The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nou Camp

  • Barca management in last push for Neymar return to Nou Camp

     

    Members of Barcelona’s board have travelled to Paris to try to settle a deal to bring Neymar back to the Nou Camp.

    Barcelona club president Josep Bartomeu and sporting director Eric Abidal both made the journey to Paris Saint-Germain’s headquarters on Tuesday.

    The La Liga giants want to bring the Brazilian star back to Barcelona and are preparing a final bid for him.

    Barcelona have already made a bid to PSG to get Neymar on loan with a £155million offer to buy next summer.

    PSG have dismissed that and are now wanting a deal that includes £90m (€100m) plus Ousmane Dembele and Nelson Semedo.

    The French champions believe that would be satisfactory but Barcelona are unlikely to want to part with two first-team players.

    PSG are reluctant to sell Neymar given they would only have until Monday’s continental deadline to replace him before waiting until January to trade again.

    Barca  boss  Bartomeu wants  Neymar back

    Qatar Sports Investments, PSG’s owners, would see the sale of Neymar as a major blow and a major political defeat two years after bringing him to Paris.

    Neymar was supposed to be PSG’s final piece in a Champions League-winning puzzle.

    There is also further concern with Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe currently unavailable due to injury.

    There is a clear motivation from Barcelona’s side to sign the 27-year-old not least because Lionel Messi and him are close friends. There is also a frustration among Barcelona’s players that a deal for Neymar hasn’t been concluded sooner.

    Having Neymar in a side that already boasts attacking stars such as Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann would also strengthen Barcelona’s chances in this year’s Champions League.

    Bartomeu has two years remaining as president and desperately wants to end his reign by adding another Champions League crown to the one won under his watch in 2015 – the last time Barcelona ruled Europe.

    Reports in Spain on Tuesday also suggest that Real Madrid are monitoring the situation closely but don’t want to get drawn into a transfer battle with Barcelona.

    Sport reports that Real could be preparing a ‘super offer’ for Neymar while AS have the player pictured on a pile of cash to illustrate both Spanish clubs’ pursuit of him.

  • Neymar dreams return to Nou Camp

    Neymar dreams return to Nou Camp

    Neymar has  told Barcelona that he wants to return to the Nou Camp just hours before his Paris Saint-Germain side crashed out of the Champions League to Real Madrid.

    The Brazilian has been unsettled in the French capital since joining in the summer for a world-record £198million fee.

    He has now decided that a move back to Spain is what he wants and has made his former club aware of his interest in a possible return, according to reports in Spain.

    However, Mundo Deportivo report that the Brazilian forward opted to inform them of his wishes just before PSG were knocked out of the Champions League by Real.

    Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Casemiro sealed a 5-2 aggregate win for Zinedine Zidane’s side in their last-16 second leg in Paris on Tuesday.

    Reports claim that Neymar misses his former team-mates and admits he was stubborn in trying to come out from Lionel Messi’s shadow.

    He also didn’t expect the level of Ligue 1 to be so inferior to La Liga.

    Neymar knows Champions League glory is key to his hopes of winning the Ballon d’Or

    Neymar is currently recovering from an operation on his foot in Brazil after suffering a broken metatarsal last month.

    He has been out of action since picking up the injury to his right foot after finding himself on the receiving end of a bad tackle against Marseille on February 25.

    Having had successful surgery in his homeland, Neymar will be assessed by PSG in six weeks to determine when he will return to training.

    Neymar joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a contract that will run until 2022, and was offered the number 10 jersey by Javier Pastore as a “welcome gift”. Some analysts believe the constant talk about Neymar being in the shadow of former teammates Lionel messi prompted him to seek sojourn elsewhere with a view to maintaining and enjoying his identity.

    The desire to equally win the prestigious Ballon d Or award is also one which he thinks will better be realised if he steps out the usual two horse race between Messi and Ronaldo.

  • Iniesta linked with shock €70m exit from Nou camp

    Iniesta linked with shock €70m exit from Nou camp

     

    Inter have reportedly enquired about the availability of Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta at a meeting between officials from the two clubs.

    The Spaniard is a legend at the Nou Camp having won countless trophies and earned so many individual accolades over the years. However, at 33, he can’t go on forever and has started to see his presence in the starting line-up begin to dwindle.

    That process will only continue moving forward as Barca need to bring through replacements, and that in turn seemingly has led to talk of a possible exit. La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio was at a dinner meeting with Barcelona counterpart Ariedo Braida on Monday evening, and Iniesta’s name was brought up.

    His current contract expires in 2018, and while there was also an enquiry as to the availability of Aleix Vidal, it will be the possibility of Iniesta moving to Italy which will garner the most attention.

    It would be a huge shock to see the veteran midfielder play for any other club than Barca, but at this stage of his career, it could be the most sensible option on the table in terms of being able to play regularly.

    Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo report that Barcelona have put in place a limit of €70m in their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti.

    Despite there being various stumbling blocks in this deal, namely PSG don’t want to sell and if they do, they will demand something close to €100m, it seems as though Barca are going to stick to their guns and not overpay.

    How much of that is down to choice or financial restrictions is unclear, but although the Italian international is considered a pivotal part of new boss Ernesto Valverde’s plans moving forward, the club won’t bow to crazy demands and will hope that PSG will consider their maximum €70m offer.

  • Messi rejects Barca’s new 30m a year contract

    Messi rejects Barca’s new 30m a year contract

    Lionel Messi has turned down Barcelona’s offer of a new contract worth between £25m-30m a year, according to Spanish daily sports newspaper AS

    The Argentine superstar’s contract at the Nou Camp expires in June 2018 and discussions over a new deal have been ongoing for months.

    Talks between Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, and the club president Josep Maria Bartomeu have yet to yield an agreement for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s future.

    But despite the initial contract rejection, AS report that a deal is still likely to be struck over the coming weeks.

    Negotiations are very much still ongoing and there is an expectation that the two parties will find common ground eventually to seal a new deal.

    Messi expects to receive an improved offer from Barcelona and is prepared to hold out – especially given the recent contracts given to team-mates Luis Suarez and Neymar

    The Argentine, who has four goals in his last three matches, is therefore happy to wait before tying his future down at the Catalan club.

    Only few days ago FIFA lifted  four match ban on the 29 year old striker making it possible for him to be available for Argentina’s next world cup qualifier against Uruguay on August 31.

  • Messi offers kind gesture to fan for iconic photo

    Messi offers kind gesture to fan for iconic photo

     

    It was one of the most astonishing nights the Nou Camp had ever seen. Barcelona overturned a first-leg deficit of 4-0 to beat Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 and progress through to the Champions League quarter-finals.

    The most improbable of comebacks, which may happen only once in a career if you are lucky. That famous night in Barcelona will live long in the memory of everyone who witnessed it.

    And photographer Santiago Garces was on hand to capture the elation in an iconic photo of Lionel Messi being hoisted in the air by the Barca faithful.

    Messi, a four-time Champions League winner with the Catalan giants, boasts a stunning career to-date, but even he must chalk that night down as one of the most momentous in his career.

    As Sergi Roberto’s 95th-minute winner sailed beyond Kevin Trapp, Messi made a bee-line for the stands. He hopped the advertising boards and celebrated with the fans, a moment which has now become synonymous with the occasion.

    Garces has described it as the ‘photo of his life’. It embodies the adoration Barcelona fans have for Messi, a trait the photographer believes is incomparable.

    In an interview with Marca, Garces said, ‘I love to photograph my children, but it can’t be compared to this.

    ‘The image sums up the collective euphoria and the historic feat. Messi is out of his mind and in the time I’ve been working for Barcelona, I’ve never seen him celebrate like that.’

    The Mexican moved to Catalonia in 2000 and started working in the marketing department at the Nou Camp four years ago.

    Roberto’s last-gasp goal booked Luis Enrique’s side a place in the last-eight of Europe’s elite competition and will provide yet more opportunities to capture heart-pumping moments in this campaign.

    The dramatic turnaround ranks as one of the greatest Champions League nights since the advent of the competition and a feat which the Spanish giants will hope to build on in the next round.

    Barca will face Juventus on April 11 and the forward will wish to recreate a similar feeling to that famous night at the Nou Camp.