Operation centre-back: Upamecano, Kehrer and Lenglet are targets | Sport
On the list of possible signings is Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano. He has a similar profile to Umtiti: quick, good on the ball. The reports are good, although his price is prohibitive. His release clause is 100 million euros.
A surprise target is another Bundesliga player: Schalke’s Thilo Kehrer. A versatile defender, his price would be around 35 million euros with his contract up in 2019. More here.
Five Barcelona players head for treatment room on return from international duty | Marca
Marc Andre Ter Stegen missed Germany’s second international game due to a knee problem but as was the case with Messi, it was more likely to be just precautionary. In a worse state is Lucas Digne who picked up the strain playing for France against Colombia. Andres Iniesta (ankle) and Gerard Pique (knee) picked up knocks with Spain in their clash against Argentina.
Is Coutinho the solution if Iniesta left Barcelona? | The Barcelona Podcast
Francesc and Dan are delighted to bring you our first ever Penya Blaugrana Roundtable! Dani from Penya Barcelonista Chicago, Matt from Barça Dallas, Michael from Club Blaugrana Montreal, Chris from Penya Blaugrana Toronto and Victor from Houston Cules discuss what it means to lead a Blaugrana community thousands of miles away from the Camp Nou, as well as the club’s latests news.
Very much the pearl at La Masia right now, Xavi Simons is currently playing for the U-15 team and looks set to step up quickly over the next couple of years. Named after Xavi and also popular due to his curly blonde hair, Simons already has over a million followers on Instagram. A Dutch international at youth level, he has been compared to both Xavi and Andres Iniesta. More here.
It’s, without a doubt, the clearest opportunity on the market this summer. If it’s not Barça, another club will move for him. In fact, they have. Not one, but various clubs, although fortunately for Barça the forward only wants to play at Camp Nou. If there are no surprises, Griezmann will be at the club next season. A great signing, in my opinion. And I say in my opinion because there are people that question the signing. Not because of the player’s quality, but because of his ability to fit into the team. More here.
