Transfer Rumours: Barcelona and Juventus

No de Ligt For Juve?

Barcelona has been given fresh hope in their pursuit of Matthijs de Ligt. The Barcelona board had given up hope of signing de Ligt after they failed to agree to personal terms with his agent, Mino Raiola. And after it was reported that Juventus did agree to personal terms with de Ligt, it felt like a foregone conclusion.

But as with any transfer, there needs to be an agreement with the player and his club. MARCA is reporting that Juventus offer for de Ligt is more than €10 million less than Ajax’s price tag. Meanwhile, Barcelona have already had an agreement with Ajax for a few months now.

So as things stand both Barcelona and Juventus have completed half of the deal. One needs an agreement with Mino Raiola, the other an agreement with Ajax itself. It will boil down to a race between the two clubs to see who can get the agreement that they desire first.

Barcelona’s Internal Crisis

Yesterday will prove to be a monumental day at Barcelona as Vice-President of Sport Jordi Mestre resigned from his position. Mestre was the highest ranking sporting official at Barcelona under president Josep Maria Bartomeu. His resignation was reportedly due to issues with criticism from other members of the board, according to Mundo Deportivo.

His resignation has brought in new questions about much-maligned General Manager Pep Segura. Many of the Barcelona board members have been angry with Segura’s transfer strategy, which has diminished the importance of La Masia. Mestre was his biggest supporter, and Mundo Deportivo believes Segura could resign today as a part of the blowback.

Now, what does all of this mean for Barcelona? Mestre and Segura were Barcelona’s loudest opposition to the rumoured return of Neymar. If both of them leave Barca, it is only going to increase the transfer rumours regarding Neymar.