Versiune pentru imprimare
-
FC Barcelona have appointed former Real Betis coach Quique Setien as their new coach on a 2-and-a-half year contract, it has been confirmed.
Setien was appointed at Betis at the start of the 2017-2018 campaign, leading them to a 6th place finish - their highest since 2005, and a return to European football for the first time in 5 seasons.
However, the Andalusian club suffered a sharp downturn in form in the final 6 months of his stint and only secured a top half finish on the final day of the campaign last time out, and he was subsequently replaced by Joan Francesc Ferrer.
Setien led Betis to victories at Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan last season, alongside defeating Atletico Madrid.
He will replace Ernesto Valverde in the role after it was confirmed that the coach - who had guided the club to successive league titles - had been fired.
The Catalan club held talks with former captain Xavi Hernandez but he turned down the position, as did current Holland coach Ronald Koeman - who had been linked with taking the job in the summer.
-
FC Barcelona have confirmed that Ousmane Dembele has suffered a hamstring tear, further setting back the Frenchman's rehabilitation.
The club announced on Wednesday that the World Cup winner has a complete rupture of the proximal tendon and are set to announce a return date in the coming hours.
Dembele had already been recovering from a hamstring problem that had seen him miss a large portion of the 2019-2020 campaign, having just returned to first-team training.
The 22-year-old was forced to leave Monday morning's session, however, with the Camp Nou side announcing at the time that the player had only felt discomfort due to muscle fatigue.
With a rupture now confirmed, the La Liga champions will yet again be forced to wait on the former Borussia Dortmund man to repay the faith shown in him following his big-money move from Signal Iduna Park in 2017.
Indeed, head coach Quique Setien had backed Dembele to be like a new signing for the club after failing to sign a back-up for the injured Luis Suarez in the January window, with the former Real Betis coach praising the youngster's "dedication" and "intensity" during recent training sessions.
Barca's are next in action in the Copa del Rey, where they face-off against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames for a spot in the semi-finals.
-
FC Barcelona have announced the emergency signing of former Middlesbrough forward Martin Braithwaite until June 2024.
The La Liga champions paid the £15 million buy-out clause for the Denmark international, who scored 8 goals in 20 matches for Leganes this season.
Barcelona were given special permission to make an emergency signing outside of the transfer window after French forward Ousmane Dembele was ruled out for 6 months with a serious hamstring injury.
The buy out clause for the 28-year-old has been set at £250 million.
Braithwaite will only be eligible to play in La Liga for the remainder of the season, with Barcelona having already submitted their squad for the knockout phase of the Champions League.
He endured a difficult 2-year spell at Middlesbrough from 2017-2019, scoring only 9 goals in 36 Championship appearances.
Leganes sit 19th in La Liga, 2 points adrift of safety, with 14 games left in the league season.
-
Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic will reportedly be open for a move to FC Barcelona this summer and the Old Lady want Arthur Melo in return for the Bosnian.
The Bosnia international has been linked with a move away from the Allianz Stadium and the Catalans are leading the chase, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
The report claims Pjanic would say yes to a move to Camp Nou, but a swap deal would be required as the financial situation at the Blaugrana will make an outright transfer complicated.
Barca have, according to the newspaper, proposed the inclusion of players like Ivan Rakitic, Nelson Semedo and Arturo Vidal, but the Old Lady would favour Arthur Melo as part of the deal.
The Brazilian midfielder has claimed he doesn't want to leave Barca, but all the mentioned players have been linked with Inter too, as the La Liga leaders are reportedly targeting Argentine starlet Lautaro Martinez this summer.
-
FC Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti has suffered a calf injury on the club's first day back in training following the coronavirus lock down.
The French international has endured a injury wrecked season at Camp Nou, and the latest setback could see him miss the season's restart.
The former Olympique Lyon man has made just 16 appearances in all competitions in 2019-2020, with a total of 58 games missed through injury following his 2016 move to Catalonia.
La Blaugrana confirmed the news in an official statement, reported via Marca, with no estimated date on his expected comeback for the La Liga leaders.
Quique Setien's side returned to individual training on 8 May, following wholesale testing of players and staff.
The club are expected to continue with the current programme in the coming days, with sessions increased to small groups and full training by the end of May.
-
FC Barcelona pair Sergi Roberto and Frenkie De Jong will both miss their crunch La Liga trip to FC Sevilla due to injury.
Spanish international Roberto was substituted in the 2-0 Camp Nou win against Leganes earlier this week, after suffering a rib injury.
Nelson Semedo is expected to fill in for him at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, after the Portuguese international replaced him against Javier Aguirre's side.
De Jong asked to be taken off in the closing minutes of Barca first game back at Real Mallorca, after feeling discomfort in his calf.
Quique Setien opted to rest him for the Leganes game, but according to reports from Marca, the injury has not settled down and he will stay in Catalonia this weekend.
Jordi Alba returns to the squad after serving a one game ban against Leganes, with Samuel Umtiti now sitting out through suspension.
-
FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong will miss the next 2 weeks of action due to an ongoing calf injury.
The Dutch international asked to be substituted in their 4-0 La Liga return victory against Real Mallorca.
Quique Setien opted to rest him for the games against Leganes and FC Sevilla, with the club's medical staff assessing the extent of the problem.
However, according to an official club statement, Blaugrana have now confirmed the news, with his return not expected until early July.
The 23-year-old has played a key role for Quique Setien's side in his debut season in Spain, with 27 La Liga appearances in 2019-2020.
His absence is a real blow for Setien and Barcelona's title defence, as he could miss up to 4 league games.
Barca face Athletic Bilbao in midweek, before key games against Celta Vigo, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.
-
FC Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has won his 7th Pichichi Trophy, after netting 25 La Liga goals in 2019-2020, and breaking a 67-year record for the award.
The Pichichi Trophy awarded to the top scorer in an individual La Liga campaign, with Messi now winning it 7 times in the last 11 seasons.
2 goals in Barcelona's 5-0 final day win at Deportivo Alaves ensured there was no last minute challenge from Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, as Messi broke the 20+ league goal mark for the 12th consecutive season.
The win moves him ahead of Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra, who won 6 Pichichi Trophies between 1944 and 1953, as per the front page of Monday's edition of Marca.
Zarra's exploits for the Basque club were so famous in the post war era, La Liga opted to rename their award for the highest Spanish scorer to the Zarra Trophy in 2005.
Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno secured the title this season, with 18 league goals for Javier Calleja's side, as they clinched an Europa League spot ahead of local rivals Valencia.
-
FC Barcelona have confirmed that their goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen will be out of action for 2 months with a tendon injury.
The German has grown into one of the most important players at the Camp Nou and starred across 46 matches for the club this season.
The 27-year-old has demonstrated he is one of football's elite goalkeepers with a series of world-class performances for the Blaugrana, whom he joined from Borussia Mochengladbach in 2014 for €12 million.
The German goalkeeper's current deal at the Camp Nou runs through until the summer of 2022, after he penned an extended contract in 2017 but contract talks have stalled amid the financial uncertainty following the coronavirus pandemic.
Neto is the current back-up goalkeeper and as things stand, will be selected for the opening weeks of the 2020-2021 campaign.
-
FC Barcelona have confirmed the appointment of Ronald Koeman as their new coach on a 2-year contract.
After a great deal of speculation, the Catalan giants confirmed his appointment until June 2022.
The latest Barcelona news has centred on the replacement for Quique Setien, who was sacked as Barcelona coach on Monday after just 7 months in the role.
Koeman delivered one of the Catalan club's most famous moments as he hit the winning goal in the 1992 Champions League Final against Sampdoria - Barcelona's first ever triumph in the competition.
The Dutchman began his coaching career at Camp Nou as assistant coach to Louis Van Gaal before taking charge of Barcelona's B side.
He then went on to enjoy managerial roles at 9 different clubs including at Valencia in 2008, but despite guiding the side to the Copa del Rey title he collected just 18 points from 22 league games and was sacked after less than 6 months.
-
Philippe Coutinho is set to miss FC Barcelona's trip to Juventus after suffering a hamstring injury, with the club confirming the full extent of the issue on Sunday.
Coutinho has re-emerged as a vital member of Barca's squad since returning to Camp Nou earlier this summer.
The Brazilian flopped in his first season at Camp Nou following a £142 million move from Liverpool in 2018, and was subsequently sent out on loan to Bayern Munchen.
He helped Bayern win a domestic Treble last season, and even scored against his parent club in a stunning 8-2 quarter-finals triumph in the Champions League, but the German outfit decided against bringing him in on a permanent basis.
Barca were tipped to sell Coutinho to an alternative suitor in the summer transfer window, but new Barca coach Ronald Koeman made it clear he still had a future at Camp Nou after replacing Quique Setien in the managerial hot seat in August.
The Dutchman has since been rewarded for his faith in the 28-year-old, who has contributed 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 appearances for the Blaugrana at the start of the 2020-2021 campaign.
Coutinho has been arguably Barca's most consistent performer over the past 2 months, but he allowed his standards to dip during Saturday's EL Clasico clash against Real Madrid.
Barca have now revealed that Coutinho has picked up a knock which could see him sit out a midweek encounter with Juve in the Champions League, but have not been able to offer a firm return date for the midfielder.
-
Ansu Fati is facing around 4 months on the sidelines at FC Barcelona after undergoing knee surgery.
The highly rated 18-year-old went under the knife on Monday. Renowned specialist Dr. Ramon Cugat carried out the procedure, with everything going to plan on the medical side.
On a sporting front, Fati may have to sit out the vast majority of the 2020-2021 campaign, with the club confirming that he will spend approximately 4 months on the sidelines - although it could be longer.
Among Fati's 5 goals was one in the EL Clasico defeat against Real Madrid which saw him become the youngest scorer in the prestigious fixture this century, while also making a senior international breakthrough with Spain.
Impressive progress has been brought to an abrupt halt, however, with Fati forced out of Barcelona's latest La Liga outing against Real Betis.
He was withdrawn at half-time in that contest and replaced by Lionel Messi, who went on to score twice in a 5-2 win for the Blaugrana.
-
FC Barcelona have reached an agreement with their playing squad to slash salaries by €122 million over the next 3 years, the club has confirmed.
However, the Blaugrana will still pay out €50 million per season during that period on wage packets.
The club has been forced to make cuts to their budget after La Liga imposed a lower salary cap upon them last week, as they look to stave off financial disruption brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
League president Javier Tebas brought in the measures to curb excessive spending with supporters still banned from stadiums amid the ongoing health crisis.
Having negotiated over a period of weeks with key figures such as Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and coach Ronald Koeman - and having seen discussions suspended on multiple occasions - Barca were able to confirm a plan for the foreseeable future that will see them trim their bills.
It has been a difficult start to the new season for Barca, following a 2019-2020 campaign pockmarked by turmoil, though they do remain unbeaten in Europe.
-
Philippe Coutinho is set to be out for 3 months following successful knee surgery, FC Barcelona has confirmed.
The Brazilian international had his left meniscus operated on after sustaining an injury during Barcelona's 1-1 draw with Eibar on 29 December.
Coutinho started the game on the bench and came on in the second half, but limped off the pitch during stoppage time as Barcelona finished the match with 10 men having made all their substitutions.
Coutinho, who returned to Barca this season after a successful loan spell with Bayern Munchen, has 3 goals and 2 assists in all competitions. He joins a growing injury list which already includes Gerard Pique, Ansu Fati and Sergi Roberto.
Barca have endured a torrid start to their La Liga campaign and sit 6th in the La Liga standings on 25 points from 15 games, 7 behind leaders Atletico Madrid who have 2 games in hand.
-
FC Barcelona have released the club's annual financial report, revealing considerable debt stemming from the coronavirus pandemic as well as the club's big-money transfers in recent seasons.
In the release, Barca revealed debt reaching €1,2 billion, along with short-term debt of roughly €730 million.
The club's biggest area of spending is its wage bill, an area of spending that represents 74% of the club's income. It's a situation that, according to sources consulted by Goal, is quite worrying at the club, which has led to the negotiations to defer salaries since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Barca also owe a total of €126 million to other clubs, stemming from several transfer deals that the club has conducted in recent years.
The club still owes €29 million to Liverpool for the signing of Philippe Coutinho, €16 million to Ajax for Frenkie de Jong and nearly €10 million to Girondins Bordeaux for Malcom, with each requiring payments by 30 June.
In addition, payments are due stemming from the deals to sign Arthur Melo, which requires payment of €21 million to Gremio, and Arturo Vidal, which sees nearly €11 million owed to Bayern Munchen. Vidal and Melo, like Malcom, are not at the club anymore.
Helping offset that are several transfers that Barca are still owed money on themselves, including Zenit's move for Malcom, Getafe's signing of Marc Cucurella and AS Roma's deal for Carles Perez, with that number totaling €46 million.
One further transfer-related payment is one owed to Atletico Madrid, stemming from the Antoine Griezmann deal.
As part of that deal, Barca struck a bargain to pay Atleti €10 million for what is listed as "preferential rights" on its balance sheet, with that alluding to a deal that would see the Catalan club have the rights to match offers for Atletico Madrid players.
Barcelona ended the club's 2019-2020 campaign with a net debt of €488 million, and the club has been negotiating a delay of those payments with its creditors, pointing to the impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on the club's finances.
The club hopes to delay those payments until at least 30 June of this year. Some creditors have accepted that deferral, while the club remains in negotiations with several others over their payment schedule.
Barca were hoping to be able to rely on the return of fans this season, with ticket sales expected to be a big part of the club's financial bounce-back.
The return of fans was expected to make the club €56 million this campaign, with the club expecting a capacity of 25% in February and 50% from May onwards.
However, with no date in sight for the return of fans to Camp Nou, it appears that plan will not come to fruition, robbing the club of a major potential revenue stream.
-
Sergio Aguero is joining FC Barcelona from Manchester City on a deal until the end of the 2022-2023 season and was unveiled at the Camp Nou after signing his contract on Monday.
The forward was presented in a Barca kit and greeted the media on Monday evening after completing a medical in the afternoon prior to signing a 2-year deal.
Aguero will move to Barcelona on a free transfer but the Catalan club have said Aguero's buyout clause is set at €100 million. He will officially become a Barcelona player on 1 July after his City contract expires.
Aguero's departure from the Etihad Stadium was announced at the end of March after Pep Guardiola informed City's record goalscorer of the club's decision not to renew his deal.
The 32-year-old, who was signed from Atletico Madrid in 2011, has been restricted in his appearances this season due to injuries and illness.
Aguero, one of the most influential players in City's history, leaves the club after winning 5 Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and 6 League Cups.
-
Eric Garcia will join FC Barcelona from Manchester City when his contract at the Etihad Stadium expires at the end of this month.
The 20-year-old will sign a contract until the end of the 2025-2026 season and with a buy out clause set at €400 million.
Garcia, who graduated from Barcelona's La Masia academy before joining City in 2017, rejected the offer of a new contract at the Premier League champions last summer.
Barca had previously seen a bid of £15,4 million (plus add-ons) rejected by City in October 2020 with the club wanting closer to £20 million for the defender.
The defender joined the famous Barcelona academy in 2008 before leaving for the Premier League, making his Man City first-team debut aged 17 in a Carabao Cup game against Leicester City in December 2018.
The departure of Vincent Kompany and injury to Aymeric Laporte opened up more opportunities for the defender who in total made more than 30 appearances for Pep Guardiola's side.
-
FC Barcelona have announced the signing of right-back Emerson Royal from Real Betis on a deal that runs until 2024.
The Brazilian had been co-owned by both Barca and Betis, with the pair having joined forces to bring the 22-year-old to La Liga in 2019.
The Blaugrana have now exercised their option to buy the player outright for €9 million, with Goal having initially reported that the deal was close on 29 May.
-
The 27-year-old winger has joined on a free transfer after running down his contract at Olympique Lyon.
The attacker is the 4th player to join the Spanish side this summer, following Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia, who were both signed after leaving Manchester City, and Emerson Royal.
The Netherlands international joined Lyon from Manchester United in 2017.
He scored 76 goals in 178 appearances in all competitions over his 4 years with the French side.
His final season was his most prolific, however, as he netted 20 times in Ligue 1 to end up the joint-second top scorer behind Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, who got 27. Depay was top of the assist chart with 12.
-
Sergio Aguero will have to wait to make his FC Barcelona debut after it was confirmed a calf injury has ruled the striker out for 10 weeks.
Barca are set to begin their first La Liga campaign since 2003-2004 without Lionel Messi, who said an emotional farewell on Sunday after the club were unable to keep the Argentine.
As the club prepare for life without the 6-time Ballon d'Or winner, their forward plans have taken another blow by news of Aguero's injury just 6 days before their league opener against Real Sociedad.
Aguero joined as a free agent in the summer after his 10-year spell at Manchester City came to an end, and the 10-week absence means he may not make his first Barca appearance until late October at the earliest.
The 33-year-old struggled with injuries in the latter stages of his decade-long stay in Manchester.
Aguero scored 184 goals in 275 Premier League games over 10 years, with 4 of those goals coming in 2020-2021 from 12 appearances.
