Sergio Busquets, Barcelona’s captain, is said to have turned down a €20 million (£17.5 million) per year offer from Saudi club Al-Nassr.
Sergio Busquets
After signing Cristiano Ronaldo a few weeks ago, the Saudi club appears to be attempting to rebuild its team. Al-Nassr was also said to be interested in Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos, and most recently, Keylor Navas.
According to AS, Sergio Busquets, 34, turned down the offer despite his uncertain future at Barcelona.
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While there’s currently no deal in progress for Busquets whose contract expires this summer, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has been vocal about wanting to keep the veteran midfielder at the club.
It is also understood that former Real Madrid and England star David Beckham is interested in bringing Busquets to his MLS club Inter Miami.
The BBC, the United Kingdom’s national broadcaster, has apologized for playing pornographic audio before the FA Cup match between Liverpool and Wolves on Tuesday evening.
The audio mix-up marred BBC’s pre-match FA Cup coverage of Liverpool’s third-round FA Cup replay against Wolves. Liverpool ran off as winners of the match which ended 1-0 following a goal scored in the 13th minute by Harvey Elliot.
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In a statement released 40 minutes after the explicit audio became public, the BBC apologized to their audience. The broadcaster also stated that it would look into the alleged sabotage.
The statement read;
“We apologise to any viewers offended during the live coverage of the football this evening. We are investigating how this happened.”
In a statement, Cadiz demanded a review of the last moments of their match with Elche since VAR was ineffective in stopping a late equalizer they conceded.
On Monday night, the club was just minutes away from a crucial win in their relegation battle when Ezequiel Ponce equalized for the visitors.
According to a video circulating online, Ponce came back from an offside position to help spark a move that he eventually finished with a bullet header.
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Cadiz were left fuming at VAR following the decision to allow Elche's equaliser in last night's 1-1 draw in La Liga.
Replays showed that Ezequiel Ponce, who scored Elche's goal, was offside in the build-up.https://t.co/5AwPZSgbtG
Cadiz, who are currently 18th in La Liga, expressed disappointment that the goal was allowed to stand. The club also threatened legal action as a result of the two points loss.
The statement read;
“Today, January 17, 2023, the legal services of CÁDIZ CF SAD have submitted to the competent federative authorities, a brief challenging the meeting held before ELCHE, C.F., S.A.D, by virtue of which the annulment is requested of the well-deserved match and its resumption from minute 81 of it, at which time the refereeing team validated the goal scored by the ELCHE, C.F., S.A.D. D. Ezequiel Ponce, despite being preceded by a resounding and flagrant offside, not susceptible to interpretation, as shown by the images of the match.
“Quite the contrary, if necessary at the end of the season, depending on the sporting and economic damages that may be inferred from the final classification of CÁDIZ, C.F., S.A.D. In the First Division category, this Entity will evaluate the exercise of as many legal actions that assist it in Law, including the action of patrimonial responsibility against the persons, physical or legal, that in the last instance must respond for the damages and losses caused to CÁDIZ , C.F., S.A.D.”
Following the announcement of Mykhailo Mudryk by Chelsea on Sunday, January 15, the club will now have to remove a player from their Champions League squad in order to register some of their new players.
Recall that Mudryk arrived yesterday as Chelsea’s 5th signing in the January transfer window. David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix had all agreed to a deal with the club this month.
Chelsea now has more non-homegrown players than are permitted for a Champions League squad. Only 17 non-homegrown players can be registered, while Chelsea now has 18 on their books according to Daily Mail.
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Should the club’s coach, Graham Potter wish to include his new signings for their round of 16 first-leg showdown with Borussia Dortmund on February 15, he’ll have to remove a player who helped Chelsea top Group E late last year.
Some of the players that can easily be omitted are Christian Pulisic, N’Golo Kante, and Denis Zakaria who are all nursing injuries.
19-year-old Colombian striker Jhon Duran has been signed by Aston Villa following a £15 million ($18m) deal with MLS outfit the Chicago Fire.
Duran who is already the second-youngest player to score in the Colombian top flight at the age of 15, became the most expensive foreign signing in MLS history after moving to Chicago from Envigado in January 2021.
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The Colombia international contributed eight goals and five assists during the 2022 campaign for MLS, getting attention from Manchester United and Liverpool’s scouts.
Villa has however announced that they have successfully negotiated a transfer fee with their Chicago Fire counterparts.
The club said in a statement;
“Aston Villa can confirm that an agreement has been reached with Chicago Fire for the permanent transfer of 19-year-old striker, Jhon Duran.
“The deal is subject to the player passing a medical, agreeing personal terms and obtaining the necessary work visa.”
Should a transfer be completed in due course, Duran will depart Chicago Fire after just one season, his development having previously begun at Engivado FC.
Villa has moved away from the Premier League relegation zone since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in October, collecting 13 points from six matches under the Spaniard.
They now sit in 11th position in the table, 10 points above the bottom three and just six adrift of sixth-placed Fulham ahead of a trip to Southampton on January 21.
Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup on January 15 in Saudi Arabia by defeating Real Madrid 3-1.
Gavi and Pedri
Barcelona was dominant in every aspect of the game and took advantage of three mistakes by Real Madrid to score. Goals from Gavi, Robert Lewandowski, and Pedri were enough to end the club’s trophy drought and also earned Xavi Hernandez his first trophy as a coach.
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The La Liga table toppers took the lead when 18-year-old Gavi fired in from Robert Lewandowski’s pass. Lewandowski struck just before halftime when he finished from Gavi’s pass.
Gavi got another assist in the second half as he set up Pedri, before Karim Benzema struck a late consolation.
The game would have finished with a bigger margin if goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had not secured some smart saves.
Since being defeated 3-1 by Real Madrid in October 2022, Barcelona has gone from strength to strength and have secured the number one spot on the La Liga table. This victory also extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to nine games.
The 22-year-old winger committed to the London club in an 8-year, €100 million agreement. According to sources speaking to ESPN, the package includes a fixed cost of €70 million and an additional €30 million in add-ons, matching the Ukrainian club’s asking price for the sale of the 22-year-old.
Mykhailo Mudryk
Mudryk has previously stated on social media that he prefers to play for Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Arsenal reportedly made their third offer for Mudryk on Friday, January 13. The bid was believed to comprise around €70m up front with what one source described as “significant add-ons,” although the overall package was still thought to be short of Shakhtar’s €100m valuation.
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He looked poised to sign for London rivals Arsenal before a last-minute intervention from Chelsea’s recruitment head Paul Winstanley and co-owner Behdad Eghbali on Saturday, January 14, with the pair flying to Turkey to negotiate the deal.
Chelsea offered Mudryk a better wage package and a longer contract than what Arsenal tabled. Insiders also said the €30m in bonuses involved in the Chelsea deal are easily achievable.
“We are delighted to welcome Mykhailo to Chelsea,”Todd Boehly, Chelsea chairman said. Behdad Eghbali, the co-controlling owner, added “He’s a hugely exciting talent who we believe will be a terrific addition to our squad both now and in the years to come. He will add further depth to our attack and we know he’ll get a very warm welcome to London.”
The 22-year-old was in attendance for Chelsea’s game against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge today, January 15, and he was presented to fans.
Speaking to the club website, Mudryk said;
“I’m so happy to sign for Chelsea. This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career. I’m excited to meet my new team-mates and I’m looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff.”
The Ukrainian footballer is now the fifth arrival at Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window.
Karim Benzema of Real Madrid has denied having a falling out with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has reunited with his former teammates in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona today, January 15.
Benzema and Ronaldo.
Ronaldo was spotted in photos speaking to Real Madrid players, but Benzema was nowhere to be seen, leading to speculation of an alleged rift.
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The claim has however been shut down by Benzema who told reporters that they don’t need to take photos to say they are friends.
He said;
“We don’t need to take photos to say we’re friends, the photos are for Instagram or Twitter, that’s another world.
“We didn’t have time to greet each other because I was training and immediately he also went to train. I hope to see him tomorrow at the stadium and be able to talk to him for a while.”
Graham Potter has stated that he has the full support of the club’s board ahead of Chelsea’s match against Crystal Palace today, January 15, despite his team’s poor performance in the previous ten matches.
Graham potter
Potter who admitted that he was under pressure after two defeats before the World Cup break, told reporters that if anyone he works for thinks the problem lies with him, they have the right to sack him.
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He said;
“There are always questions if you don’t get the results. I was under pressure after two defeats before the World Cup break – and that is from the media. In terms of the board, I’ve had full support but I am not naive. If anybody that I work for thinks the problem lies with me then they have every right to say, ‘Thank you very much but it’s not working’. I accept that.”
When asked if the players were still committed to his ideas, Potter said;
“From what I see, they are professional, responsible, and honest. We’re in a bad moment and we’ve got challenges, everyone suffers from that point. January is always complicated no matter where you are because the window is open and human beings are human beings, but I don’t see any problems in that regard. I have the support of the boys and they have mine. We just need to keep working.”
Cristiano Ronaldo Junior, the son of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, will join Saudi Arabia’s Mahd Football Academy following his father’s recent move to Al-Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his son.
Recall that 37-year-old Ronaldo recently signed for Saudi side Al-Nassr in a mouth-watering that saw him become the highest-paid sportsman in the World.
Before the family’s recent relocation to the Middle East country, Ronaldo Junior spent two years in Juventus’ academy system while his father was playing in Italy. He most recently wore the No. 7 shirt as a prospect with Manchester United and was also featured in Real Madrid’s youth team.
The youngster who was recently spotted pulling off his father’s iconic ‘siuuu’ celebration after scoring in an Under-12s tournament for the Red Devils, has left United too and will now play at an academy level in Saudi Arabia.
