Barcelona Transfer News Roundup: Neymar makes his decision, Ronald Koeman replacement planned and more - 31st August 2020
Barcelona’s summer is going from bad to worse as things seem to be slipping from their hands quicker than they would have imagined. The Catalan club are close to losing their best player and are unable to attract their top targets as well.
Here are the top Barcelona news and rumours of the day as on 31st August 2020:
Neymar not interested in Barcelona move
Star striker Neymar has confirmed that he will not be leaving Paris St. Germain (PSG) this summer. The Brazilian star has made it clear that he is not interested in moving to Barcelona or any other club in the summer.
While talking to PSG Magazine, Neymar confirmed that he wanted to win the Champions League with the Ligue 1 outfit before leaving the club. He also insisted that he wants to be a part of the club’s history books and enrich its history.
Ronald Koeman replacement finalised?
Toni Freixa, a Barcelona presidential candidate, spoke about sacking Ronald Koeman. If he gets elected next March, Freixa wants to reappoint Pep Guardiola as the club’s manager. Talking to Goal.com, Freixa said:
“Pep once let it be known that he would like to head the Barca academy in the future, but he would also be a wonderful solution for the first-team. The important thing is that the team plays successful and exciting football again, and that nothing like what happened against Bayern happens (again).”
If he fails to land Pep Guardiola, Toni Freixa has set his sights on getting Xavi Hernandez as Barcelona's next manager. However, he added that Xavi probably needs more time before becoming the manager at Camp Nou.
Arturo Vidal to leave Barcelona?
Arturo Vidal is in talks with Barcelona to leave the club on a free transfer, as per Fabrizio Romano. Romano says that the Chilean midfielder is looking to move back to Italy this summer, with both Inter Milan and Juventus interested in signing the player.
Talking to La Cuarta, one of Vidal’s representatives said:
“Antonio Conte has called him several times to try to convince him, but Vidal wants to be sure he is doing something big in the Champions League before giving an answer. He is attracted by the idea of returning to Juventus. On the one hand, there is the possibility of playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and trying to win the Champions League. On the other hand, there is the fact that he returns home, where everyone knows him.”
Antonio Conte is reportedly keen on working with Vidal again and has openly admitted the same on several occasions in the past.