Messi business: Barcelona struggling to finance deal
Various sources have told ESPN that Barcelona's campaign to reduce their salary bill has posed a significant hurdle as they struggle to make room to register their new signing and Lionel Messi's new contract. Clubs must reduce their outgoings to ensure they comply with La Liga spending limits next season. If they cannot do so, they risk not being able to register Messi's new contract or the new signings Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Emerson Royal.
Barca have until the end of the transfer window on August 31 to submit Messi's deal and his new signing to La Liga, but internally they want everything to be resolved before August 15, when they join Real Sociedad. Will start his league season at home. League president Javier Tebas has said he will not relax rules for Barcelona, and a failure to get their finances could see Messi if he signs a five-year deal, as reported by ESPN last week. who are unable to play until at least January. As happened with Getafe midfielder Pedro Leone in 2014.
Barca have managed to forward several youth and fringe players in the first transfer window, including United States international Conrad de la Fuente's move to Marseille, but they are struggling to get rid of the big earners. The club has also failed to agree on terms of pay cuts with long-serving Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto. Sources said director of football Matu Alemani has spoken to all three agents, but so far no one has shown any willingness to cut their earnings to help the club. Busquets makes around €16 million per year at the club, while Alba and Roberto are on €10.5m.
ESPN previously reported that the fastest way to make those saves was through Antoine Griezmann, but further talks for a return to Atletico Madrid have stalled. Barca and Atlético were negotiating a swap deal that would see midfielder Saul Nizez head the other direction to Camp Nou, but they could not agree on a player's valuation.
Griezmann, who, according to ESPN sources, would envision going back to Atletico upon the Premier League switch, does not want to take a hit on his salary of around €35m a year, meaning Barca may have to contribute to his salary. To pursue any deal. He did something similar when Luis Suarez left for Atletico Madrid last summer.
Miralem Pjanic and Samuel Umeti have been told they have no future at the club, but neither are yet close to leaving. Like Griezmann, Pjanic, who is taking interest from Italy, doesn't want to take a pay cut. Sources say that no club wanting the Bosnian midfielder can match his earnings.
Philippe Coutinho, who earns around €24m a year, and Neto (€6.5m) are two other candidates to leave this summer, but they may last. As revealed by ESPN, Barcelona do not want to take a big hit on the £142m they paid Liverpool for Coutinho in 2018, and coach Ronald Koeman has given Neto an injury to first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Beware of letting go. -- Sam Marsden and Moises Lawrence
Chelsea and Juventus keen on former Man Utd keeper Romero
Sources have told ESPN that Sergio Romero is drawing interest from Chelsea and Juventus after leaving Manchester United.
The goalkeeper is training in Argentina while he makes his next move after leaving Old Trafford this summer at the end of his contract. The 34-year-old made 61 appearances in six years at Old Trafford.
European giants Chelsea and Juventus are among several clubs to have registered their interest in the Argentine international. The Spanish side Granada is also monitoring its situation.
Contrary to rumours, sources have told ESPN that there has been no contact with Leeds United, while a possible move to Everton is seen as impossible after Bournemouth signing 34-year-old Asmir Begovic on a free transfer.
Despite Romero's ouster, United still have four senior goalkeepers. United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has approved the arrival of Tom Heaton this summer, handing Lee Grant a new one-year contract. Last season David de Gea and Dean Henderson competed for the No. 1 shirt. — Rob Dawson
Premier League clubs fear COVID chaos
Sources have told ESPN that the Premier League's top clubs fear COVID-19 chaos ahead of the new season.
Almost all coronavirus restrictions in the United Kingdom were lifted on 19 July - dubbed "Independence Day" - despite a continued rise in infection numbers.
Premier League players are still being tested twice a week so that infections - asymptomatic or otherwise - will be picked up immediately, and clubs are concerned that if players are forced to isolate, pre- Season preparation can get hampered. When the new Premier League season starts on August 14, they can also be left to play games with empty teams.
Self-isolation alerts were sent last week to more than 600,000 people using the National Health Service's COVID-19 app in England and Wales. Self-isolation for those fully vaccinated and alerted by the app as close contacts of a positive test are due to end by August 16. The government is registering around 40,000 new coronavirus cases a day.
Arsenal have already been forced to cancel their presidential visit to Florida due to the "small number" of positive cases within their squad. Manchester City have also had to end a friendship with Troyes due to new government rules regarding returning to the UK from France. The game was scheduled to be played on 31 July, but was canceled after City told players and staff to quarantine for 10 days upon their return to Manchester.
This has left Pep Guardiola's team with only one game – against Championship side Preston North End on 27 July – before their Community Shield clash against Leicester at Wembley on 7 August – Rob Dawson
Barcelona pulls out of H&M deal
Barcelona have pulled out of a deal with clothing retailer H&M over fears that a partnership could damage their reputation in China, a source confirmed to ESPN. Negotiations on a collaboration were at an advanced stage in which H&M supply leisure wear seen to be worn by Barca first team players when they traveled to matches.
However, as Dario ARA first revealed, Barca withdrew from talks after an employee at their Hong Kong office raised concerns about the repercussions of cooperation in China.
H&M's sales in China have plummeted and the share price fell sharply in March after the company alleged charges against Uighur Muslims in China's Xinjiang province as well as other big clothing brands including Nike, Burberry and Adidas. expressed concern over the violation of human rights. Swedish company H&M said they would not source products from the cotton-growing region of Xinjiang for this reason.
Asia is seen as an important market for Barca. The club's main sponsor is the Japanese company Rakuten, and they also have partnerships with China Taiping Insurance Group. In 2014, the Catalan club opened an office in Hong Kong to help with the development of the club on the continent. -- Sam Marsden and Moises Lawrence
Vieira Revolution taking shape in the Palace
Patrick Vieira's intention to breathe new life into Crystal Palace has made him target Manchester City rising star Morgan Rogers, sources have told ESPN.
Vieira, the former New York City FC boss who replaced Roy Hodgson this summer, has spoken out about the aging of the Palace team he inherited. Data compiled by the CIES Football Observatory last season found that at an average age of 29.2, Palace had the oldest squad in the Premier League.
Vieira has responded by signing two attractive - Chelsea high-class defender Marc Guehi (21) for nearly £18m and midfielder Michael Ollis (18) from championship side Reading. Then there could be 18-year-old Manchester City forward Rogers, who impressed during a loan period in the previous stint at League One Lincoln City. With Rogers scoring six goals for the third tier side and what could be tough opportunities to come to City in the coming years, the club is chasing Aston Villa's Jack Grealish.
Meanwhile, City will not sign left-back Nuno Mendes from Sporting Lisbon this summer, sources have told ESPN. City in Portugal have been heavily linked with the 19-year-old, but privately, the Premier League champions have forcefully denied he is interested. Sources said this summer they aim to strengthen their attack. — Rob Dawson
The impact of the bomb threat on Bell's World Cup plans
Gareth Bale's hopes of a World Cup farewell with Wales in Qatar 2022 faced disruption during the next round of qualifiers as the prospect of qualifying rivals forced Belarus to stage their home games in a neutral country . Next year's World Cup could be Bale's last hope of participating in the tournament, with next year's Real Madrid winger 33.
Wales, who must finish in the top-two to qualify directly in Group E or advance to the playoffs, have to resume their qualifying campaign on 5 September against Belarus in Minsk. The United Kingdom and the European Union banned all flights into Belarus airspace following the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk in May, when Belarusian authorities warned the plane of a bomb threat before proceeding to arrest . Opposition activists traveling in the plane once it was on the ground.
Belarus is due to host Wales and Belgium in Minsk during the next round of international fixtures, but sources have told ESPN that the Games will be moved to a neutral venue if the flight ban is not lifted in the coming weeks.
UEFA forced Belarusian champion Shakhtyor Soligorsk to stage a Champions League first qualifying round home tie against Bulgarian team Ludogorets in Belgrade, Serbia, earlier this month due to the current situation, and sources have said there has been little There is optimism that the political landscape will change. It is time for Belarus to face Wales and Belgium in Minsk.