Connect with us

Sports

Barca Facing Neymar, Lautaro Conundrum

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Sports

Tottenham Fight Back To Hold Brighton

Published

on

Tottenham fought back from two-goals down to secure a deserved point against Brighton.

The Seagulls were second best for much of the match but found themselves 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to Yankuba Minteh’s early strike and Yasin Ayari’s powerful drive.

However, Richarlison halved the deficit just before half-time when he stopped a shot by Mohammed Kudus before slotting in.

Spurs dominated the second half but their finishing let them down as Richarlison and substitute Xavi Simons were both unable to make the most of promising opportunities.

But the equaliser came eight minutes from time when Jan Paul van Hecke turned Kudus’ cross into his own net.

Spurs then pushed for a winner as they looked to continue their impressive start to the season, but Brighton held on for the point.

Bundesliga: Kane Continues Goal Harvest (5)

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich overcame a shaky start to win at Hoffenheim and continue their 100% start.

The England captain, 32, broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a clinical first-time finish from a cleverly worked low corner, and doubled Bayern’s lead from the spot after Albian Hajdari was harshly penalised for a handball.

That broke Hoffenheim’s resistance and Kane completed his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick with another penalty, given for a foul on substitute Michael Olise after a video assistant referee (VAR) check.

This time Kane sent home keeper Oliver Baumann the wrong way for his 13th Bayern goal in seven matches across all competitions this season, adding to his Champions League double against Chelsea last Wednesday.

“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,” Kane told Tidesports source after the match. “That one kind of stuck when I was younger.”

“Any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”

Hoffenheim had the better of the first 45 minutes, Fisnik Asllani only able to hit the post after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer passed straight to the Kosovan.

They eventually got some reward for their efforts, former West Ham full-back Vladimir Coufal’s deflected free-kick beating Neuer to earn the Czech his first goal for the club.

Ex-Liverpool winger Luis Diaz hit the top of the bar late on as he failed to continue his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season, but Serge Gnabry added a fourth for Bayern with the last kick, converting a rebound from a tight angle after Baumann saved from Joshua Kimmich.

Nicolas Jackson made his first start since joining Bayern on an initial loan deal from Chelsea, but the Senegal striker had a very quiet game before being replaced in the 62nd minute.

In Italy, Lorenzo Pellegrini fired Roma into the Serie A top four as Lazio had two players sent off in a fiery derby.

The midfielder found the bottom corner in the 38th minute as Roma extended their unbeaten run to four games against their city rivals.

Lazio have lost three of their opening games of the season and had Reda Belahyane and former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi dismissed in late drama.

Roma started well and Rome-born Pellegrini claimed the vital goal – his fourth in a Rome derby after being available for transfer in the summer – following good work down the right by Matias Soule.

But the hosts will rue missed opportunities as Boulaye Dia, Mattia Zaccagni and Alessio Romagnoli all had openings.

With four minutes left substitute Belahyane was shown a red card for a late studs-up challenge on Manu Kone.

Danilo Cataldi struck the outside of the post for Lazio in a last-gasp effort to snatch a point, while team-mate Guendouzi was sent off for dissent after the final whistle.

Continue Reading

Sports

Zidane’s Son Switches Allegiance To Algeria

Published

on

Luca Zidane, the son of France’s World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine, has switched his international allegiance from France to Algeria.

Born just outside Marseille, the 27-year-old goalkeeper had appeared for France at various youth levels.

The move, which was approved by Fifa, may enable Zidane to follow in his father’s footsteps by appearing at a World Cup, with Algeria expected to secure a place at the 2026 finals in North America in their qualifier against Somalia next month.

Zidane, who is the second of four brothers, all of whom came through the Real Madrid academy, currently plays for Spanish second tier side Granada.

He played two matches for Madrid and has La Liga experience at Rayo Vallecano, but dropped a level in 2022 to play for Eibar before heading to Andalusia in 2024.

Zidane qualifies for the North African country through his father, whose parents hailed from the Kabylie region of Algeria.

Zinedine Zidane, who is regarded as one of the games greatest players scored twice for France in their 1998 World Cup final victory over Brazil, but was famously sent-off in the 2006 final, which was won by Italy after a penalty shootout.

Continue Reading

Sports

Man Utd Beat Chelsea To Ease Pressure 

Published

on

Manchester United capitalised on Robert Sanchez’s fifth-minute red card to secure a crucial victory over Chelsea in torrential rain at Old Trafford.

The first match in Premier League history to see two or more goals, red cards and substitutions in the first half was settled by goals from United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, who was the other player sent off before the break.

It was Sanchez’s dismissal that set the course of the game though.

The Spain international raced from his goal to meet Bryan Mbeumo as the striker ran beyond the Chelsea defence.

Sanchez then upended the forward outside his area rather than allow him past to tap the ball into an empty net.

Enzo Maresca’s response to the red card was to take off both Pedro Neto and Estevao Willian and, as Cole Palmer had to be replaced after suffering a recurrence of a groin injury, Chelsea had lost three attacking players in the space of 20 minutes.

Trevor Chalobah pulled one back for Chelsea with a header 10 minutes from time but United kept their nerves at bay to make it to the final whistle with their lead intact.

The victory was United’s second of the season and came in front of minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who gave head coach Ruben Amorim assurances over his future 48 hours earlier.

It also means Chelsea have still not won at Old Trafford since 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson was United manager.

Continue Reading

Trending