After a turbulent week for Barcelona, new club president Josep Maria Bartomeu has had to publicly announce that Lionel Messi is not for sale. Bartomeu stepped into the void when previous president Sandro Rossell resigned over a forthcoming court appearance relating to the misappropriation of funds from the Neymar transfer deal. Rossell denies all charges, but now a larger shadow is looming – could Barca be on the brink of losing their star player? Last summer, Messi was linked with the champions of Europe, Bayern Munich. Any interest was quickly slapped down, but the German giants lay waiting … [Read more...]
Galactico-Gate for Bale and Özil on Deadline Day
There had been much hype and headlines this summer over Gareth Bale's protracted move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid. Not many doubted that the deal would actually take place, but the announcement of Gareth Bale's transfer to Real Madrid went tantalisingly down to the last day. The big surprise and story for the UK media on deadline day, however, was the late news that Mesut Özil would be moving in the opposite direction to Spurs great rivals Arsenal, for a club record fee of £42.4 million (interestingly, it is also the highest fee Madrid have ever received for a player). … [Read more...]
Falcao to follow Mou to the Bridge
Radamel Falcao started the Spanish season in spectacular goalscoring fashion for Atlético Madrid and was the centre of much transfer speculation. He was initially linked with a move to cross town rivals Real Madrid and even a big money move to Paris Saint-Germain. Recently, however, stories have emerged of a possible switch to the English Premiership and particularly with a move to current European Champions Chelsea, a side he scored a hat-trick against in the European Super Cup Final in Monaco, catching the eye of owner Roman Abramovich. … [Read more...]