A contract u-turn, British transfer record has been rewritten, the latest in the Harry Kane saga, and lots more in our weekly transfer round-up from Europe’s top leagues and the Indian Super League (ISL).
FC Barcelona: Thank you, Leo
In a shocking turn of events, Spanish La Liga giants FC Barcelona on Thursday announced that Lionel Messi “will not continue with FC Barcelona” due to financial fair play regulations. The Argentine, whose contract expired in June 2021, had agreed to ink a five-year deal. But the club has to reduce their wage bill considerably to comply with La Liga’s financial fair play rules. Messi’s salary would have left the club in limbo despite the Copa America 2021 winner agreeing to take a massive wage cut.
Joan Laporta, the FC Barcelona president, said that Messi, who made his debut for Barcelona in the 2004-05 season, wanted to stay at the Catalan club. However, the club had no option but to let go of their captain. He is optimistic that the other four new signings – Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia, and Emerson Royal – can be registered.
During his time at the club, Messi has won 35 trophies. He has lifted the La Liga ten times and clinched the UEFA Champions League title in 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2014–15 seasons. With 474 goals in 520 appearances, Messi is the leading goalscorer in La Liga. The legendary footballer is also the only player to win six Ballon d’Ors.
Messi to French Ligue?
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is the front-runner to sign Messi. According to reports, UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea have also approached the 34-year-old, but he is likely to link up with former Barcelona teammate Neymar and fellow Argentine Angel Di Maria. If PSG succeeds in signing Messi, he will become their fifth major acquisition of the summer.
Jack ‘Record’ Grealish
Jack Grealish beat Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba to become the most expensive British transfer after English Premier League champions Manchester City signed the midfielder for £100 million from Aston Villa. He has played an integral role in helping Aston Villa stay up in the 2019-20 season and steered the Birmingham-based club to an impressive 11th place finish in the last campaign.
The 25-year-old, Manchester City’s first major signing in the new term, has racked up 15 assists and 14 goals in the last two seasons. He also had a memorable Euro 2020 after setting up the winner for Raheem Sterling against the Czech Republic and providing the final pass for the second goal against Germany in the Round of 16. Grealish joins an attacking unit at City that includes Kevin De Bruyne, Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, etc.
Kane to return to Spurs
Kane will return to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday amid speculations that the England captain refused to train. The forward, keen on a move to Manchester City, was expected to join the London outfit’s pre-season training on Monday. However, he failed to turn up. Reports emerged that it was a deliberate ploy from the 28-year-old to force his way out of the club.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, added fuel to the fire by revealing that the club wants to sign Kane and hinted that Manchester City had submitted a bid. “If Tottenham are open to negotiate, I think not just Man City but many clubs in the world want to try to sign him – we are not an exception – but it depends on Tottenham.”
Tottenham Hotspur has confirmed the capture of Cristian Romero from Italian Serie A side Atalanta. The defender, who plays at the heart of the backline, played a pivotal role in Argentina’s Copa America triumph. He becomes Spurs’ third summer signing after winger Bryan Gil and goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini.
Lukaku Chelsea-bound?
After committing his future to Inter Milan two months ago, Romelu Lukaku could be on his way to Chelsea. The Guardian reported that the Italian Serie A club had rejected a bid for £85m. But the Blues will be hoping an improved offer – £102m – will tempt Inter to accept the deal for the Belgian, whom they signed in the 2011-12 season and sold to Everton three years later.
Chennaiyin & foreign signings
Two-time ISL champions Chennaiyin FC have inked a one-year deal with Mirlan Murzaev and Slavko Damjanovic. Mirlan, hailing from Kyrgyzstan, had spells in domestic leagues of Israel and Turkey. The forward scored a hat-trick in Kyrgyzstan’s 1-8 thumping of Myanmar in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers recently.
Serbia’s Slavko Damjanovic is an experienced defender who has won domestic titles in Montenegro League. He has also played professional football in Hungary, Uzbekistan, and South Africa, etc. Chennaiyin FC also penned a deal with defender Deepak Devrani, who won the I-League title with Gokulam Kerala FC in the 2020-21 season.
Hyderabad FC snapped up two domestic players as they added defender Nim Dorjee and goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh. Both players joined from NorthEast United and signed a three-year contract with the club. Dorjee has been playing in ISL for three years, while Gurmeet made eight appearances last season.
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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