Barcelona News Roundup: Blaugrana's extraordinary offer for Neymar Jr revealed, Manchester City superstar open to Nou Camp switch, and more — 17th November 2020
Barcelona have had nothing short of a happening transfer window in the summer, with club captain and legend Leo Messi coming dangerously close to ending his association with the club. However, the situation ultimately led to the resignation of much-maligned club chief Josep Maria Bartomeu, and Barcelona are said to be working on an extension for Messi as well.
While that comes as positive news for the Blaugrana faithful, their league results so far do not make for good reading as Barcelona have only managed to win three out of their opening seven fixtures and currently sit eighth on LaLiga Santander's standings. Ahead of their return to league football with a blockbuster clash against Atletico Madrid, here, we take a look at the latest Blaugrana news.
Barcelona's stunning offer for Neymar's return revealed
Neymar and Barcelona's desire to reunite since the Brazilian's world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain has been one of the biggest open secrets in the world of football. The superstar forward's time in the French capital has been a mixed one as they have, so far, failed to capture the elusive European crown despite coming painfully close to doing so last year.
Every summer, there is immense speculation of a potential return to Barcelona for Neymar, and the 2019 window was no different. As per Barcelona's former director Javier Bordas, the club offered PSG a ludicrous offer for their former star, which was turned down.
Speaking on this offer, Bordas explained;
"We [Barcelona] offered PSG €110m (£98.5m) plus [Jean-Clair] Todibo, [Ivan] Rakitic and the loan of [Ousmane] Dembele. PSG wanted €130m (£116.5m) plus Todibo, Rakitic and Dembele on loan. Neymar was €20m (£17.93m) away from coming back. Neymar's father said that he would make up the difference but in the end, that didn't happen."
Bordas also revealed further details on a potential deal for Kylian Mbappe, saying;
"We tried to bring in [Kylian] Mbappe and Dembele together. Mbappe was excited at the prospect of coming to Barca when Neymar left."
Sergio Aguero open to Barcelona switch
Manchester City superstar Sergio Aguero is reportedly open to moving to Barcelona next summer. The Argentine legend's current deal at the Etihad Stadium expires at the end of the 2020/21 campaign and is widely expected to depart from the club.
While it was initially speculated that Aguero would seek a move back to his homeland, Argentina, after his contract expires, reports from Spain have claimed that the striker is open to move to Barcelona and reunite with his close friend and compatriot, Leo Messi. The mercurial Blaugrana skipper, on the other hand, was close to sealing a move to Aguero's club City in the summer, but could now play alongside the 32-year-old at the Nou Camp.
There have, so far, been no reports about Aguero possibly extending his current deal at the Etihad, which leaves the door open for a free transfer to Barcelona — which is something that would suit the Blaugrana well, given their ongoing financial crisis.
Barcelona face massive wage cap
LaLiga Santander have announced renewed spending caps for the 2020/21 campaign which take into account the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its financial implications, and Barcelona have been hit massively by this.
As part of these renewed spending caps on wages, Barcelona's limit from last year, which stood at €671m, has been brought down to €382.7m — which is a reduction of nearly €288m, by far the highest such figure in the league. Barcelona's Clasico rivals Real Madrid have also been hit heavily, but their reduction is by a figure of €172.5m, allowing them to spend up to €468m.
Speaking on the newly-induced wage caps, LaLiga Santander president Javier Tebas said;
"We still have excess spending of about €500m because clubs can’t move on players with contracts. An exercise has been made to reduce salaries. The most affected in Spain are Valencia, Barcelona and Real Madrid. The bigger the club, the more it will be affected. It’s going to be difficult for players to join in the winter market."
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