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      Five-time Champions League winner celebrates birthday unemployed despite being just 31 and in peak condition

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      REAL MADRID star Isco celebrated his 31st birthday as an unemployed player.The former Spanish international won a fifth Champions League with Los Blancos last season, despite not featuring in any of their European matches.
      Isco, pictured with wife Sara Salamo, has been a free agent since being released by Sevilla in JanuaryCredit: Instagram / @iscoalarcon
      He won five Champions Leagues during his nine-year stint at Real MadridCredit: Reuters
      His nine-year spell at the Bernabeu eventually ended in the summer, before he joined fellow LaLiga side Sevilla.
      But Isco’s contract was ripped up after just four months, with club chief Monchi stating it had been “a mistake” to sign him and “it would have been a further mistake to continue with the error”.
      On Friday, the forward turned 31 as the Royal Spanish Football Federation tweeted a post dedicated to him.
      They said: “🥳 We hope you have a great day and many more to come.”
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      It remains to be seen where Isco – who is keeping in shape by employing a personal trainer – will end up following offers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Spain.
      He looked set to join Union Berlin in the January window, before the deal collapsed.
      It is quite a fall from grace for the ex-Malaga protege, who joined Real in 2013 as Carlo Ancelotti’s first signing.
      The playmaker hit the ground running and went on to win four Champions League titles, while his performances earned interest from Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City and Barcelona.
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      That led to a new deal in 2017, which included a release clause worth a whopping £619million.
      However, Isco quickly fell out of favour as Real stopped playing him.
      It all started when Santiago Solari took over from Julen Lopetegui in 2018.
      Solari preferred to use young players like Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde instead of stars with big contracts, such as Isco.
      The Spaniard had a public fallout with Solari, who then excluded him from his plans.
      Things didn’t improve upon Zinedine Zidane’s return and the situation remained the same when Ancelotti came back.
      Real tried to get his high salary off the payroll with a move to AC Milan in 2021, but the player wasn’t happy with the wage cut.
      That led him to Sevilla under Lopetegui, who urged the club to sign him despite transfer guru Monchi’s disapproval.
      However, the Spanish tactician was sacked and joined Wolves, while his successor Jorge Sampaoli quickly realised Isco didn’t fit the team, leading to his deal being terminated.
      Former Spain international Isco turned 31 on FridayCredit: Instagram / @iscoalarcon More

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      Barcelona line up huge midfield swap transfer with Inter Milan as both clubs look to resolve financial woes

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      BARCELONA and Inter Milan are linked with an exchange deal involving midfielders Franck Kessie and Marcelo Brozovic, according to reports.The move was previously on the cards in January, but did not materialise, as Kessie did not want to leave the Nou Camp.
      Franck Kessie has played an instrumental role in Barcelona’s success this seasonCredit: Getty
      However, the club may have no option but to sell himCredit: Getty
      Brozovic is the Inter player linked with a move to BarcelonaCredit: Getty
      However, according to SPORT, the like-for-like swap in midfield still has substance, with specific factors making it an enticing possibility for both parties.
      Reports suggest that Inter Milan’s technical director met with Barcelona officials last week to discuss the possibility of a swap deal.
      The Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport claims that both midfielders are valued at around £28million, a factor which would make a potential exchange relatively easy.
      Brozovic, 30, joined Inter from Dinamo Zagreb in 2015 and has made 253 appearances for the club.
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      Despite some good performances this season, Brozovic has still looked likely to leave Inter in the summer amid growing tensions.
      This comes as the defensive midfielder had to be separated from team-mate Andre Onana in training this week.
      The Croatian star is considered a potential successor to Sergio Busquets in Barcelona’s midfield.
      Additionally, Kessie has been on Inter’s wish list since he moved to Barcelona from AC Milan on a free transfer last summer.
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      And ex-Inter boss Antonio Conte wanted to bring him to Tottenham in January.
      Despite Kessie’s impressive form in the second half of this campaign, the club have refused to rule out his sale, due to the ongoing economic situation.
      The Catalans finances are in huge jeopardy, with sky-rocketing debts expected to reach £1.3billion.
      Cash-strapped Barca will need to shuffle their finances again this summer in order to refine Xavi’s squad and remain competitive next season. More

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      Barcelona’s Messi offer revealed with ace ‘needing to take 75 PER CENT pay cut on previous deal to secure free transfer’

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      LIONEL MESSI will reportedly be offered just a QUARTER of his old Barcelona salary if he is to return to the Nou Camp.The Spanish giants are attempting to bring the Argentine legend, 35, back to the club.
      Lionel Messi is being linked with a return to Barcelona in the summerCredit: Getty
      Messi left in emotional circumstances two years ago as the Catalan side were forced to address their critical financial situation.
      He has now spent two seasons with Paris Saint-Germain, contributing 31 goals and 33 assists in 69 appearances.
      But he is out of contract with the Ligue 1 champions in the summer.
      And a return to Barcelona has been mooted as a potential destination for Messi, along with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal and David Beckham’s MLS club Inter Miami.
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      The World Cup-winner had spent his entire career at Barcelona before leaving in 2021, registering 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 games.
      But, according to Sport, Messi will not receive anywhere near the £88million annual salary that he was earning by the end of his spell at Nou Camp if he is to make a come back.
      It is understood they will offer Messi a deal worth £22m per year – in line with the sum being paid to Robert Lewandowski.
      That is a world away from the £375m a year he could reportedly scoop at Al-Hilal.
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      The length of the Barca contract is expected to be two years, but the Argentine will be given the option to terminate it after one season.
      And even if Messi is prepared to take a 75 per cent salary reduction, his return is still dependent on Barcelona slashing their wage bill.
      They are expected to sell players in order to raise the funds for Messi.
      A number of stars have already been linked with moves away from at the end of the season.
      Midfielder Gavi, 18, is being monitored by Chelsea after Barcelona removed him from their registration of first-team players due to their ongoing financial issues.
      This means he could leave on a free transfer in the summer.
      Ansu Fati is another player who could depart the Spanish giants as Manchester United eye the 20-year-old forward. More

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      Josep Maria Fuste dead aged 82: Barcelona lead tributes as legendary former captain and Spain Euros winner passes away

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      BARCELONA legend Josep Maria Fuste has died aged 82, the club have confirmed.Fuste represented the Catalan side between 1958 and 1972 – including his time in their academy – appearing over 400 times and captaining his boyhood side.
      Josep Maria Fuste, right, stayed involved with Barca in his latter yearsCredit: Getty
      Fuste, right, acted as a board consultant at Barcelona after 2010Credit: Getty
      Following the sad news, Barca took to Twitter to pay tribute to their legendary former skipper.
      They wrote: “Josep Maria Fuste, one of Barca’s players in the 1960s (1962-72), a stage in which he played 406 games and scored 117 goals, dies.
      “Barcelona fans will never forget you. Rest in peace.”
      During his 12 years at Barcelona he won three Copa del Rey winners’ medals.
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      He became known as “the Linyola hare” – a reference to his birthplace and his lightning speed.
      After loan spells at Osasuna, Fuste stepped into a starring role at Barca in the 1960s.
      The LaLiga giants’ website describes him as having been a “great supporter of improvisational and spectacular football”.
      They also gushed over his shooting and crossing ability, as well as his pace and “explosive” physique.
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      Muere Josep Maria Fusté, uno de los referentes del Barça de la década de los sesenta (1962-72), etapa en la que jugó 406 partidos y marcó 117 goles.El barcelonismo nunca te olvidará. Descanse en paz. pic.twitter.com/l7IgbjxJxS— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) April 20, 2023

      Fuste represented Spain at Euro 1964 and the 1966 World Cup, helping them to victory in the former before scoring against West Germany in the latter.
      After leaving Barcelona in 1972 he played one season at Hercules before hanging up his boots.
      Following his playing retirement he took on a new role as head of Barcelona’s ex-players organisation.
      In 2010 he became a consultant to the board, although his role was scaled back following the pandemic.
      Fuste, like most Cules, was an enormous fan of Lionel Messi.
      In 2019 he told Radio Marca: “I’ve not seen anyone better than Messi.
      “I’ve always thought that Pele and [Alfredo] Di Stefano set the benchmark, but I think Messi is ahead of those two.” More

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      Two-time Champions League finalists could face extinction with club ‘only able to survive one year if relegated’

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      VALENCIA may only survive for ONE YEAR if they are relegated from LaLiga this season.The Spanish giants sit 18th in the top flight, three points adrift of safety with just nine games remaining.
      Valencia sit three points adrift of safety following defeat to Sevilla on SundayCredit: Getty
      Peter Lim has been slammed for his ownership of the clubCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Owner Peter Lim, who also has a share in Salford City, has been heavily criticised for the demise of the club and dragging them into a relegation dog fight.
      It comes just two decades on from a thoroughly successful era.
      They reached back-to-back Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001, losing to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
      Rafa Benitez then took over and guided the club to two league titles in three years between 2002 and 2004.
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      But now they face the very real prospect of dropping down to the second tier for the first time since 1987.
      And Marca Valencia’s journalist Javi Lazaro insists the club could cease to exist under its current ownership.
      He said: “To this day, the continuity of Meriton [the owners] can only bring one thought, that of disappearance.
      “Practically the team economically could last a year in the second [division], for sure it would not manage two.
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      “And seeing Lim’s management, they are hardly going to make a project to get promoted from the second to the first.”
      Valencia, who appointed Ruben Baraja as Gennaro Gattuso’s replacement in February, are on a run of four games without a win.
      On Sunday, a frustrated home crowd watched them lose 2-0 to fellow strugglers Sevilla.
      Next up in their fight to avoid the drop is a trip to Elche this weekend. More

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      Karim Benzema handed one-year contract extension due to special clause as Real Madrid apply unwritten rule

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      KARIM BENZEMA has been handed a one-year contract extension.That’s after Real Madrid activated a special unwritten clause in the Frenchman’s deal.
      Real Madrid have extended Karim Benzema’s contract with a secret clauseCredit: Reuters
      Benzema, 35, will go down as one of the greats after spending an incredible 14 years at the Bernabeu so far.
      He joined Real from Lyon for £36million in 2009 after winning four consecutive league titles in France.
      And Benzema has since gone on to land four LaLigas and five Champions Leagues with Los Blancos.
      The striker has also netted an incredible 349 goals in 640 games.
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      And after last term’s 44-goal haul, Benzema was awarded his first-ever Ballon d’Or in October.
      As a result, AS claims his contract has now been extended for another year.
      Winning the coveted individual trophy saw an unwritten clause activated by Real president Florentino Perez.
      Benzema’s contract was due to expire this summer.
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      But he will now be staying put at the Bernabeu until 2024, with next term expected to be his last.
      Real already have a replacement lined up in Brazilian teenager Endrick.
      The versatile forward, who can play through the middle or on the left, will cost Real £60m.
      The Spaniards saw off competition from Chelsea to sign Endrick from Palmeiras.
      And he could be set to form a front three featuring fellow Samba stars Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. More

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      Fans lose their minds at unnaturally jacked Robert Lewandowski as Barcelona star enters ‘beast mode’

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      FANS have been left in shock at Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski’s incredible physique.A picture of the 34-year-old training was uploaded to the Catalan giants’ Instagram showing him looking ripped.

      Robert Lewandowski’s body transformation has left fans wowedCredit: Getty
      His bulky arms and legs have left supporters stunned, and one said: “Beast mode.”
      Another reacted: “Lewandowski is built different.”
      More commented: “Bro never misses a gym day.”
      Barcelona have a lot of slimmer players like midfield duo Gavi and Pedri, which led to some fans joking that they should put on muscle like Lewandowski.
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      The striker spent eight seasons with Bayern Munich and fans want the club to “release their gym programme” after former team-mate Leon Goretzka also quickly bulked up.
      Lewandowski is reaping the rewards of his physique, missing just two games all season due to injury.
      And the player is closing in on an incredible ninth league title in a row after winning eight on the spin at his former club Bayern.
      Barcelona currently sit eleven points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table.
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      Meanwhile, the Polish striker is also going for the Golden Boot and leads Karim Benzema in the standings by three goals.
      Lewandowski has netted an incredible 27 goals in 37 games in all competitions this season, with all but ten strikes coming in LaLiga. More

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      Arsenal lining up transfer for £53m-rated defender Robin Le Normand after impressing Martin Odegaard at Real Sociedad

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      ARSENAL are lining up a transfer for Real Sociedad star Robin Le Normand after he impressed Martin Odegaard, according to reports.The duo played together while the Gunners captain was on loan at the Spanish club in the 2019-20 season and he has remained a fan of his ever since.
      Robin Le Normand is wanted by ArsenalCredit: Rex
      Reports from Relevo claim that Le Normand has a £53million release clause that Arsenal will have to trigger if they want to sign him.
      The centre-back is supposedly happy at Real Sociedad after he penned a new deal that runs until 2026 last summer.
      The 26-year-old previously suggested he would be open to spending his whole career at the club.
      However, if they fail to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League, then Le Normand could be sold.
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      Imanol Alguacil’s side currently sit fourth in LaLiga with nine matches to go.
      Le Normand has been one of the standout defenders in the division this season, featuring 34 times in all competitions.
      He has made his way up the ranks at Real Sociedad after joining from Brest as a teenager.
      The Frenchman has also reportedly been contacted by Spain manager Luis de la Fuente about changing his nationality to represent his country, as he is eligible to play for both.
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      Arsenal are keen to sign a centre-back this summer as manager Mikel Arteta looks to increase the quality of options in his squad.
      William Saliba is currently out with a back problem and is ready to rush back for the title run-in and risk further injury, highlighting the club’s need for more strength in depth.
      There is hope that he will be fit enough to play in the potential title-decider against Manchester City next Wednesday. More