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Barcelona confirm De Jong loan
FC Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Luuk de Jong in a loan switch from FC Sevilla with an option to make the move permanent next June.
The 31-year-old joins up with the Blaugrana after spending 2 seasons with Sevilla, where he failed to find his best scoring form.
De Jong will provide cover at forward, where Barca have been lacking for options after the departures of Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain and Antoine Griezmann back to Atletico Madrid.
The Dutch international joined Sevilla ahead of the 2019-2020 season on the back of several prolific campaigns with PSV Eindhoven.
But the forward was unable to replicate that form in Spain, scoring a total of 10 league goals over 2 seasons in 69 appearances.
De Jong has also played at De Graafschap, FC Twente, Borussia Monchengladbach and Newcastle over the course of his career.
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Koeman sacked by Barcelona
Ronald Koeman has been sacked as head coach of FC Barcelona after 14 months in charge.
After weeks of speculation, Koeman's final game was the 1-0 defeat by Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Wednesday night, their 4th defeat in 6 games in all competitions.
A brief statement was released on the club's website confirming president Joan Laporta had relieved the Dutchman of his duties as first-team coach.
Current Barca B coach Sergi Barjuan will temporarily take charge of the first team while a decision is made on Koeman's successor.
Pressure had been building on Koeman since a 3-0 defeat at Benfica in late September, which made this season the club's worst-ever start to a Champions League campaign.
They succumbed to a 2-0 away loss to Atletico Madrid in La Liga on 2 October, with former forward Luis Suarez scoring the second goal at Wanda Metropolitano, and they trail league front-runners Real Madrid by 6 points in the table.
Their 2-1 loss to Real Madrid at Camp Nou on 24 October was Koeman's third El Clasico defeat in a row, and after the final whistle, the Barcelona coach was targeted by a crowd of fans who attacked his car as he tried to drive away from the stadium.
Koeman was appointed in August last year and in his first campaign led Barcelona to third place in La Liga and won the Copa del Rey.
But he has struggled in his second season following the departure of Lionel Messi, who left as a free agent in the summer to join Paris Saint-Germain with financial issues leaving Barcelona unable to afford his wages.
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Barca agree £55 million transfer deal to sign Torres
FC Barcelona have agreed a deal that could total £55 million with Manchester City to sign Ferran Torres.
The Spanish side will pay an initial £46,7 million plus a further £8,5 million in add-ons. Some £5,9 million of those add-ons are said to be more or less guaranteed.
It means City will have made at least £27 million on a player they paid Valencia around £20 million for in 2020.
They have not paid any of the agreed add-ons to Valencia due to the limited time he has spent at the Etihad Stadium.
Barcelona regard Torres as one of Spain's rising talents and have money to spend in January after recently receiving sizeable investment via a bank loan.
Torres, 21-year-old, has played only 4 times in the Premier League this season, scoring twice, and once more in the Champions League.
He has been sidelined since October with a foot injury suffered on international duty with Spain.
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Barca re-sign Traore on loan
Adama Traore has returned to FC Barcelona on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers until the end of the season.
Barca agreed a loan move with a £29 million option to make the deal permanent, after Traore was left unconvinced by Tottenham's interest.
"FC Barcelona and Wolverhampton have reached an agreement for the loan of the player Adama Traore until 30 June 2022. The blaugranes will pay the player's wages and there is an option to make the deal permanent."
"The presentation of Adama Traore as a new Barcelona player will be on Wednesday 2 February behind closed doors. The club will announce further details shortly."
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Barcelona agree deal to sign Aubameyang
FC Barcelona have agreed a permanent deal to sign Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer.
Arsenal were willing to allow Aubameyang - who reputedly earned £350,000 per week - to leave after stripping him of the captaincy in December following an unspecified disciplinary issue.
Arsenal are estimated to be making a saving of around £25 million in wages with Aubameyang's departure. But his exit means Mikel Arteta's squad will finish the season with just 2 recognised strikers at the club, with both Eddie Nketiah and Alex Lacazette out of contract in the summer.
Aubameyang has not played for the club since 6 December, and was left out of their squad for their warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
The 32-year-old's move to Spain had looked off earlier on Deadline Day after talks broke down over the financial part of the deal.
But it's understood that Aubameyang, who flew out to Barcelona on Monday morning, took a significant pay cut to facilitate the move.
The drop in performance levels has been so great that it is probably worth reminding people that Aubameyang was a world-class striker for much of his time at Arsenal.
Indeed, from the day of his debut for the club in February 2018 until the day of his double against Everton in February 2020, no player scored more Premier League goals. He scored 49 times in that period, the same as Mohamed Salah and a dozen more than Harry Kane.
There was a notable highlight after that when he scored twice in Arsenal's FA Cup Final win over Chelsea in the summer of 2020.
But almost as soon as his new contract was signed that September, there has been a sense of decline, of a player whose best days are behind him.
Last edited by beavis; 16-07-2022 at 17:34.
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Kessie to join Barca on free transfer
Franck Kessie is on the verge of becoming a new FC Barcelona player ahead of next season as a free agent, with an official statement by the Spanish club expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
The AC Milan midfielder has already signed his contract that will keep him in a Blaugrana shirt until at least 2026, with Kessie set to receive a net salary of €6,5 million plus add-ons for the next 4 seasons, CBS Sports soccer insider Fabrizio Romano reports. The Ivory Coast international completed his medicals in the past few days to secure his new deal.
The 25-year-old joined AC Milan in the summer 2017 for around €28 million from Atalanta and played 214 games with the Rossoneri where he has scored 36 goals.
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Barca sign Christensen on free transfer
FC Barcelona have announced the signing of Andreas Christensen as a free agent, with the Danish defender cleared to make a move to Camp Nou after severing ties with Chelsea.
The 26-year-old centre-half had seen a switch to Catalunya speculated on from the moment it was revealed he would not be signing a new contract at Stamford Bridge.
A protracted saga, complicated by ongoing financial issues at Barca, has finally been brought to a close.
With no transfer fee involved, Barcelona have been able to hand Christensen a lucrative 4-year contract to the summer of 2026.
It is the same length of contract as signed by Franck Kessie, who was confirmed as a Barca player earlier the same day. Both men have €500 million release clauses, while Christensen's unveiling will take place on Thursday.
Issues remain regarding the registration of new players, but the Blaugrana say they have enough space in their salary cap to get fresh faces on board and officially confirmed.
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Barcelona confirm Raphinha transfer
FC Barcelona and Leeds United have confirmed that an agreement is in place for Raphinha to move to the Spanish club in a deal worth up to €65 million. The Brazil winger will now undergo a medical and sign his Barcelona contract, which will run through 2027, on Wednesday as he prepares to seal his move to La Liga.
Raphinha had also been courted by Chelsea and Arsenal, but ultimately chose to leave the Premier League after 2 years in England.
The negotiations to bring Raphinha to Barcelona had been underway since Sunday, with the winger having his heart set on Barcelona despite prior links to Chelsea.
The Blues had made an identical proposal to Barcelona's, leaving the Brazilian with a choice of his next club.
In the end, he chose Barca, with agent and former member of both clubs Deco taking charge of the deal. Raphinha will now earn double what he made in salary during his time with Leeds, while Barca will pay an initial €59 million in installments, and a further €6 million in potential add-ons.
The winger originally joined Leeds in 2020 after breaking out with French side Rennes in 2019-2020.
He made a total of 67 appearances for the club, scoring 17 goals during his time in England.
Raphinha also broke through with Brazil's national team, earning each of his 9 caps since making the move to Leeds.
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Dembele re-signs for Barcelona on 2-year deal
FC Barcelona have announced that they have re-signed Ousmane Dembele on a 2-year contract that will keep him at Camp Nou through to 2024. The player's agent and the Catalan club found an agreement last week to make the winger extend his stay, and it has now been made official.
Dembele's previous deal with Barcelona ended on 30 June and the World Cup winner was a free agent. However, Xavi still sees the France international as an instrumental player and pleaded with the board to tie him down to fresh terms.
Dembele has re-signed for Barca for the next 2 years, with his new contract not due to expire until June 2024.
The forward has also agreed to a massive pay cut that has reportedly seen his salary reduced by 40%.
However, variables have also been included based on his participation and performance in the upcoming two seasons. If he manages to tick all the boxes he will receive a salary of around €10 million per year.
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Barcelona agree deal to sign Lewandowski
FC Barcelona have agreed a deal with Bayern Munchen for the signing of striker Robert Lewandowski for €50 million.
Lewandowski will fly to Spain on Saturday for a medical before signing his 3-year contract, which contains an option for a further 12 months.
The Poland international had just one year remaining on his Bayern contract and had told the club he would not renew his deal.
Lewandowski has been with Bayern since 2014 and has scored 344 goals for the club in 375 appearances across all competitions.
He has helped Bayern to 8 Bundesliga titles in the last 8 seasons, as well as 3 German cups, and has just been crowned the league's top scorer for the fifth season in a row after netting 35 goals in 34 Bundesliga games in 2021-2022.
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Barca agree Kounde deal
FC Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign defender Jules Kounde from FC Sevilla for a base fee of €50 million plus add-ons, GOAL can confirm. He is expected to sign a 4-year contract that will run until 2026.
Kounde had been pursued by Chelsea since at least last summer, but he preferred a move to Camp Nou.
Xavi specifically requested Barca approach Kounde to reinforce a defence that has also added Blues defender Andreas Christensen on a free transfer.
On top of an initial €50 million fee, there will be between €5 million and €10 million in add-ons, GOAL understands.
The 23-year-old, who can play centre-back and right-back, represents Sevilla's record transfer sale. However, Girondins Bordeaux will receive a sell-on sum of around €8 million.
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Barcelona confirm Bellerin free transfer
Hector Bellerin is set to join FC Barcelona from Arsenal on a free transfer, 11 years after he left the Camp Nou for north London.
Bellerin's future has been unclear throughout the summer, with the right-back hoping to secure a move back to Betis, where he spent last season on loan.
Betis were unable to strike a deal due to the 27-year-old's high salary, so talks have been taking place between Bellerin's representatives and Barcelona in recent weeks.
Arsenal have agreed to let Bellerin, who had one year left on his deal, join Barca on a free transfer. It is not a straight contract termination.
No money will change hands between the clubs, but Arsenal do have a sell-on clause included in the deal in case Barcelona sell the defender in the future.
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Pique announces he will retire from football
FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has announced he is retiring from football and Saturday's La Liga match against Almeria will be his last.
The defender has confirmed in a video on social media that he will retire from football after Barca's clash against Almeria on Saturday in La Liga.
Pique has fallen out of favour at Camp Nou this season, making just 3 La Liga starts, and has decided to call time on his trophy-laden career.
Pique has slipped behind Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia in the pecking order at Barcelona this season and has spent most of the campaign on the bench. The defender has previously said he would rather retire than accept being a substitute for a whole season and now looks set to keep his word.
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Barcelona agree deal to sign Gundogan
FC Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City on a free transfer, with the midfielder set to pen a 3-year contract.
The move has not been officially announced by either side but City have adopted a pragmatic approach due to the player's age and length of contract the 32-year-old was seeking, in keeping with similar situations over recent years.
Gundogan was in talks with City over a new deal, with his contract set to expire at the end of June.
However, the length of the deal on offer for the 32-year-old - one year plus an option of a further 12 months - was a sticking point.
The influential former Borussia Dortmund midfielder has won 5 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and the Champions League in his 7 years at City.
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Barcelona sign Inigo Martinez
FC Barcelona have made the signing of Inigo Martinez official.
The 32-year-old Basque defender has signed a contract with Barca until June 2025.
His termination clause is €400 million. The Spanish international arrives on a free transfer as his contract with Athletic Bilbao has expired this summer.
Xavi shores up his defence, depleted after the retirement of Gerard Pique and the non-continuation of Jordi Alba, with the signing of the veteran centre-back from Ondarroa, who can also play at left-back.
Barcelona have long had ambitions for Martinez, they tried to sign him last season but were unable to afford his transfer, and finally secured his services this summer.
Martinez, who arrived at San Mames in January 2018 from Real Sociedad, made 18 appearances in the 2022-2023 season, 15 in La Liga and 3 Copa del Rey games, scoring one goal.
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Barcelona sign Romeu
La Liga champions FC Barcelona have signed Oriol Romeu from Girona on a 3-year contract.
Romeu, 31-year-old, is a graduate of La Masia academy but played just twice for the senior side in 2010-2011.
Barcelona have not disclosed the fee for Romeu but have included a €400 million buy-out clause in his contract.
He spent last season with Girona, playing 33 times in La Liga as the Catalan side finished 10th.
After coming through Barcelona's youth teams, Romeu was given his first-team debut by Pep Guardiola in 2010-2011.
Chelsea signed Romeu in the summer of 2011 for £4,3 million but he struggled to make an impact and, following loan spells with Valencia and VfB Stuttgart, he made a permanent move to Southampton in 2015 for £5 million.
His time on the south coast ended in September 2022, having played 256 games, when he signed a 3-year contract with Girona.
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