La Liga
BARCELONA PRESIDENT’S CAR FILMED CIRCLING MESSI’S DAD FLAT
Lionel Messi transfer saga took a bizarre twist on Wednesday afternoon as Josep Bartomeu’s car was spotted circling superstar’s father Jorge’s flat in Barcelona
The scene attracted the media men most of whom made a video recording of the incidence.
The Barcelona president was however reportedly absent at the scene. Jorge Messi, who doubles as the player’s agent, flew in earlier in the morning to have a talk with the club president.
The absence of Bartomeu was given several bizarre interpretations. One interpretation on twitter had it that Bartomeu was probably in the car boot as he tried to fool media with a decoy.
Another had it that he had been left behind by mistake by an absent-minded chauffeur. Both Jorge Messi and Bartomeu were to meet for a showdown talk today. The world is still anxiously waiting for the outcome.
However, the transfer saga took another twist after Bartomeu’s car – without the Barca chief inside – rocked up at the flat on Wednesday before turning around and driving off again.
Messi’s father arrived in the Catalan city on Wednesday morning to negotiate his son’s exit with the first face-to-face talks with Bartomeu since the Argentine sent a burofax informing the club he wants to move on – with Manchester City his expected landing spot.
Bartomeu was reportedly only planning to use the meeting as a way to convince Messi to remain at the club.
The beleaguered president has a better relationship with Jorge than he does with Messi and is hopeful that could work to the club’s advantage.
But Messi’s father – before talks were set to get underway – confessed it is ‘difficult’ to see his son staying in Barcelona this summer.
As he emerged out of a taxi, a reporter quizzed Jorge for any updates on the situation and while he remained tight-lipped, he did express that he feels it is tough for Messi to stay given the player and club are at war now over his contract.
He was also asked if there had been any contact with current frontrunners City, and any negotiations with manager Pep Guardiola, but he remained dismissive.
Messi is said to be keen to move to Manchester City so as to reunite with Guardiola, who managed him so successfully at Barcelona.
‘I don’t know,’ Jorge said. ‘There’s nothing yet’.
Messi – who has scored an astonishing 634 goals and created 285 assists in 731 appearances for Barcelona – is desperately searching for a new chapter after growing increasingly frustrated with life on and off the pitch at the Nou Camp.
Messi was hoping to leave for free but LaLiga have ruled that Messi’s astronomical £630million (€700m) release clause is still active, given that the player did not issue his desire to trigger an option to depart for nothing before June 10.
Sunday’s LaLiga derby between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid was temporarily suspended in the 69th minute due to fans hurling objects onto the pitch after defender Eder Militao scored the opener for the visitors.
While Real players celebrated the goal in the 64th minute, Atletico ultras Fondo Sur, who are located in the south lower stands, threw objects towards visiting keeper Thibaut Courtois, who alerted the referee and he decided to halt the match.
Atletico captain Koke and defender Jose Maria Gimenez went to the south stand to calm the fans down but the referee ordered the players to go to the dressing rooms as the announcer warned that if the behaviour continued the game would be abandoned.
After a delay of over 20 minutes the players returned to the pitch and the game resumed.
-Reuters
Mounir Nasraoui, the father of Barcelona and Spain star winger Lamine Yamal, was stabbed late on Wednesday at a parking lot in the northeastern Spanish town of Mataro, La Vanguardia newspaper reported, citing official sources familiar with the matter.
Reuters was not able to independently confirm the report. The regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force and a spokesperson for the Mataro local government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to La Vanguardia report, Nasraoui was taken to the Can Ruti hospital in the nearby city of Badalona and his diagnosis was “serious”. It added that local and regional police had located several witnesses of the incident.
However, a later report by sports website Relevo, also citing official sources, said Nasraoui had been released from hospital and was back at his home.
Yamal, a soccer wonderkid who grew up in coastal Mataro – a working-class, multi-ethnic suburb of Barcelona – became the breakout star of the recent Euro 2024 held in Germany.
Spain won the tournament, helped in part by the 17-year-old scoring against France in the semifinal on July 9.
-Reuters
Real Madrid and Brazil forward Vinicius Jr is open to an offer of more than one billion euros from Saudi Arabia, sources close to the player told Reuters on Monday.
Vinicius, 24, was approached by Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) officials to inquire about his interest of moving to the Saudi Pro League (SPL) on a five-year contract worth around 200 million euros per season fixed, plus bonuses.
The package would also include a separate 10-year contract to become an ambassador for the 2034 World Cup, which is set to be held in the country, but those terms and financial numbers are yet to be discussed.
Although an official, formal offer has yet to be presented, Vinicius has not dismissed the move and gave permission to PIF to approach Real Madrid.
Despite being “happy and motivated” in the Spanish capital, Vinicius and his representatives believe that a lucrative offer like this needs to be studied carefully.
Another source close to the player said that Real have shown no interest in negotiating a transfer, highlighting the player’s one billion euro buy-out clause.
Real Madrid and PIF did not respond to requests for comment.
Obsessed to be taken seriously as a soccer force, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced a Sports Clubs Investment and Privatisation Project, with PIF taking ownership of 75% of the capital of the country’s four main clubs: Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr.
The biggest Saudi transfer came from the country’s most successful club, Al Hilal, who spent 90 million euros to buy forward Neymar from Paris St Germain.
With Karim Benzema at Al Ittihad and Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr, PIF tried to persuade France captain Kylian Mbappe to be the big name Al Ahli is still missing last year.
The forward, however, turned down Saudi’s lucrative offer and joined Real Madrid in June.
The proposal for Vinicius is understood to be similar to the Mbappe offer. The Brazilian would join Al Ahli, linking up with former Premier League players Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino.
Vinicius, who is under contract until 2027 after signing an extension in 2022, is a contender to win the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world after helping Real to a Champions League and LaLiga double last season.
-Reuters
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