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.  

                                                                                       

Barcelona Ask Veratti To Force His Way Out!

   New Barcelona coach, Ernesto Valverde, who was appointed last month hopes to leave his mark by signing new players to bolster the squad. Reports say that Marco Verratti is from the club's priorities.

   According to The Sun, Verratti wants to move away from PSG, but the club isn't willing to sell the player, whose contract ends in 2021. Barcelona could also face financial complications, for Juventus and Chelsea are also interested in the star, and are ready to pay £55 million. Reports in Spain indicate that entering a bidding war isn't a choice for Barca who "are aware of the economic limitations" they face in the transfer market. The club may be one of the richest clubs in the world, but at the same time its the highest-wage-paying club.

   Verratti, who once declared he's happy at Parc de Princes, is now desperate to take his career to next level and win more trophies. And Barcelona happens to be the right place for such dreams. Meanwhile, the Catalans are having hard time replacing Xavi, and soon enough aging Iniesta,33. This means the Italian will be the perfect fit in the Blaugrana's suffering midfield, and could be the solution for their problems.

   The 24-year-old's desire is Camp Nou, deducing from Blaise Matuidi's question to Iniesta if Verratti is his successor, during the famous UCL game which ended 4-0 in favour of the Parisians. Iniesta gave Matuidi a positive answer! Therefore, if Verratti really wants Barca switch, he should force his way out, by informing the board of directors of his wishes, so that the Catalans can start negotiating, lowering the price. Chelsea's interest in Monaco's Bakayoko, could open the doors for Nemanja Matic to leave for Juventus who are interested in signing the Serbian, thus the battle for Verratti won't be fierce, and Barca would land him easily.

   Barcelona used this strategy before with Cesc Fabregas, who ended his transfer saga by joining his former local club. Arsenal refused to sell back then, but Fabregas revealed his desire to leave the club, so the deal took place eventually. Reports also claim that the Spanish giants will repeat the same scenario with Hector Bellerin.

   

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. 

Ex-Real Madrid star to Barcelona!

   FC Barcelona's season ended in the worst possible way, with winning only 1 trophy, the Spanish Cup, and losing La Liga to historical rivals Real Madrid, who won  the Champions League to make things worse for Barca. Last week Barcelona introduced their new coach Ernesto Valverde who promised to make Barca a bigger club. Still no signings were done although the club is highly in need for some, like the vaccant spot in the right back. But some players have been linked to the club, such as Manchester United's Ander Herrera and Arsenal's Hector Bellerin and others. But most shockingly is the presence of Di Maria's name among the players linked with Barca.

   According to Le Parisien and Mundo Deportivo Di Maria will come to Camp Nou as a replacement for Arda Turan who's linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium or to China. Arda was expected to do better when he moved from Atletico de Madrid to the Catalan club back in 2015. And with Rafinha rumored as a Liverpool target by Sport, Barcelona will need a midfielder/winger to fill the gaps.

   Although Turan's agent denied any link to the Gunners, reports say that Barcelona are willing to sell the player to help fund other transfers, or could be swapped with the blaugrana's #1 target Hector Bellerin.

   It is reported that Barcelona have shown interest in Di Maria before his move to Paris Saint Germain, but Real Madrid put a clause in his transfer deal to Manchester United preventing the club from selling the player to Barcelona. Now with the interest reignited and no clause obstacles, the deal could be possible, and Barca could use the help of Lionel Messi to lure the Argentine to the Nou Camp. Even some reports claim that Messi is the one who demanded that  Barca  should sign Di Maria, and this will facilitate negotiations between the 2 parties.

   Di Maria is a quick, tricky and talented winger who is also capable of playing as a more central attacking midfielder or on either side of the pitch, although he is predominantly a left-footed player. In recent years, he has even been deployed to great effect as a central midfielder, in particular under Carlo Ancelotti's tenure with Real Madrid. Di Maria is an agile, creative and highly technical player who possesses excellent dribbling skills and ball control, as well as great pace, stamina and acceleration, attributes which allow him to beat players easily in one-on-one situations. He is also gifted with excellent vision, set-piece delivery, passing, and crossing ability, which allow him to function effectively as a playmaker and as an assist provider, although he is also capable of scoring goals himself. Despite not being physically imposing, he is also a very hard-working player, and he improved on the defensive aspect of his game under manager José Mourinho. These characteristics qualify the 29-year-old to play for Barcelona, and make him suitable to replace aging Iniesta.

   This move will be a shock for Madridistas, who are always mad at their own players. It seems like he is betraying his old team, but in fact it was the club's fault to let him go. Florentino Perez didn't want to renew and improve his contract, eventhough he was a vital player for the team at the time, and had potential to improve even more.

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.

MUFC target Alexandre Lacazette

Rumor: Manchester United join the race with Arsenal, Paris Saint Germain, Westham, and Tottenham to sign Lyon's star Alexandre Lacazette for 59.6 million euros. These teams are keen to sign a striker to reinforce their squads.
Who will close the deal?