opera will run right until deadline day.
Nonetheless, Barca’s transfer targets are still Lautaro and Neymar, even though there is presently just €29m (£25.3m/$34.7m) in the 2020-21 transfer kitty.
Something’s got to give. Someone’s got to go. Maybe even Coutinho, Dembele and Griezmann.
Because Barcelona aren’t presently in a position to buy Lautaro or Neymar. Trying to sign both, then, looks like a truly crazy idea.

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Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie  A Lead

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Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.

Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.

Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.

Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.

But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.

Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.

It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.

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Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool 

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A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.

Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.

“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.

For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.

Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.

His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.

Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.

Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.

The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.

After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.

“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”

Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.

The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.

“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”

He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.

“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”

 

Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.

The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).

Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.

Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.

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Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors

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Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.

Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.

Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.

Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.

Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.

The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.

 

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