LIONEL MESSI is set to STAY at Barcelona, where reports suggest there is a new contract offer on the table.
Meanwhile, his Barca team-mate Luis Suarez is expected to join Juventus, where he will play alongside Giorgio Chiellini – the victim of the Uruguayan's bite attack during the 2014 World Cup.
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Get all the latest transfer news, updates and gossip here…
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GOOD MORNING, FOOTBALL FANS
What a day we had in the transfer market.
Lionel Messi said “em rendeixo” to Barcelona and surrendered in his fight to leave the Camp Nou.
For a year, at least.
After telling the LaLiga giants he wanted to enact a clause that would allow him to leave for free, he has now admitted he is not willing to fight for his right in the courts.
However, the Argentine delivered a scathing blow to club president Josep Maria Bartomeu in doing so.
He told Goal: “There was another way and it was to go to trial.
“I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived.
“It is the club of my life, I have made my life here.
“Barca gave me everything and I gave it everything. I know that it never crossed my mind to take Barca to court.”
He added: “I thought and was sure that I was free to leave, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not.
“Now they cling to the fact that I did not say it before June 10, when it turns out that on June 10 we were competing for LaLiga in the middle of this awful coronavirus and this disease altered all the season.
“And this is the reason why I am going to continue in the club.
“Now I am going to continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the £630m clause, and that this is impossible.”
Elsewhere, Chelsea confirmed their £62m deal to sign Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen.
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TELL THE TIM
Timo Werner reportedly snubbed Manchester City in order to sign for Chelsea.
Sport Bild claims the German striker was a top target for Pep Guardiola this summer despite being strongly tipped to join Liverpool.
However, then-RB Leipzig star Werner turned down Pep’s advances once Chelsea boss Frank Lampard entered the running.
The Blues ended up paying a bargain £47million after meeting Werner’s release clause.
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OFF THE MARK
Mark Noble is NOT happy that Grady Diangana has been allowed to leave for West Brom.
The Hammers skipper tweets: “As captain of this football club I’m gutted, angry and sad that Grady has left, great kid with a great future!!!!!”
Diangana signed for the Baggies on a four-year deal costing an initial £13million earlier this evening.
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ART OF THE DEAL
Mikel Arteta is delighted to have Dani Ceballos back for another year at Arsenal.
The midfielder has joined from Real Madrid for a second season-long loan.
And Arteta told the club website:“Dani was and integral part of our team last season and finished the season in excellent form.
“I love Dani’s passion and commitment and he’s a highly skilful player. We’re all delighted to welcome him back and we look forward to seeing him pick up where he left off.”
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BREAKING
Some Friday night magic for Arsenal fans!
Dani Ceballos rejoins for a second year-long loan spell from Real Madrid.
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BAYERN FOR BLOOD
Lionel Messi revealed three humiliating Champions League defeats left him determined to quit Barcelona.
Barcelona were beating Roma 4-1 in the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final in 2018 before crashing out of the competition with a 3-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.
They endured a similar collapse a year later when they blew a 3-0 aggregate lead against Liverpool, losing 4-0 at Anfield.
And their record defeat against Bayern in Lisbon last month is already considered one of the darkest days in the club's history.
He told Goal: “I looked further afield and I want to compete at the highest level, win titles, compete in the Champions League. You can win or lose in it, because it is very difficult, but you have to compete.
“At least compete for it and let us not fall apart in Rome, Liverpool, Lisbon. All that led me to think about that decision that I wanted to carry out.”
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HAMMERS DEFENCE
West Ham have defended their decision to sell Grady Diangana to West Brom.
The winger was highly rated by fans but is leaving for an initial £13m to the Prem newboys, with the club citing their need to sell before they can buy.
The Hammers said: “The decision to sell Grady has been made reluctantly but – ultimately – in the best interests of the club and with the aim to strengthen the squad in different areas at this time.
“The money received for Grady will be reinvested entirely in the team, in line with the manager’s targets.
“We believe that this will give us the best possible chance of ensuring we have a balanced squad to compete in the Premier League and capable of reaching our objectives and ambitions this season.”
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RECOGNISE THESE TWO?
It is reckoned James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucoure are out and about in Liverpool tonight before signing for Everton.
Excited, Toffees fans?
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DIFFERENT GRADY
Grady Diangana has completed his move to West Brom – a deal which has sparked fury among West Ham fans.
SunSport’s Duncan Wright writes that the Hammers accepted a bid of £13million with a further £6m in bonuses for their academy product who spent the season on loan with the Baggies.
And Diangana, 22, wasted no time agreeing personal terms and this evening put pen to paper on a four-year deal at The Hawthorns.
The decision to accept a bid for the winger has been greeted with anger among West Ham fans upset at the decision to cash in on one of their brightest products in years.
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BREAKING
It's a done deal…
Kai Havertz signs for Chelsea!
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BOG OFF
Chelsea are reportedly set for another pay day with former man Jeremie Boga closing in on a move to Rennes.
Goal claims the French side have made an initial £17million bid plus add-ons for the Sassuolo winger, 23.
When rumours of a £13m buyback emerged, Chelsea renegotiated with the Italians, removing the clause and instead inserting a sell-on fee worth between ten and 15 per cent.
And Boga, also linked with Everton, now looks destined to return to former loan side Rennes, who finished third in Ligue 1 last term to secure a Champions League spot.
It’s believed they have already had a bid turned down by Sassuolo and will be hoping the new offer of at least £17m will be enough to get a deal done.
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KOUL-ING OFF
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed the club's bad blood with Manchester City is affecting any deal for Kalidou Koulibaly.
The Serie A side infuriated Pep Guardiola's men following the botched Jorginho transfer back in the summer of 2018.
He told Canale 21: “How can we have a normal and calm negotiation with Manchester City to sell Koulibaly? They won’t talk directly with us because of the Jorginho deal two years ago.”
He added: “Koulibaly and [Arkadiusz] Milik are both on their way out, transfer market permitting.
“So, if the transfer market allows us to sell these two excellent players, we will know how to replace them. If not, then we’ll discuss it again next year.
“Kalidou is a great person, I would be terribly sad to lose him. But there is a time for everything, even to move apart.”
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WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE
Elsewhere, West Ham may be about to pull out of a move for Said Benrahma.
The Telegraph report on the Hammers refusing to meet Brentford’s £20m valuation of the winger.
With the defence said to be a more important area for David Moyes to focus on improving, the deal is at a deadlock.
Aston Villa are also keen but, likewise, may not fancy forking out the full fee for the Algerian.
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LUK OUT
Luka Modric says Barcelona would have been just fine, had Lionel Messi left.
Real Madrid's Croatian star likened the Argentine’s previously discussed departure to when Cristiano Ronaldo left Los Blancos for Juventus in 2018.
He told AFP before Messi’s announcement: “It would be a huge loss, like when Cristiano left.
“But you can't think about the past. It's football and that's it.
“If it happens it will be a huge loss for the prestige of the league. But we need to go forward. Other players will become stars.
“When Cristiano left, the same thing happened; the life of Real Madrid went on without him and it will be the same for Barcelona and LaLiga without Messi.”
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'NEVER'
Lionel Messi has made clear he would never have proceeded with legal action against Barcelona.
The club appear to have won their disagreement over his release clause, leading to Messi agreeing to see out his remaining 12-month contract.
And he told Goal: “There was another way and it was to go to trial.
“I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived.
“It is the club of my life, I have made my life here.
“Barca gave me everything and I gave it everything. I know that it never crossed my mind to take Barca to court.”
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MORE FROM MESSI
Here's what Lionel Messi had to say on his transfer release clause that became subject to the legal threats.
He told Goal: “I thought and was sure that I was free to leave, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not.
“Now they cling to the fact that I did not say it before June 10, when it turns out that on June 10 we were competing for LaLiga in the middle of this awful coronavirus and this disease altered all the season.
“And this is the reason why I am going to continue in the club.
“Now I am going to continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the £630m clause, and that this is impossible.”
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IT'S OFFICIAL
Lionel Messi is staying at Barcelona.
But he is NOT happy.
The forward told Goal: “I wasn't happy and I wanted to leave.
“I have not been allowed this in any way and I will stay at the club so as not to get into a legal dispute.
“The management of the club led by Bartomeu is a disaster”.
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BARCA DELAY
While we already know the basics of the upcoming Lionel Messi announcement, it has been delayed.
Officially, we will know the news at 5pm.
Stay tuned…
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BREAKING
Se queda, as they say in Spain… Messi stays!
The Barcelona forward has told Goal that he will never go to court with his club.
With the Catalans stating that is his only route out right now, other than a rival bidding £630m, he is sticking it out at the Camp Nou.
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MESSI DECISION INCOMING
We are expecting a public announcement on Lionel Messi's future any moment now…
Watch this space!
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ROME'S HOME
Chris Smalling is on the verge of sealing an £18million switch from Manchester United to Roma.
United were demanding £20million for the defender, but are likely to accept the £18million fee plus bonuses, according to Sky Sports Italy.
The deal seemed to be going nowhere as the Italian outfit were only willing to fork out £15million, which United rejected.
Roma were keen to retain Smalling's services after his impressive year-loan stint with the club.
The 30-year-old revealed he was devastated to be leaving Roma and was willing to take a wage-cut to make the deal happen.
In an emotional post on his Instagram page, Smalling said: “I’m gutted that I can’t finish what we started this season.”
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TO BE FRANK
Frank Lampard is set to keep his summer spending going as he targets a new keeper and defensive midfielder.
The Blues boss has already welcomed Hakim Ziyech, 27, Timo Werner, 24, Ben Chilwell, 23, Thiago Silva, 35, and Malang Sarr, 21, into his squad.
But he is due to take his transfer business past £200million as he closes in on a club record deal for 21-year-old Kai Havertz.
The playmaker left his Germany's Nations League squad to allow him to finish off the final stages of his £90m move.
But according to The Telegraph, Lampard is still in the market for a stopper and defence-minded midfielder.
SunSport revealed under-fire Kepa Arrizabalaga will fight for his place at Stamford Bridge, but it will not stop the club from bringing in competition.
It is understood that Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and West Ham's Declan Rice are on Chelsea's radar.
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RED SERG
Man Utd may have to settle for signing Sergio Reguilon on-loan from Real Madrid despite making a £27million offer for him.
Despite interest from Tottenham, Paris-Saint Germain, Napoli and Juventus, United are believed to be the only side to have tabled an offer.
That £27m bid was made this week – but they may only land the star for 12 months initially.
Reguilon is still under contract until 2023 and highly-rated by club Bernabeu chiefs after coming through the club’s academy.
And even though Zidane may be happy to sell in order to raise transfer funds, Madrid’s top brass could opt to only loan him out instead, claims Sport.
The defender is open to spending another year at Sevilla and is believed to be hopeful that a change of manager before his deal expires could still result in him being handed an opportunity in the future at Real.
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MESSI UPDATE
Lionel Messi has DENIED that his Barcelona contract has a £624million release clause as he seeks to leave on a free transfer.
An English tranlation of the statement reads..
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BAY AND LARGE
Thiago confessed 'Bayern is my home' despite his impending move away amid Manchester United and Liverpool's transfer tug of war.
The midfielder is entering the final year in his contract, with Bayern ready to cash in on the £27million rated Spaniard.
Liverpool remain frontrunners to sign him, with United having announced the £40million signing of Donny van de Beek from Ajax.
But despite speculation linking Thiago with a Bayern exit, he remains focussed on his current club and Spain's Nations League campaign.
He told ZDF: “I only think about the game against Ukraine. Afterwards, we will see.
“Bayern is my home and I am happy to be there.”
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