No Verratti? Better Call Saul! Or Kovacic!

  Ernesto Valverde's side, FC Barcelona, are looking to bolster their midfield this summer. They want to find a suitable replacement for ageing Andres Iniesta.

   The Catalans have had a tough season, winning only Copa Del Rey. They lost La Liga to historic rivals Real Madrid, and got kicked out from Champions League quarter final by Italian giants, Juventus.

   Barca's midfield was disasterous, with Andre Gomez failing to make an impact, and the diappointing form of both, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic.

   There have been rumours linking Marco Verratti with the Blaugrana, but Paris Saint Germain will refuse any offer for the dynamo.

   The French giants have a clear plan. Their objective is to succeed in Europe and if that is going to happen, they must keep their key players.
   
   Moreover, the club is one of the richest clubs in the world which means they don't have to sell players for money, and no price can lure them.

   This barrier led Barcelona to search for other options to strengthen their midfield.

   According to Sky Sports, the Catalans are keen on signing Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez. Barcelona are ready to pay €80 million for their long-time-target. But Atletico Madrid are banned from bringing new players to the Vicente Calderon, by FIFA. This means that the Madrid side are desperate to keep their players which makes the deal unlikely.

   In this case, Barcelona will switch their interest towards Real's Mateo Kovacic, who's being tipped to become a long-term-replacement for Croatian team-mate Luka Modric.

   Don Ballon reports that Ernesto Valverde will work hard to make Kovacic one of the few players who switch from the Santiago Bernabeu to the Camp Nou.

   It also claims that the 23-year-old has no intention of leaving Los Blancos, as he is considered to be one of Real's big stars in the years to come. Moreover, he was reliable when needed in the center of the park in the absence of the star players, which contributed to Real winning the Champions League and La Liga.

Cristiano Ronaldo To Quit Real And Join United After Fraud Allegations.

   Every summer we hear rumours about Ronaldo reuniting with Manchester United, then Real offer a bumper deal on the table and he stays. But this time is different!

   Cristiano Ronaldo is accused of defrauding the authorities of £13 million in tax between 2011 and 2014, and if that turns out to be true, then he's facing 6 years of jail time.

  A Bola reports that the Portuguese has told the club of his decision to leave. It's been rumoured that Florentino Perez is willing to support the 4-time-Ballon d'Or-winner, but if he wants to leave Perez won't stand in his way, and would name the price tag for interested clubs. Real Madrid released a statement supporting their #1 star on their official website,hoping he stays at the Santiago Bernabeu:

 "Real Madrid CF shows their full confidence in our player Cristiano Ronaldo, who we understand has acted in accordance with the legality regarding compliance with their tax obligations.

Cristiano Ronaldo has always shown since his arrival at Real Madrid CF, in July 2009, a clear will to fulfill all his tax obligations.

Real Madrid CF is absolutely convinced that our player Cristiano Ronaldo will prove his total innocence in this process.

Real Madrid CF hopes that the Justice will act as quickly as possible so that its innocence can be demonstrated as soon as possible."

   Though, a source close to the player told the BBC that the 32-year-old is is willing to leave Los Blancos. The source added:"He's very sad and really upset. He doesn't want to stay in Spain. At this moment, he wants to leave."

  It's obvious that Ronaldo's destination is a world class club, that plays Champions League. And the only clubs that are able to afford his €1 billion release clause, and pay his wages are Manchester United and Paris saint Germain. China move looks unlikely at the moment. It's not a good choice.

Ronaldo would like to return to the Premier League and rejoin the Red Devils, escaping the media and fraud allegations in Spain, where accusing players seems to be a trend. Manchester United fans are very excited about this potential move, and they would like to see Ronaldo again in the Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho could be an additional factor that would facilitate this deal, for the two have worked together in Real Madrid.  

                                                                                       

Lionel Messi Hails Phenomenal Cristiano Ronaldo And Hints On Contract Renewal

   There has been a debate in the past decade about the best player in the world. The competition is limited between the two incredible players, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

   According to The Telegraph, Lionel Messi hailed the Portoguese's title winning season, and insisted that the rivalry between the two has been created by the media.

   Ronaldo was exceptional in the 2nd half of the season, netting his 600th career goal, and his 105th for Los Blancos. Although he struggled at the beginning of the season, his performances later on were impressive. His efforts helped Real Madrid win La Liga for the 1st time in a while, and brought back the Champions League trophy to the Santiago Bernabeu for the 2nd time in a row. Now he is the #1 nominee to win Ballon d'Or.

   Messi also admitted to Tencent Sports, while on international duty, that he was overwhelmed by Ronaldo's recent performances.

"He is a phenomenal player who has many qualities that  he improves year after year  and that is why he is one of the best in the world,"

  And about their rivalry he added:

 "That thing about our rivalry is something more invented by the press than by us.What we want is to do our best every year, to do the best for our teams and what is spoken from outside is not something I give importance to."

   Meanwhile the 5-time-Ballon d'Or-winner revealed his desire to stay at the Camp Nou, to assure reports claiming the Argentine is ready to sign a 5-year-deal with Barcelona.

  "Today, I only think of my day today, in Barcelona, where I am at," Messi said.

  "To strive to achieve and get the most titles that we can, because in football, we don't know what could happen in the year to come. So I like to take it calm and little by little."

  "Staying with Barca is what I have always wanted, what I have always dreamt of. I said that I would like to end my career in Barcelona, and we will see if it ends that way."

   And by this declaration, Messi played down all speculations about his future. The 29-year-old was linked with a move to Manchester City where he can rejoin his ex-mentor Josep Pep Guardiola, who was keen on the debatably best player in the world. Moreover there has been talks about him jheading to China when Football Espana reported the Chinese were willing to offer unbelievable £500 million per year, tax free, for the ace."
 

Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona?

    Barcelona-based newspaper Mundo Deportivo claims the Catalan giants have set their sights on the French international Ousmane Dembele, after going cold on Gerard Deulofeu.
 
    The La Masia graduate may be out of Valverde's plans. The winger has had a great season with the Toffees, and even a better one with Italian giants AC Milan, which fueled talks about getting him back to Camp Nou, especially with the clause in his Everton move which allows Barca to rebuy him for a decent amount of money. But the drama that has happened recently in Borussia Dortmund, by sacking Thomas Tuchel despite winning the German Cup, created an atmosphere of uncertainty for the players, which made Barcelona renew their interest in the starlet who scored 10 goals and claimed 18 assists in 47 games.

   Ernesto Valverde is said to take advantage of the situation and sign the player. Barcelona are in need for players with Dembele's skills. With Coutinho doubting his ability to fit in Barcelona, and Turan leaving alongside with Rafinha and Dennis Suarez who are rumoured EPL targets, the deal looks likely to happen. If Barcelona propose an offer in these circumstances, it's hard for the 20-year-old to say NO to one of the biggest clubs in Europe. Meanwhile other reports claim even the player has showed interest in a Barcelona switch.
 
   Few hours ago, Samuel Umtiti, Dembele's France team-mate revealed to L'Equipe that the winger would thrive at the Camp Nou even jokingly offered to join him up. He added:"We get on really well. I know Barca are interested in his profile, but all the parties need to reach an agreement. Dembele would do well with us, with the quality he has, he's capable of adding a lot. If he comes, he will be welcome, but it still needs to be official to talk about that. If he comes, he can sleep at my house!"

   

Aggressive Pepe leaves sentimental message for Real fans and slams Zidane as he says farewell!

 After 10 seasons leading the defence at Santiago Bernabeu, Pepe's journey nears to its end. He stepped in the club on 12 july 2007, made 334 appearances and won 14 trophies. His contract ends on 30 june 2017, and there's no sign that the club wants to renew. So he posted some photos on instagram with a goodbye note (@official_pepe).

   A few hours after the Champions League win against Juventus, the Portoguese defender spoke to Cadena Cope explaining why he has to leave the Spanish capital, without confirming any agreement with PSG. 

  "It is clear that I will leave Real Madrid , an important stage of my career has come to an end. It is time to look ahead and advance to the next step. At the moment I have not signed anything with anyone, there are many clubs interested in me, some even in the Premier League. We'll see what happens."
   
      So Pepe spoke about his future. Arriving at Real Madrid from Porto in 2007 for just over 30 million euro figure, the Portuguese had immediately won the title in central defense, becoming a reference point for the team and one of the symbols of the fans. He also spoke how he struggled under Zidane, so he added:
  
 "Zidane and the club knew that I would leave after the Champions League final. The coach has done spectacular things but he behaved in a haphazard manner with me. They disappeared from the field without even knowing why, I'd be really curious to know the reasons for his choices. On the contrary, I enjoyed the sincerity that Rafa Benitez has had on me."

  And about his relation with Florentino Perez, he added:

   "With the president it has always been a professional relationship but not friendship. It was very painful to see the club lose interest in my problems. I had to resolve them alone with the authorities.The board of directors it's just screwed. For Real Madrid I gave blood and sweat in every game I played, I will be forever linked to this city and to the fans."
  
The 34-year-old has been linked with a move to the French giants PSG. The club is looking forward to sign new quality players to bloster their squad after a disappointing season. 

Monaco reject Arsenal's 100 million euros for Kylian Mbappe!

After an incredible season at Monaco, Kylian Mbappe caught the eyes of big clubs. There were many rumors linking the 18-year old with a move to one of the Spanish giants Real Madrid or Barcelona. Then rich English clubs  were linked with the forward such as the 2 Manchester clubs and Chelsea, and PSG showed interest in the Frenchman. But then Arsenal surprised us all by bidding 100 million euros to get the player's signature, and more surprisingly, Monaco rejected the offer!
Mbappe netted 26 goals this season, and provided 8 assists helping Monaco win League 1, and qualifying to UCL semi-final where they lost twice against Juventus. This young starlet is said to be one of the best talents and expected to be one of the best players one day, and the French champions are trying to keep him in the club for at least one more season. Mbappe still has 2 years in his contract, and he said that he doesn't want to play less which may be a relief for his club, but he also said that he's not afraid to leave! And there are still rumors that Real Madrid could blast a 120 million euros deal to snap the ace. There is a factor that could facilitate this mega money deal: Kylian is a huge fan of Real Madrid, Ronaldo, and Zidane. We'll see about that in the coming couple of days.

Official:Jorge Sampaoli takes over Argentina

Few minutes ago, Jorge Sampaoli was presented as Argentina boss. The new coach quickly named Lionel Messi as captain."I had to coach Messi", he said at his opening press conference."We want the best player in the world to feel happy here and the important thing is that Messi has compatible players. I talked to him yesterday and he's excited". He also said that it is a dream that come true to be the national team's coach, and that he'll try his best to bring trophies to the country. AFA made this move after ex-coach Edgardo Bauza was relieved from his duties for failing to have an impact on the Albiceleste,who stand in a dangerous position in their group where they may not be able to qualify to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Sampaoli was linked with FC Barcelona but said he had plans with Sevilla FC, then took the job at Argentina anyway.