Barcelona suffer major transfer scare, €100m target could snub them for Real Madrid

Barcelona are reportedly running the risk of missing out on a top summer target due to their transfer tactics, according to reports in Spain.

The Catalan giants have spent heavily in the last two windows, signing Ousmane Dembele last summer for a fee that could total £135.5m, as per BBC Sport, while a further £146m was spent to prise Philippe Coutinho away from Liverpool last month, as noted by Sky Sports.

In turn, Ernesto Valverde has already seen big additions arrive, and it’s worked well as they continue to lead the way in the league, while they still have strong hopes of winning both the Copa del Rey and Champions League.

Reports suggest that the big spending could be followed up with another marquee addition this summer too, with Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann heavily linked with a switch to the Nou Camp.

However, according to Diario Gol, as re-reported by The Express, the Frenchman could snub Barcelona due to their questionable transfer tactics aimed at unsettling his current situation at Atleti, while it’s added that there is a rival offer from Real Madrid to consider too which could spell trouble.

La Liga President Confirms Luis Suarez Will Be 'Punished' for Controversial Actions in Girona Game

​La Liga President Javier Tebas has hinted that Barcelona striker Luis Suarez could be handed an extended ban by the Spanish football authorities, following his apparent attempts to get himself a yellow card in ​Saturday's 6-1 thrashing of Girona.

Had Suarez - who had already netted a hat-trick in the match - gone into the book in the closing moments of the rout, it would have been his fifth yellow of the season, meaning the Uruguayan would have been suspended for Thursday's match with Las Palmas; before being available again for when league leaders ​Barcelona host second placed ​Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp on Sunday.

Weighing in on the issue, ​La Liga president Javier Tebas has now suggested that Suarez, who was not actually booked against Girona, could be set for a longer suspension, with ​Football Espana reporting that Tebas has told Spanish press: “Luis Suarez should be punished for intentionally looking for a ban.

Barcelona 6-1 Girona: Messi Masterclass Gives Barca Easy Victory to Put Pressure on Chasing Atletico

Barcelona restored their ten point gap at the top of La Liga, with a dominant display against their newfound regional rivals Girona in front of the biggest Nou Camp crowd this season, and put the pressure on Atletico Madrid to follow suit in their crunch clash with Sevilla on Sunday night.
Despite a Luis Suarez hat-trick, it was the diminutive magician who shone most brightly in the face of an uncharacteristically porous Girona defence. 
​Amazingly, it was the visitors who drew first blood, going ahead inside the first three minutes, with Portu capitalising on some lackadaisical defending from Samuel Umtiti.

Anthony Lozano's speculative run off the left flank looked to be over after a poor touch, but Umtiti's dithering was pounced on by Portu, who's effort cannoned in via the inside of both posts.

However, Barcelona restored parity almost immediately, with Lionel Messi given too much time to pick out Luis Suarez's probing run behind Girona's back three. Despite the Uruguayan's shot being somewhat scuffed, the pace of the move was too much for a stationary Bono between the sticks.


While Girona showed their willingness to press Barcelona, and ability to capitalise on any loose passing from their opponents, it was Barca who unsurprisingly took the reins in the encounter.

As goes hand in hand with such implications, it was Lionel Messi who held the primary grip, emboldened by the kind of space and time he was not sanctioned at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Bad news for Barcelona: key ace set to miss five games for Spanish giants following agreement with manager Ernesto Valverde

• Barcelona are still going on strong on all fronts this campaign
• Ace has made an agreement with Barca manager Ernesto Valverde
• Agreement means that player will sit out five games for the club during the remainder of this season
• SEE MORE: Barcelona star boasts brilliant stats against Chelsea, BT Sport pundits full of praise

Barcelona have been dealt some bad news after it was reported that key star Lionel Messi is set to miss five games for the Spanish side following an agreement being achieved with Ernesto Valverde.

This is according to Spanish news outlet Diario Gol, who are reporting that the Argentine international has made an agreement with the Barca boss, which states that the player will sit out five of the away league games that the club have left this campaign.

The news outlet are also reporting that the Valverde is keen to win his side’s next three league matches, however after that, Messi will sit out away ties to Malaga, Sevilla, Celta Vigo, Deportivo and Levante.

Not having Messi for these five matches will seriously harm Barcelona, as the forward has shown this season that he is truly capable of doing everything possible on a football pitch.

So far this campaign, the Argentine superstar has been in fine form, with the player managing to rack up an impressive total of 28 goals and 15 assists in 38 appearances for the Blaugrana in all competitions.

As his career’s gone on, Messi has had to seriously change the way he goes about playing. Now that the forward is in his 30’s, he has o conserve his energy a lot more than ever before.

As well as the departure of Neymar along with the fact that Andres Iniesta isn’t getting any younger, Messi has been made to play a lot deeper for Barca than he ever has done before, which has seen him become the creative force behind Ernesto Valverde’s side.

Following this news, it’ll be interesting to see how Barca get on without a player that has often been described as the greatest of all time.

When and where to watch Chelsea-FC Barcelona

It's Barça's turn in the Champions League. Ernesto Valverde’s men visit Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. It’s a duel that brings back many memories for the Barça players against the current Premier League champions. The Blaugrana will aim for a positive result to take back to the Camp Nou for the second leg on March 14, and Tuesday’s match can be followed live in Spain on TV3 and Antena 3.

In addition, there will be minute by minute coverage on the Club's website and through its different social networks. Below are the schedules and the television channels where you can watch Chelsea v FC Barcelona around the world.

Lionel Messi unimpressed with snub, Barcelona target eyes Real Madrid move

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has reportedly been left feeling ‘betrayed’ by compatriot Paulo Dybala over his desire to play for Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old has emerged as one of the top players in Europe after his move to Juventus in 2015, as he’s gone on to score 59 goals in 122 games for the Turin giants and has won back-to-back Serie A titles.

However, according to Diario Gol, as re-reported by The Express, despite being linked with a move to the Nou Camp, Dybala would choose joining Madrid and playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo instead.

Naturally, such a decision would likely disappointment his fellow Argentine, although there is method behind the supposed madness as Dybala and Messi haven’t clicked on the international stage when playing alongside each other for Argentina so it would raise doubts over their chemistry at club level too.

Having said that though, it will still be a major concern if the Juve forward was to join their direct rivals as it would certainly strengthen Los Blancos at a time when they are in need of reinforcements.

Zinedine Zidane’s men currently sit 17 points adrift of leaders Barca, while they’ve already crashed out of the Copa del Rey and face a tough task in the Champions League when they take on Paris Saint-Germain.

Karim Benzema has scored just six goals in 25 appearances this season, Cristiano Ronaldo turned 33 this month and Gareth Bale has had his well-documented injury problems in recent years.

In turn, Dybala, 24, would be an excellent long-term solution to the problems facing Madrid in the final third, and if the report above is accurate in that he wants to play for them rather than with Messi at Barcelona, then the reigning Spanish and European champions should surely be doing their utmost to sign him and significantly strengthen their team.

Messi gets better every day – Coutinho

Barcelona attacker Philippe Coutinho lauded Lionel Messi, saying his superstar team-mate was still improving.


Barcelona star Lionel Messi gets better every day, according to team-mate Philippe Coutinho.

Messi is enjoying another stellar campaign with the LaLiga giants, scoring 27 goals in 34 games in all competitions.

Coutinho, a €160million arrival at the Camp Nou from Liverpool in January, said it was amazing to see Messi, 30, still improving.

"It seems incredible, but every day Messi gets better, and as a team-mate I can only take advantage of my moments with him," the Brazil international told 8TV.

"I've learned a lot from everyone and I've tried to take advantage of everything they taught me."

Coutinho is still settling in at runaway league leaders Barca, making four appearances for the club so far.

The 25-year-old praised Ernesto Valverde, saying the Barcelona coach was continually seeking to make his team better.

"Valverde welcomed me in, and he is always seeking to improve the team's game," Coutinho said.

"He talks a lot with players in training and corrects positioning, which is important."