Pjanic Medical Takes Place In Turin As Barcelona Transfer Moves Closer

Barcelona star Arthur Melo has arrived in Turin ahead of his medical, while Miralem Pjanic will have his Barcelona medical in Turin as well.

The Brazilian landed at the Caselle Airport in Turin via private plane late on Saturday night.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, he was accompanied by family members and former Barcelona director Robert Fernandez.

He will complete a transfer worth €70m, as Pjanic is going to Barcelona with an additional €10m cash sum.

It’s believed Arthur’s contract with Juve will be worth up to €7m per year, including performance-related bonuses.

The two clubs are rushing to get the deal finalised by June 30 so that it counts for the 2019-20 financial year.

These players will see out the season at their current clubs, not making the transfer until the 2020-21 season.

Read More

Barcelona Mount Pressure On Arthur To Accept A Swap Deal With Juventus' For Pjanic'

Spanish giant Barcelona are cranking up the heat on midfielder Arthur to accept a swap deal with Juventus' Miralem Pjanic, according to reports in Spain.

The Catalan giants have taken a heavy financial hit amidst the lethal Covid-19 pandemic, with their players taking hefty pay cuts to support other staffs at the club.

Barcelona and Juventus are continuing to struggle over the transfer fee, with Pjanic reportedly determined to join Barcelona after supposedly turning down advances from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

But so far Arthur has refused to move in the opposite direction, and according to Spanish outlet SPORT, Barcelona cannot keep waiting and are now turning up the pressure on Arthur to accept the move to Italy.

The Brazilian came on as a second-half substitute in the club's 4-0 win at Real Mallorca on Saturday, with boss Quique Setien preferring to start with Arturo Vidal, who scored the opening goal of the evening.

Read More

Real Madrid Eyeing £60m Move for Sevilla Winger Lucas Ocampos

Spanish giant Real Madrid are planning a surprise move for £60million rated Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The 25year old winger has been one of the standout performers in LaLiga since moving to Sevilla from Olympique Marseille last summer, which has led to interest from several teams in Europe, including Borussia Dortmund.

In his debut season in the Spanish top flight, the Argentine has scored 10 goals and provided two assists in 22 games.

Ocampos joined Sevilla last summer from Olympique Marseille for €15m and his contract carries a €70m buyout clause.

Real could use Sergio Reguilon, on-loan with Sevilla this season, as a makeweight in negotiations for the attacker.

Sevilla are also interested in midfielder Dani Ceballos, who has impressed on loan at Arsenal and is surplus to requirements at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Arsenal are keen to sign Ceballos permanently or bring him back to the club on another season-long loan following his performances this term.

AS claim Real are only prepared to sell the 23-year-old if a club offers £44m (€50m) for Ceballos.

Read More

Messi, Griezman, Suarez...... Barcelona Stars Return To Training

First-team players of Barcelona, led by the captain, Lionel Messi, arrived at the Esportiva in Sant Joan Despi on Friday to resume training. 

After testing negative in Wednesday's coronavirus tests, the players were able to resume individual training ahead of a potential La Liga return in June. 

Each player arrived in their respective vehicles with masks and gloves on, already dressing in their training kits, which had been given to them earlier this week in sealed bags. 

They headed straight to the training pitched without using facilities like the dressing rooms or the showers and headed straight back to their card after their individual sessions. 

Players began arriving from 09.30am, with the squad using different pitches, such as the Tito Vilanova pitch, Pitch 2 and Pitch 3, in order to respect social distancing protocol. 

Meanwhile, Luis Suarez continued with his recovery work with the hope of being given the green light to return to action as soon as possible. 

Read More

Barcelona Have Reached An Agreement With Juventus Over Pjanic

Juventus playmaker Pjanic has reached an agreement with Barcelona, but there are doubts about which players would be offer in exchange, reports Gazzetta dello Sport.

Juventus admire Arthur, but the Brazilian midfielder has no intention of leaving. Both Arthur and Pjanic are valued at €60 million so it would be a capital gain for both clubs.

Vidal & Rakitic are offered by Barcelona, but Catalans would be forced to pay a value difference of €45m for the players who are worth only €15m. Moreover, the Italian champs are not convinced by the two veterans.

Semedo would be very comfortable at Juve, valued at €35m with a difference of €25m. Yet to see which of these players would be prepared to move.

Read More

Am Not Considering Exit - Isco

Real Madrid star Isco insists he is not looking to leave the Spanish Giant in January despite failing to win into starting eleven under new coach Santiago Solari.

Isco last started a LaLiga match in the 5-1 Clasico humiliation by Barcelona on October 28, Julen Lopetegui's final game in charge.

Since then, Isco has made Madrid's starting XI just twice; the 6-1 Copa del Rey thrashing of minnows Melilla and a shock 3-0 home defeat to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.

Solari has consistently insisted he has no problem with Isco and continues to rate him highly.

Still, the situation has unsurprisingly led to speculation suggesting the player will seek a move if things do not improve soon, though he has dismissed such reports in the media.

"I'm not thinking about leaving in the winter market," the Spain international told Deportes Cuatro on Sunday.

"I'm very happy, my goal is to win many titles at Real Madrid."

Madrid are next in action against Villarreal on Thursday as LaLiga resumes following a mid-season break.

Read More

Madrid Will Prove Critics Wrong - Sergio Ramos

The defender warned that the Merengue would bounce back, saying that talk of a crisis at the Bernabeu was premature despite two defeats.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has no doubt his team will turn their season around after suffering a 3-1 loss to Tottenham in the Champions League.

The La Liga champions suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since January as a Dele Alli brace and Christian Eriksen strike saw Spurs to their win at Wembley on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo netted a consolation goal for Madrid, who are eight points behind rivals and leaders Barcelona in LaLiga after losing 2-1 to Girona on Sunday.

But Ramos insists Zinedine Zidane's side, who are second in Group H, will bounce back.

"We understand that the fans could get disillusioned after recent results, but Real Madrid always fight back and if anyone thinks that we're done for, we'll put them in their place," the Spain defender told reporters.

"From my experience at Real Madrid, when you lose a couple of games, people begin to talk about a crisis. You have to stay calm and be united.

"We're alive in our favourite competition, the Champions League. We must stay calm, remain united and convinced that the Real Madrid we know will be back very soon."

Pressure is growing on Madrid after recent games and their chances of getting a result against Spurs were over when Eriksen made it 3-0 in the 65th minute.

Ramos felt the result was harsh on his team, who host Las Palmas in LaLiga on Sunday.

"The score line is a bit deceptive, not to take anything away from Tottenham," he said.

"They played very well, they're a great side, with a great stadium and fans who really make a difference.

"We've benefitted from Borussia Dortmund's draw [against APOEL] and we're still well in the mix.

"We would have liked the result to be different, and to be fighting to be top of the group. We did certain things quite well but that's overshadowed by the result."

Read More