La Liga

BARCELONA are targeting Sergio Aguero, David Alaba and Eric Garcia, according to reports.
Joan Laporta was elected as club president by its members last weekend.

‘Let’s do it’… Joan Laporta has outlined his plans to boss Ronald Koeman

Sergio Aguero has been a bit-part player this seasonCredit: AP:Associated Press

David Alaba will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

And he is wasting no time getting himself reacquainted with the job he also held between 2003 and 2010.
Barca are strapped for cash, with boss Ronald Koeman having so far had little wiggle room to manoeuvre in the transfer market.
Laporta has already held discussions with the Dutchman, with Mundo reporting that they are plotting a trio of high profile free transfers in the summer.
Aguero, Alaba and Garcia all appeal to the club as top calibre players coming to the end of their contracts.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Garcia has already penned a five-year deal ahead of a summer switch.
But Barcelona will face a battle to acquire Alaba and Aguero, with both set to require high salaries – and PSG reportedly willing to hand the former an eye-watering £400,000-a-week.
Laporta has also discussed his plans with Lionel Messi, whose future will be decided in the coming months.
Speaking to RAC1 upon his election Laporta, 58, said: “I will be calling Lionel Messi.

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Eric Garcia is set to join Barcelona next seasonCredit: Rex Features

“Will I convince Leo to stay? It will depend on him.
“I will do what I can, within the economic possibilities of the club, to make him stay at Barca.”
Ronald Koeman’s side got off to a disastrous start to the season, languishing in mid-table for a number of weeks.
But, inspired by their Argentine talisman, they have experienced something of a recovery in recent weeks.
In addition to dramatically overturning a two-goal deficit against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, Barca now sit just three points behind leaders Atletico Madrid in the LaLiga title race.
They still have their work cut out in the Champions League, however, travelling to Paris tomorrow facing a 4-1 deficit against Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG.
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Lionel Messi’s future hangs in the balanceCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS

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ROBINHO’S potential Barcelona move in 2005 fell apart… because of Lionel Messi.
The Brazilian had been tearing it up for Santos as a teenager and was ready to make the move to Europe.

Real Madrid unveiled Robinho in 2005Credit: EPA

Lionel Messi had already broken o nto the scene as a teenagerCredit: Getty Images – Getty

A number of top clubs circled, with Robinho himself reportedly favouring Barcelona.
But the Catalan giants opted not to make a move – because of an 18-year-old homegrown player that they had high hopes for.
That wide-eyed teenager was Lionel Messi.
Speaking shortly after, club president Joan Laporta told El Mundo: “Robinho wanted to come to Barcelona, but we have a [player called] Messi and we have high hopes for him.

“We were never interested in the Brazilian.
“[Messi] is just 18 years old and controls the ball like nobody else.
“He has the style of [Diego] Maradona and [Johan Cruyff] and can become a world star, that’s why I prefer Messi.”
The Argentine has gone on to to score 658 goals and counting for Barca, while winning ten LaLigas, six Copa del Reys, four Champions Leagues and six Ballons d’Or.

Lionel Messi’s future has been the subject of intense speculationCredit: Alamy Live News
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Robinho, meanwhile, bagged 35 goals in 137 games before being shipped off to newly-monied Man City in 2008.
Having shown faith in Messi in 2005, Laporta will now hope to be the key to keeping the 33-year-old in 2021.
The future of Barca’s No10 has hung over their season since he tried to depart in August.
But with Laporta having now been elected to the post that he previously held between 2003 and 2010, fans will be praying that he can convince Messi that Barcelona is the place to be next season and beyond.
Amid champagne celebrations, he said: “Seeing Lionel Messi coming to vote today, seeing him taking part, that is very telling.
“Twenty years ago [he] made his debut with Barca’s youth team. Seeing the best player in the world come out to vote today is a clear sign of what we keep saying. Leo loves Barca.

Will I convince Leo to stay? It will depend on him, I will do what I can
Joan Laporta

“The best player in the world loves Barca and I hope that is a sign that he will stay at Barcelona, which is what we all want.”
He added on RAC1: “I will be calling Lionel Messi.
“Will I convince Leo to stay? It will depend on him, I will do what I can, within the economic possibilities of the club, to make him stay at Barca.”

Joan Laporta has returned as president after 11 yearsCredit: AFP or licensors

Messi is Barca’s top scorer this season
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TO THE surprise of pretty much nobody, Joan Laporta is the new club president of Barcelona.
Laporta, 58, won more than half the votes, trouncing his two rivals for the gig. 

Joan Laporta is back in charge of LaLiga giants BarcelonaCredit: AP:Associated Press

One of those secret votes for Laporta, I would bet a brand new pair of size 10 football boots, was from Lionel Messi. He happily posed for the camera’s yesterday as he dropped his vote in the box at the Camp Nou with his eight year-old boy, Thiago.
And that’s the most pressing task in Laporta’s in-tray – to make sure the club keep hold of their talisman and legend.  
Barca’s skipper will be 34 in June, an age many a football war horse has been put out to pasture or left to graze gently in lower leagues. But Messi is teetotal, eats efficiently, trains well and is as fit as a prize fighter. 
Plus, most important of all, he still has the belly for it. He still wants to win and is crushed whenever he loses. 

Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl at the age of 43 and plans to keep going past 45. By those standards, Messi could have a decade or more left to run.
Of course, Mess is not quite the player he was when he first made his debut the last time Laporta ran things around here, but he’s still often the best player on the pitch. 
Laporta has negotiated Messi’s contracts several times before. He was elected president the first time in 2003, the same year Messi made his first-team debut as a 16 year-old. 
Barca went on to win LaLiga four times under Laporta’s reign and the Champions League twice. He lifted Pep Guardiola up from managing the B team and put him in charge of the first team – which included other future club legends; Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Carles Puyol. The list goes on.

Lionel Messi cast his secret ballot during Sunday’s electionsCredit: Alamy Live News

The Argentine is still key to Barcelona’s future, as are academy prospects such as Ilaix Moriba (right)Credit: AFP OR LICENSORS
This time for Messi, it’s not about the money. He earns £584,000… every week. It’s about stability and ambition and, maybe, longevity. 
It’s about the club not being anything like the basket case it has been recently under Laporta’s predecessor Josep Maria Bartomeu, who was arrested last week on fraud charges – four months after resigning as president. 
Messi likes to have a pet player around the place, but his best friend Luis Suarez joined Atletico Madrid in the summer for free. And it could be that another close personal friend of Messi’s could be about to take his place, Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero can also leave this summer on a freebie.
As he enjoyed a glass of champagne, Laporta said last night: “Seeing the best player in the world come out to vote today is a clear sign of what we keep saying. 
“Leo loves Barca. I hope that is a sign that he will stay at Barcelona, which is what we all want.”
He’s probably on the phone to him right now, and the noises from the Messi side have always been favourable for Laporta, expect to see the customary contract signing snap sometime before this summer.
Right beside getting Messi to sign a fresh deal in Laporta’s in-tray sit Barca’s books.
And they’re a mess, a potential disaster even – the club is almost £1billion in debt and ‘on the verge of bankruptcy’. That’s almost the same amount they blew in five years on players that simply haven’t lived up to their price tags.
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This is the main reason Messi’s contract cannot be about money. There isn’t any.
Barca is one of the biggest clubs in the world but the finances have been hit hard by the pandemic – and they were already in pretty bad shape beforehand. They’ve even had to shelve their ambitious revamp of the Camp Nou. 
The club has been in freefall for months and months – years, even – stumbling from one crisis to the next under Bartomeu. But those days are gone, that era is done.
And there are green shoots growing tall from what had seemed to be scuffed and worn out turf. 
La Masia, the famed youth academy – that honed the talents of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Guardiola etc etc etc – has produced two new pearls. 
Ilaix Moriba scored his debut goal for Barca in LaLiga against Osasuna on Saturday, the 18-year-old was only two when Messi won his first La Liga title. And then there’s Ansu Fati, also 18, who is expected back from a knee injury within the next month or so.

The side is finally stabilising under coach Ronald Koeman, a ‘Dream Team’ member from the Johann Cruyff era who Laporta seems keen on keeping at the helm. Another candidate had vowed to sack him and replace him with Xavi.
Barca are only three points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who drew yesterday in the Madrid derby.
It will be a tall order to come back from their 1-4 defeat at home to PSG in the Champions League in their clash on Wednesday in Paris. Barca came back once before, though, in March 2017.
There’s hope. For Barca fans, there is now hope.
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KARIM BENZEMA’S late Madrid derby leveller for Real stopped Luis Suarez’s brilliant opener putting Atletico five points clear in LaLiga.
But in-form Suarez and Co are still three points clear of his old club Barcelona and five above champs Real, with a game in hand on both.

France striker Karim Benzema celebrates after proving up to the task of rescuing a point for Real Madrid late on at the Wanda MetropolitanoCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Luis Suarez hails his early opener for LaLiga leaders AtleticoCredit: AP:Associated Press

England full-back Kieran Trippier returned from a ten-week betting ban to launch the move that led to ex-Liverpool striker Suarez sweeping home deftly after a quiet first 14 minutes.
Trippier freed Marcos Llorente, who skipped past Nacho and put Suarez clean through.
The Uruguayan legend looked up and, with the outside of his right boot, skilfully swerved the ball beyond the onrushing former Atletico keeper Thibaut Courtois.
Yannick Carrasco almost connected with a cross from Suarez, who was a constant menace.

Courtois then kept out Suarez’s firm volley.
Real, though, pleaded strongly for a penalty just before half-time as Felipe appeared to handle in the area after a corner.
But nothing was given despite referee Alejandro Hernandez watching several replays of the incident.

Luis Suarez put Atletico in front before Karim Benzema levelledCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Karim Benzema was on hand to equalise late, keeping Real five points behind AtleticoCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Atletico kept the upper hand after the break.

But Courtois kept the visitors just one goal in front as he saved well from Carrasco, before smothering a close-range effort from Suarez.
Sub Joao Felix soon fed Suarez but the former Barcelona frontman shot straight at Courtois.
And at the other end Oblak was tested by a shot from distance by Real sub Federico Valverde.
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Real started to step up their intensity in the final quarter of an hour, with Oblak making a fantastic double save to thwart Benzema.
But the Frenchman pounced two minutes from time.
After Atletico sloppily gave away possession, Benzema coolly played the ball to Casemiro and carried on his run before slotting into an empty net after a return pass from the Brazilian.

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REAL MADRID have told Sergio Ramos to take or leave an offer to renew his contract, according to reports.
The 34-year-old has been a huge part of the Bernabeu side since joining in 2005, earning the full-time club captaincy after a decade at the club.

Sergio Ramos has reportedly been given a deadline in talks over a new Real Madrid contractCredit: Getty Images – Getty

But he could be set for a departure this summer when his existing deal expires.
Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United are among those reportedly waiting to pounce if Ramos becomes available.
According to Marca, Real have given the defender until the end of the month to decide his future.
The one-year extension on the table contains an option for another season in the Spanish capital.

Although it has been said that a ten per cent pay cut will have to be taken if Ramos chooses to stay.
He is thought to earn around £312,000-a-week on a contract signed back in 2015.

With negotiations effectively over until the player makes his decision, the relationship between himself and club president Florentino Perez is described as cordial.
Coach Zinedine Zidane has hit out at reporters asking questions over the saga, despite fan discontent with Real’s handling of the talisman.

At the forefront of the Frenchman’s mind is Ramos’ return from a knee injury, which required surgery in February.
A comeback is mooted for the next couple of weeks and Zidane criticised the speculation over his contract earlier this month.
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He declared: “You always ask me the same thing, it’s madness.
“I want him to get fit, but apart from that, nothing else.
“What more should I say about it now? I have no idea.
“I just said that we are only thinking about the game. I want that to be sorted out as soon as possible.”
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