Bayern willing to pay ‘more than €70m’ for Araujo

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The Bavarian giants are really keen

Bayern Munich keep on being linked with a move for Barcelona center-back Ronald Araujo and could be set to make a move in January.

There’s been speculation for a little while that Bayern want to add Araujo to the squad, although the Uruguay international is happy at Barcelona.

The latest update comes from Germany and reporter Florian Plettenberg who reckons that Bayern are willing to pay more than €70m for Araujo this January.

Yet a deal looks extremely unlikely, despite Barca’s financial problems, even though Bayern are said to be “determined” to secure the defender.

❗️News #Araujo: Understand there is no release clause in the range of €80-100m! There’s one rc, officially communicated by FC Barcelona during his contract extension.

➡️ Bayern is said to be ready to pay more than €70m for him now
➡️ Been told: Even €80m wouldn't be… pic.twitter.com/3IkKbsPPks

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) January 5, 2024

Barcelona have officially said that Araujo’s release clause stands at 1 billion euros, and it’s thought the Uruguayan has no interest in leaving Barcelona right now.

Bayern may be unwilling to give up though. It’s been reported already that Barcelona need to make a big sale in the summer which could give the Bavarians hope.

It’s also been reported that Barca plan to bring back Chadi Riad at the end of the season and would therefore be open to selling Araujo, Kounde or Christensen.

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Xavi reveals what he told Barca players at half-time

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The coach was confident the visitors would win

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has revealed what he told his players at half-time of their La Liga clash with Las Palmas.

The visitors were trailing 1-0 at the break but came back to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Ferran Torres and Ilkay Gundogan.

Xavi says he told his team they would win 3-1 if they simply improved a couple of aspects of their play in the second half.

“Once again we have had to come back from behind. But no one had come back against Las Palmas [this season] and we have done it, which has a lot of merit,” he said.

“We erred with the pass in behind in the first half. They had a high line and we could not find the space behind, which was something we had worked on specifically all week.

“At half-time, a goal down, I told the players we would win 3-1 if we just improved our timing and quality with the final ball. It was about being more mature and having that extra quality, that was it. We won 2-1 but we had a chance for the third goal.”

It was another unconvincing win by Barca but it means the team do move into third place in the table, still seven points behind Girona and Real Madrid.

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Deco rules out Barca player exits in January window

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No sales this winter

Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted no players will be sold in the January transfer window.

The club are thought to be keen to bring in a midfielder this winter but are struggling to make the numbers work.

One option would be to raise funds by selling players, but Deco says the club are not thinking about letting anyone go.

“No player is going to leave,” he said.

“We need to generate fair play to sign, but we are not going to generate it with player departures. We have a great squad.”

Barcelona are thought to want to bring in Aleix Garcia from Girona, although the Catalans have made it clear they don’t want him to leave.

Garcia has previously said he’d like to play for Barcelona but it would be a surprise, as things stand, to see him swap clubs mid-way through the season, particularly with Girona flying high in La Liga.

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Neymar transfer from Barcelona to PSG being investigated by French government

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The transfer could potentially have been facilitated by corruption

Neymar’s transfer from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 broke the world transfer record, but perhaps it was only possible due to illegal tax advantages.

That’s the allegation being investigated by French authorities. Allegedly, there are taped conversations between Hugues Renson, a French lawmaker belonging to French president Emanuel Macron’s party, and Jean-Martial Ribes, a high-ranking PSG executive.

Supposedly, Renson secured tax advantages to make the transfer easier for PSG to execute, in exchange for tickets to watch games at the Parc des Princes and other benefits.

There were allegedly a lot of meetings between Renson and Ribes, some which were overseen by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Renson could face a hefty penalty if the allegations prove to be true. What exactly it would mean for PSG is not known.

Neymar has since left Paris and plays in Saudi Arabia, albeit he is sidelined with a long-term injury right now.

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Barca’s hollow victory at Las Palmas leaves more questions than answers

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Xavi out-foxed again

Where do you even start with that excuse for a performance?!

How about with ex-Barca B coach Garcia Pimienta outwitting Xavi in the tactical battle.

How about with Barcelona rejects, Munir El Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez running the back line ragged.

In Munir, Barca had a player that couldn’t hit a barn door with a banjo whilst at Camp Nou but who was offered the freedom of the pitch to slide home the opener past Inaki Pena on Thursday night.

This despite there being six Barca players between him and Sandro, who crossed the ball into him.

Andreas Christensen’s introduction a minute prior for the injured Joao Cancelo can’t be offered up as an excuse.

No shots at goal in the first half summed up the opening 45 minutes and being offside 14 times in the game summed up the performance as a whole.

Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

Seriously, what message is this team sending to its supporters and to a manager in Xavi who supposedly read his players the riot act before Christmas.

The majority of them showed that they’d learned absolutely nothing against a team who were quicker to the ball, more tenacious in the tackle and more dynamic in their forward play for the most part.

Mistakes and mis-steps were the order of the day and the win doesn’t change that.

On the night there were many below par showings.

Jules Kounde evidenced once again why he clearly doesn’t enjoy playing in the right-back slot, and Alejandro Balde confirmed that he’s not good enough to play on the opposite side.

Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

Indeed, were this any coach other than Xavi, they would’ve certainly fallen on their sword after this. Can you even begin to imagine if it had been Ronald Koeman or Quique Setien sat on the bench?!

On one occasion, it took Las Palmas just two passes to cut open the Blaugranes and be in a position to mount an attack - precisely the opposite of what the visitors to the island were doing.

The win keeps the Catalans just about in touch with joint leaders Real Madrid and Girona, but Xavi really does need to grab the bull by the horns now and get a tune out of this bunch of underperforming stars.

The bare minimum that should be expected is Champions League qualification for next season, but on this evidence and so many more games besides, there’s a very real possibility that if the current malaise continues that will be just a pipe dream.

What a mess.

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FC Barcelona News: 4 January 2024

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A round-up of the latest Barcelona news and rumors

The squad for the game against Las Palmas - FC Barcelona
Xavi Hernández names his team for the first league game of 2024 with Vitor Roque included

Xavi Hernández expects 'fight for possession' in Las Palmas - FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona start 2024 with what should be a very tough away fixture indeed. The Estadio de Gran Canaria is the venue, and speaking the day before the game, coach Xavi Hernández said "Las Palmas is a very difficult road trip. Girona aside, they are the surprise package of the season. They play good football and have a great coach."

The lowdown on Unión Deportiva Las Palmas - FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona are off to the Canary Islands this Thursday, and here you'll find all of the essentials on a team that are back in the top flight after half a decade in the second division, and who have a large contingent of players (and also a manager) with a blaugrana past.

Marcos Alonso surgery successful - FC Barcelona
First team player Marcos Alonso has successfully undergone a procedure to treat his lower back issues. The procedure was performed by Dr. Amélie Léglise, under the supervision of the Club's Medical Services, at the Sports Clinic Bordeaux Merignac. The player is out and his recovery will determine his availability.

Official: Vitor Roque registered with La Liga, in line to make Barcelona debut against Las Palmas - Football España
Barcelona have been working on incorporating Roque as part of their squad since his arrival at the end of December. He has been training with his new teammates since they returned from the winter break, and he was included in the squad for Thursday’s trip to Las Palmas, despite official confirmation from La Liga having not been received.

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Barça squad named for Las Palmas

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Xavi Hernández has called up 21 players for Thursday’s clash

The next Barcelona maatch is upon us! The Blaugrana begin the new year with a tough La Liga game away to Las Palmas, and Xavi Hernández has called up the following 21 players for Thursday’s clash:

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Goalkeepers: 13. Iñaki Peña, 26. Ander Astralaga, 31. Diego Kochen

Defenders: 2. João Cancelo, 3. Alejandro Balde, 4. Ronald Araujo, 15. Andreas Christensen, 23. Jules Kounde, 33. Pau Cubarsí, 39. Héctor Fort

Midfielders: 18. Oriol Romeu, 20. Sergi Roberto, 21. Frenkie de Jong, 22. Ilkay Gündogan, 32. Fermín López

Forwards: 7. Ferran Torres, 9. Robert Lewandowski, 11. Raphinha, 14. João Félix, 19. Vitor Roque, 27. Lamine Yamal

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The big news for this one is that Brazilian striker Vitor Roque is available to make his debut after having his registration completed in time to make the trip to the Canary Islands. Another boost to the squad is the return of Frenkie de Jong from suspension, but Barça will still be missing a few players as Iñigo Martínez (hamstring), Pedri (hamstring), Marcos Alonso (back), Marc-André ter Stegen (back) and Gavi (knee) are all out due to injury.

Predicted starting XI (4-3-3):

Peña; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; Roberto, De Jong, Gündogan; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ferran

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The match kicks off at 9.30pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 8.30pm GMT (UK), 3.30pm ET, 12.30pm PT (USA), 2am IST (India, Friday), and you can join us to follow and comment all the action.

VISCA EL BARÇA!

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