Barcelona is interested in a Real Madrid target but is discouraged by the €30 million bonus and the player’s high salary demands.
The report has revealed Barça’s interest in several key players in the market, including the likes of Thomas Partey and Reinildo.
The Blaugrana are also tracking a few full-backs in the market, with soon-to-be-free Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies notably emerging as one of the targets.
Barcelona losing interest in Davies pursuit
However, Mundo Deportivo clarifies that Barcelona are finding it difficult to advance in the deal to sign Davies.
That is primarily because of the fact that the Canadian international’s agent is demanding a hefty signing bonus of €30 million.
In addition, Davies’ agent is holding out for a salary of €12 million, which is significantly higher than most Barcelona players right now.
Barcelona are struggling in Davies pursuitThe Catalans, therefore, find themselves in a difficult position and are unlikely to make much of a leeway into these deals.
Barcelona’s task has been made difficult by the fact that their arch-rivals Real Madrid are also interested in the services of Davies.
This perhaps explains why Barça are now eyeing deals for players who can offer versatility to the table and can operate as a part-time full-back.
One of them is Partey, who can operate at right-back. Their other defensive target, Reinildo, too, is a left-back but can be utilised as a centre-back.
Both these players could be available as free agents next summer, thus making them an ideal option for the Catalans.
Davies, for his part, has yet to respond to Bayern’s offer. The coming weeks, to that end, could be key as the Bayern Munich star looks to take the next step in his career.
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‘Klopp warned me about Real Madrid and Barca – I don’t regret Liverpool exit’
Jurgen Klopp warned Philippe Coutinho against moving to La Liga – which is advice Trent Alexander-Arnold ought to heed as his move to Real Madrid edges closer
Jurgen Klopp warned Philippe Coutinho against a move to La Liga, but the Brazilian didn’t listen (
- 08:42, 30 Dec 2024
- Updated09:04, 30 Dec 2024
- |Trent Alexander-Arnold ought to think twice about a move to Spain given Burgen Klopp’s past comments.
The Liverpool defender is reportedly on the verge of agreeing a move to Real Madrid, with his current Anfield contract set to expire at the end of the season. From Wednesday, he’ll be allowed to speak to other clubs and sign a pre-contract agreement, with long-term admirers Los Blancos leading the race for his signature.
However, Philippe Coutinho’s ill-fated move to La Liga should serve as a cautionary tale. The former Liverpool playmaker departed for Barcelona in 2018 for a staggering £142million, but struggled to justify the hefty price tag.
Before he left, Klopp warned him that he’d be “just another player” at a club like Real Madrid or Barcelona, and he was right. “I told [Coutinho] to stay here and they will end up building a statue in your honour,” the former Liverpool manager revealed in 2019.
“Go somewhere else, to Barcelona, to Bayern Munich, to Real Madrid, and you will be just another player. Here, you can be something more.”
Klopp’s prediction was bang on the money. Coutinho fell out of favour at Camp Nou in just his second full season and was eventually sold to Aston Villa in 2022, having managed just 39 goal involvements in 106 matches. The 32-year-old is currently on loan at Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, with his future at Villa Park seemingly in tatters.
But despite his current predicament, Coutinho recently insisted that he doesn’t regret leaving Liverpool, even though the Reds went on to clinch both the Champions League and the Premier League in the two seasons following his exit. “Things did not turn out [at Barcelona] as I imagined, as people expected, as I expected,” the Brazilian admitted.
Trent Alexander-Arnold looks destined to join Real Madrid at the end of the season (
Getty Images)“I am the first to demand of myself on the field, I tell myself that I have to give more on the field. I tried everything, I have always been very professional and I don’t regret anything.”
Coutinho’s time in Spain ought to serve as a stark warning for Alexander-Arnold, particularly with Liverpool performing so well at the moment. The club are now heavy favourites to lift what will be just their second Premier League crown – with their 5-0 win over West Ham on Sunday moving them eight points clear at the top of the table – and have a 100% record in the Champions League this season.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, has been a mainstay in Arne Slot’s side, but an abrupt end-of-season exit looks increasingly inevitable amid claims he’s ‘ignoring contract offers’ and has already ‘told’ Liverpool he wants to leave for Madrid. Having won everything there is to win in England, wanting an exotic, new challenge abroad makes a lot of sense, but as Coutinho’s Liverpool exit proved, the grass isn’t always greener.
