FC Barcelona Thread

[beavis]

Vermaelen tears calf muscle against Levante

FC Barcelona defender Thomas Vermaelen is expected to be out for around 4 weeks after suffering a torn calf muscle against Levante over the weekend.

Vermaelen pulled up in the second half of Barcelona's 5-0 at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia, and was replaced by Arthur after 52 minutes.

Tests carried out on the Belgium international showed Vermaelen had torn a muscle in his right calf and he will not play again until January at the earliest.

The 33-year-old, who had only just returned from a hamstring injury, has started just 5 matches for Barcelona in all competitions this season.

With Samuel Umtiti currently undergoing treatment on a knee cartilage problem in Qatar, it leaves Barcelona with only Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet able to play in the heart of their defence.

Vermaelen joined FC Barcelona from Arsenal in 2014 but has been plagued by a variety of injury problems since moving to the Camp Nou. The centre-back is out of contract at the end of the season.

[beavis]

Barcelona take Murillo on loan



FC Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Jeison Murillo on loan from Valencia.

The defender will initially join the club on a short-term deal, with Barca holding the option to buy the defender for €25 million.

Murillo has endured something of a nomadic career thus far, with Barcelona set to become his eighth club, either permanent or short-term.

He spent the 2017-2018 season on loan at Valencia from Inter Milano, before the Spanish club made the move permanent, but he has played just once thus far this season.

Murillo will now help to plug a hole in Barca's defence, with French centre-back Samuel Umtiti and Belgian stopper Thomas Vermaelen both struggling with injuries.

Vermaelen will be out for around a month, while Umtiti's return date is currently unkown.

Manager Ernesto Valverde had initially ruled out the prospect of signing a defender in the January transfer window, but it appears that plans have changed.

Barca are currently top of La Liga, 3 points clear of second place FC Sevilla, and 5 ahead of bitter rivals Real Madrid.

[beavis]

Messi scores 400th La Liga goal



Messi vs Eibar
https://streamable.com/8bwrh

FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi further etched his name into Spanish football history by becoming the first player to score 400 goals in La Liga when he netted against Eibar on Sunday.

The Argentine, who has been the competition's all-time top scorer since 2014, calmly slotted in a pass from Luis Suarez from close range for the league leaders' second goal in their 3-0 victory.

Messi, named as the Barcelona captain at the start of this season, was making his 435th La Liga appearance for the club where he has spent his entire career, having made his league debut in 2004.

The 31-year-old has won 9 La Liga titles and is on course to win a 10th, with Barca currently 5 points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of the standings.

[beavis]

Boateng joins Barca

FC Barcelona have officially signed Kevin-Prince Boateng from Sassuolo on loan with an option to buy.

Both clubs confirmed on Monday evening that Boateng had moved to Barca on loan until the end of the season with an €8 million purchase option.

The 31-year-old will put pen-to-paper with the Blaugrana on Tuesday morning, before being unveiled in the afternoon.

The former AC Milan attacker only joined Sassuolo from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer and went on to score 5 goals in 15 appearances.

He already has experience of Spanish football with Las Palmas, where he netted 10 times across 28 games in La Liga.

[beavis]

De Jong to join FC Barcelona from Ajax in July

FC Barcelona have confirmed Ajax star midfielder Frenkie de Jong will join the club on 1 July.

The 21-year-old joins for a fee of €75 million with a further €11 million in add-ons and has signed a 5-year contract until the summer of 2024.

De Jong, whose reported suitors included Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, is considered to be one of the best young players in world football.

De Jong originally broke through the youth ranks at Willem II and joined Ajax for £260,000 in the summer of 2015, but was loaned back to the fellow Eredivisie side for one season.

He then went on to spend one year in Ajax's youth side before being promoted to the first team towards the end of the 2016-2017 season, appearing in the final minutes of the UEFA Europa League Final which they eventually lost to Manchester United.

The midfielder made his senior international debut in a friendly win against Peru in June, winning on 5 more caps since then, and has played 16 times for Ajax in the Eredivisie this season, scoring 4 goals.

[beavis]

Barcelona sign Mineiro's Emerson

FC Barcelona have signed full-back Emerson in a €12 million transfer from Atletico Mineiro, with the defender set to join the La Liga champions in the summer.

Emerson will join Barca on a 5-year contract that runs through the 2023-2024 season when he officially links up with the club on 1 July.

However, prior to his move to Barca, he will head to La Liga for the remainder of the campaign on a half-season loan to Real Betis, the Seville club have announced.

Emerson, who turned 20-year-old on 14 January, has played one season at Mineiro scoring a goal and adding an assist for the club in 23 appearances, who finished 6th in the top flight in 2018.

Previously, he had played for Brazilian side Ponte Preda, making just 3 appearances in the league for the club.

The right-back has also featured for Brazil at the youth levels and is currently with his nation's side at the South American U20 championship, where he has started 4 of their 5 games.

[beavis]

Melo out for 4 weeks

FC Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo has been ruled out for between 3 and 4 weeks with a hamstring injury, the club have confirmed.

The Brazilian joined the Catalan giants from Gremio this summer and has become an integral first-team player this campaign, making 27 appearances across all competitions.

This injury comes as a massive blow for Barca, with the midfielder set to miss league trips to Athletic Bilbao and FC Sevilla, alongside two away matches at Real Madrid and a Champions League trip to Olympique Lyon.

The news is likely to afford greater first-team opportunities to Arturo Vidal and Philippe Coutinho in the coming weeks.

[beavis]

Valverde agrees Barcelona extension

FC Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has agreed a one-year contract extension until the end of the 2019-2020 season, with an option for a further year.

Valverde formally signed his new contract at Camp Nou on Friday to end the speculation surrounding his future.

Valverde replaced Luis Enrique as manager in 2017 and guided Barcelona to the La Liga and Copa del Rey double in his first season in charge.

The Catalan club are on course to defend their league title and are 6 points clear of rivals Real Madrid in La Liga, with 15 games remaining in the season.

Barcelona are also through to the last 16 of the Champions League and will face Olympique Lyon in the first leg in France on Tuesday.

[beavis]

Dembele out for a month

FC Barcelona midfielder Ousmane Dembele has been ruled out for 3 to 4 weeks with a hamstring injury.

The Spanish champions confirmed the news after undergoing tests with the news coming as another blow for a player who has had a stop-start Camp Nou career so far.

Back in November general manager Pep Segura said the French striker was still adapting to life in Spain since his £97 million move from Borussia Dortmund in 2017.

However, the 21-year-old had been a key player in recent months and came off the bench to score Barcelona's final goal in their 5-1 Champions League win over Olympique Lyon on Wednesday night.

It was Dembele's third goal in the competition after also netting against PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur in the group stages and taking his total for the season to 14 in all competitions.

The injury means Dembele is likely to miss the crunch La Liga clash against rivals Atletico Madrid on 6 April as well as the club's Champions League quarter-finals first leg encounter on 9/10 April.

[beavis]

Suarez a doubt for Copa del Rey Final

Luis Suarez is to have arthroscopic knee surgery on a medial meniscus knee injury, FC Barcelona have announced.

The club have not announced a timetable for his recovery which could see him miss the final weeks of the La Liga season and the Copa del Rey Final.

The surgery can require up to 3 weeks of rest before a return to training, with Barca facing Valencia in a bid to complete the domestic double on 25 May.

The news will also concern Uruguay ahead of their Copa America campaign this summer.

La Celeste face Ecuador in their opening game of that tournament on 16 June.

Suarez did not represent his nation in the last edition of the South American showpiece, in which they were eliminated by Venezuela in the group stages.

Barcelona have said they will make an announcement on the prognosis for Suarez after the operation.

Suarez has scored 25 goals in all competitions this season for the Blaugrana.

The Copa del Rey Final represents Barcelona's chance to claim the domestic double for the second consecutive season, which would be just the 4th time a team has done so in back-to-back years.

Were they to triumph at the end of the month it would be Barcelona's ninth double, and a victory would mean they would be the first team ever to win 5 straight Copa del Rey titles.

[beavis]

Ter Stegen ruled out of Copa del Rey Final

FC Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been ruled out of the Copa del Rey Final due to a knee problem.

The Germany international missed the final 3 La Liga games of the season while undergoing treatment for an issue in his right knee.

The club confirmed on Wednesday that Ter Stegen "still has discomfort" and is therefore unavailable for the match with Valencia at the Benito Villamarin on Saturday.

Ter Stegen has played in 49 of Barca's matches this season, including both legs of the Copa semi-finals victory over Real Madrid.

La Liga champions Barca are seeking their third trophy of the season, having also won the Supercopa de Espana.

Valencia, meanwhile, have not won any silverware since a 3-1 victory over Getafe in the Copa Final of 2008.

[beavis]

Barcelona sign goalkeeper Neto

FC Barcelona have completed the signing of goalkeeper Neto from Valencia in a deal worth up to €35 million, it has been confirmed.

Neto, 29-year-old, moved to Mestalla from Juventus during the summer of 2017 and the Brazilian international had established himself as first-choice at the club under coach Marcelino Garcia Toral.

His move to the Camp Nou follows directly that of the Blaugrana's Jasper Cillessen moving the other way to Los Che, in a deal worth a reported €30 million.

Neto has penned a 4-year contract at the club and his contract will contain a €200 million release clause while the fee is an upfront €26 million with a further €9 million in add-ons.

It has been reported that the de facto swap deal would be roughly the same transfer fee for each player.

[beavis]

Barcelona complete Griezmann signing

FC Barcelona have officially announced the signing of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid, with the French forward putting pen-to-paper after the Blaugrana paid his full €120 million release clause.

The former Real Sociedad forward and 2018 World Cup winner has signed at the Camp Nou for the next 5 seasons through to June 2024 - a contract that includes a buyout clause of €800 million.

The move has not been without drama, as Atleti recently hit out at both Barca and Griezmann himself for their conduct after it was revealed that the two parties had been in negotiations and reached an agreement in March - a time during which Diego Simeone's side were still fighting in La Liga and the Champions League.

Indeed, Atletico were only informed by the World Cup winner in May that he wanted to leave at the end of the season, further frustrating Los Rojiblancos after delaying making public his intention to stay in a televised announcement the season before.

With the deal now completed, however, Griezmann will link up with Lionel Messi & co as the current Spanish champions aim to win the La Liga title for a third consecutive season.

During his prolific 5-year stay in the Spanish capital, the 28-year-old helped himself to 133 goals in 257 appearances across all competitions, and has also bagged 29 for his country since making his France debut in March 2014.

The Macon-born star becomes Barcelona's third most expensive signing in the club's history behind Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.

It is understood Griezmann's lawyer deposited the required buy-out funds at La Liga headquarters in Madrid on Friday morning.

Real Sociedad - the club that took a gamble on the attacker after many clubs in his home country had rejected the chance to sign him - will receive €24 million of the total transfer fee.

[beavis]

Firpo to join Barcelona



FC Barcelona are reportedly closing in on the signing of Betis left-back Junior Firpo.

According to Samuel Marsden of ESPN, the La Liga champions will pay an initial €18 million to sign the 22-year-old and could spend another €12 million in add-ons as part of the deal.

Firpo enjoyed a breakthrough season with Betis in 2018-2019, having broken into the first-team for the Andalusian club late in the previous campaign.

The former Spain youth international was typically deployed as a wing-back on the left flank for Betis and his surges into attacking areas became a trademark of the team's attacking play.

Firpo has all the attributes you'd expect from a modern-day wing-back. When he does venture into the final third he's composed in his decision making, while his high energy levels allow him to dominate his side of the field.

The Betis starlet has made some key contributions from wing-back too, as he chipped in with an impressive 3 goals and 4 assists from his 24 La Liga appearances last term.

One of the standout performances from the Betis star in the previous campaign actually came against FC Barcelona, as he ran riot down the left in a memorable 4-3 win at the Camp Nou.

[beavis]

Dembele sidelined 5 weeks

Ousmane Dembele is set to miss approximately 5 weeks with a hamstring strain, FC Barcelona have confirmed.

The winger went 90 minutes in Barcelona's La Liga opener against Athletic Bilbao, which saw the reigning champions downed on a late goal from Aritz Aduriz.

However, the club confirmed Monday that Dembele has picked up a strain in his left hamstring, and will be out for around 5 weeks.

Dembele has enjoyed productive spells with the La Liga champions since his move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017, but has often been limited by injuries.

A severe hamstring injury at the start of his time at Barca saw him miss over 3 months and he was sidelined for around another month with different muscle problem not long after his return.

Last season saw Dembele emerge as the preferred option in the Barca XI over Philippe Coutinho, but again he found himself sidelined with fitness issues at inopportune times.

An ankle injury last January knocked him out for 3 weeks and another muscle injury would sideline him for another month.

Then another hamstring injury in May ended Dembele's season, and forced him to miss the Copa del Rey Final against Valencia, which Barca lost 2-1.

[beavis]

Barcelona confirm extent of Umtiti injury

Samuel Umtiti is expected to be out for over a month after FC Barcelona confirmed the extent of his foot injury, but Luis Suarez is in line to make his return after he was named in the squad for the meeting with Valencia.

Champions Barca face the side that beat them in last term's Copa del Rey Final at Camp Nou on Saturday having claimed just 4 points from their opening 3 league fixtures.

France defender Umtiti sustained a metatarsal injury on international duty and though initial tests suggested the problem was not severe Barca have now confirmed the centre-back will be out for up to 6 weeks.

[beavis]

Dembele out for 10 weeks

FC Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele has been ruled out for 10 weeks with a hamstring injury.

The Frenchman was taken off in the 26th minute of his sides 3-1 win in the Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund.

Dembele has featured in 8 games so far this season, scoring once against FC Sevilla at the Camp Nou in the league.

The winger signed for the Spanish champions from Dortmund for £97 million in 2017 and has made 74 appearances since moving to the Camp Nou.

[beavis]

Fati signs new Barca deal

FC Barcelona have tied down Ansu Fati to a new 3-year deal which includes a £144 million release clause.

The 17-year-old winger, who is the youngest player to score for Barcelona in La Liga, will remain with the Catalan club until 2022.

Fati's release clause has been increased from £84 million to £144 million and is set to rise to £338 million when the youngster signs a professional contract as a full-time member of the Barcelona first-team.

[FREAKTUNING]

Fati signs new Barca deal

FC Barcelona have tied down Ansu Fati to a new 3-year deal which includes a £144 million release clause.

The 17-year-old winger, who is the youngest player to score for Barcelona in La Liga, will remain with the Catalan club until 2022.

Fati's release clause has been increased from £84 million to £144 million and is set to rise to £338 million when the youngster signs a professional contract as a full-time member of the Barcelona first-team.

nu e rau

[beavis]

Suarez out for 4 months

FC Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has been ruled out for approximately 4 months after having keyhole surgery on an injury to his right knee.

Suarez had suffered an injury to the external meniscus of his knee and was operated on by Dr. Ramon Cugat on Sunday.

The former Liverpool striker, 32-year-old, played the entire match as Barcelona were beaten 3-2 by Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals on Friday.

Suarez - who had surgery on the same knee at the end of last season - has played 23 games for Barcelona this season, scoring 14 goals.

The Catalans are top of La Liga at the halfway point of the season, locked on 40 points with second place Real Madrid, and face Napoli in the last 16 of the Champions League.