Barcelona versus Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey is still two days away, so until then, it’s time for another edition of Top 5! It’s the top 5 biggest things that you need to know from the last few days in the world of FC Barcelona.
Dembele’s agent takes center stage
Usually when an agent becomes the main figure of a negotiation, it rarely means that the negotiation is going well. If you hadn’t guessed, the Dembele contract talks are not going well. The latest update is that his agent, Moussa Sissoko, is unhappy with the way that Barcelona is treating the Frenchman. This seems to be due to speculation that Barça would consider putting him in the stands if Dembele doesn’t renew. The words of Sissoko seem like a threat to the club about negotiations finally breaking down for good.
“We don’t know what we’re going to do, nothing is decided. But the management are losing Ousmane by themselves,” Sissoko said. “From the start, we’ve shown that we wanted to negotiate, with terms, but without closing the door.”
Source | RMC Sport
Femení sell out Camp Nou
In better news, the Barcelona Femení has sold out their Champions League quarter-final match against Real Madrid on March 30th to the tune of 85,000 ticket. The sale lasted from Wednesday of last week to Monday of this week, setting up a record-breaking day in women’s football. The current world-record for a club women’s game is 60,739, set in March of 2019 when the Femení took on Atlético Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano. Fitting that the Femení will again be a part of history.
Femení snubbed in World XI
While Alexia Putellas did pick up the award for Best FIFA Women’s Player, she and every single one of her Barça teammates missed out on a spot in the World XI. Even the Best Women’s Coach award went to Chelsea’s Emma Hayes, a deserving candidate but someone that lost the treble to Lluis Cortes’ Barcelona side 4-0. The only representative from Spain was Argentina’s Estefania Banini of Levante and Atleti. In addition, the omissions of Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby as well damper the credibility of the selections.
Lucas Boye becomes an option
If Luuk de Jong’s loan is cut short and since Alvaro Morata doesn’t seem to be on his way, Barcelona are still in the market for another forward option. Much like Martin Braithwaite when he was at Leganes, Barça may be willing to take the best option from 15th place Elche, Argentine striker Lucas Boye. Boye officially became an Elche player when his loan turned into a sale from Torino over the summer, and it would be a tough pill for the Valencian team to swallow. Boye has 6 goals and 1 assist in 16 matches this season.
Purchase Option for Santos Youngsters
Purchase options rarely amount to anything, and Barcelona probably could have used the €3m that Santos gave them for not letting them know about the Gabigol to Inter Milan sale, of which they had first refusal. Instead of the cash, Barça has been given a buy option for two teenagers, 18-year-old CB Kaiky and 17-year-old winger Ângelo. Kaiky likely has the higher ceiling, but he’s still a ways away from being a finished product. Angelo, meanwhile, became the youngest goal scorer in Libertadores history, though he doesn’t feature regularly for the first team yet. Culers shouldn’t get too excited though – the option of first refusal just means that Barça can nod their heads when another club bids an unreasonable amount and the Catalans choose not to match it. With all the promising teenagers in the squad and the need for some more players already in their prime, it’s hard to blame Barcelona if and when that day comes.
