FC Barcelona

Alaves striker Lucas Perez has welcomed rumoured interest from Barcelona and suggested he'll consider the transfer as long as the club truly wants him and "it's a chance to earn money."

Barcelona failed to sign a striker during the January transfer window despite links with numerous alleged targets, and it's been suggested journeyman Perez could arrive on emergency terms.

When asked about the possibility of a move to the Camp Nou, he told El Partidazo de la COPE (h/t Sport): "I'm not saying anything. You've just told me that. I don't know anything about it and I'm only thinking about Alaves. Now if an opportunity arises, the club is interested and it's a chance to earn money..."

It's also mentioned that Perez said his buyout clause was less than €25 million (£21.2 million), the figure Javier Lekuona of AS wrote any suitor would have to pay to land his signature.

The Blaugrana could reportedly be granted clearance to sign an attacker after winger Ousmane Dembele suffered a serious setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury and underwent surgery on Tuesday.

Sport reported Getafe forward Angel Rodriguez is another attack on Barca's radar for an emergency deal. A signing would be permitted as long as their target plays in Spain (or is a free agent) and Dembele is ruled out for at least five months.

Former Arsenal frontman Perez, 31, has enjoyed his most prolific season in four years after joining Alaves in May 2019, scoring nine times in 22 appearances across all competitions this season. 

He scored in seven straight La Liga matches between September and November, having returned to Spain on permanent terms following disappointing spells with the Gunners and West Ham United.

Quique Setien's attack all of a sudden looks bare following the recurrence of Dembele's injury and the long-term absence of Luis Suarez, who will be out until May following surgery on his right knee last month.

To complicate matters, Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens of ESPN FC reported Lionel Messi is playing through injury pain in order to help his side through their recent rut in form.

Perez's most recent contribution for Alaves was a 46th-minute breakthrough after he came off the bench in Friday's 2-1 win over Eibar, via Premier Sports (UK viewers only).  

Barcelona return to La Liga action at Real Betis on Sunday, and they might hope to have a forward solution in place for their trip to Napoli in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 matchup on February 25.

Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi will reportedly remain at the Camp Nou despite his recent fall out with sporting director Eric Abidal, who has said he hopes the forward signs a new contract at the club.

Speculation emerged that Messi could leave Barca following a public spat with Abidal, but Sky Sports' Lyall Thomas cited sources close to the player who said he intends to stay at least until his deal expires in 2021.

It's understood the 32-year-old is also open to the idea of extending terms at the Camp Nou, though he'd like to do so on a "rolling year-by-year basis."

Agence France-Presse's Tom Allnutt provided a screenshot of Messi's barbed reply via Instagram to a recent interview Abidal gave to Sport's Lluis Miguelsanz. The director appeared to suggest the players were partly to blame for Ernesto Valverde's sacking in January.

Messi took umbrage with those comments and encouraged former team-mate Abidal to specify which players he was referring to: "If you don't, you're tarnishing everyone and feeding things that are said that aren’t true."

Thomas also wrote that Messi felt compelled to defend himself and the team, "while also wanting to highlight that he does not call the shots at the club."

Abidal, 40, has since told Mundo Deportivo (h/t AS) it's "never easy" negotiating a contract as vast as Messi's but that he hopes to see the Argentinian remain in Catalonia.

"The question is for him, hopefully he continues. Leo said that Barca is everything for him, that he wants to stay here, from there, there will be conditions. We are talking about the best player in the world and having a renewal with player of this kind is never easy," he said.

Manchester City have been linked with Messi when his Barcelona ties have been tested in the past, but Pep Guardiola has played down any chance of a reunion with his former charge.

When asked about the recent clash of personalities at his former club, Guardiola told reporters: "He's a player from Barcelona. He will stay there [at Barca], that's my wish."

Quique Setien took over from Valverde and has lost two of his six games in charge of the team, including a Copa del Rey quarter-final exit following Thursday's 1-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao. They lost just one of their last 13 games under Valverde.

The Blaugrana are three points below La Liga leaders Real Madrid and enduring a miniature crisis by their standards, but it appears Messi remains settled 19 years after arriving at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona have lost each of their last two away games but hope to end the rut when they travel to Setien's former club Real Betis on Sunday.

Barcelona manager Quique Setien will make his first trip back to the Estadio Benito Villamarin on Sunday to take on former club Real Betis in La Liga.

Per Caesars Palace, the Catalans are -125 (bet $100 to win $80) favourites, while Betis carry odds of +320 (bet $100 to win $320). A draw checks in at +265.

The match will kick off at 7 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET, and fans can tune in via LaLiga TV and Premier Sports (UK) or beIN Sports (U.S.).

   

Setien spent two years at Betis, during which time he further developed his reputation as an attack-minded coach who prioritised possession and quick ball movement.

He enjoyed some incredible success with the club, perhaps most notably a spectacular 4-3 triumph at the Camp Nou:

Defensive shortcomings and some poor results eventually led to his departure, freeing him up to join the Blaugrana in January.

His start to life in Catalonia has been far from perfect. Barcelona have played some excellent attacking football at times, but they were badly exposed in a 2-0 defeat against Valencia in La Liga. They were also knocked out of the Copa del Rey in their last outing, losing 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao.

Per sports writer Dermot Corrigan, Setien was satisfied with how his players performed in the defeat, despite the result.

Betis enter Sunday's clash in dreadful form, with just one win in their last six La Liga outings. The Andalusians are tied for the third-worst defensive record in the division heading into Week 23, with only Espanyol and Mallorca conceding more goals than their 34 so far.

While that is good news for Barcelona's attack, the Blaugrana front three enter the match with some worries. Depth is severely limited following injuries to Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele, and Lionel Messi, Ansu Fati and Antoine Griezmann all showed signs of fatigue in the loss to Athletic.

The former in particular was uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal, and per ESPN FC's Samuel Marsden, he's nursing an injury.

Setien “Everything went well, except the result and being eliminated. I’m pretty satisfied with how we played. Many people look at result, but it’s about the path. And we’re going in the right direction.”

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) February 6, 2020

If Barcelona live up to their immense talent, they should have little trouble against a slumping Betis team devoid of consistency. The Andalusians are overly reliant on 38-year-old Joaquin, while star striker Loren Moron hasn't found the net in La Liga since the loss against Sevilla on November 10.

But fatigue could be a serious issue for Barcelona, especially in attack, and if the forwards struggle like they did at the San Mames, another disappointing result could well be in store.

Prediction: Real Betis 1-2 Barcelona

Former Barcelona forward Christophe Dugarry has slammed his old employers, saying the Catalan club is filled with "clowns."

The Frenchman also said the Blaugrana are classless and have no direction in the transfer market.

He made the statements during a radio segment on RMC Sport (h/t Goal's Tom Webber):

"It's a club of clowns. Everything is done backwards. They buy [Philippe] Coutinho, [Ousmane] Dembele, they buy guys and then sell them. You get the impression there is no project in this club.

"At every transfer window there is a problem. They've recruited very badly since the departures of Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta. They've spent loads.

"And above all, they have a very bad image. There are far too many people who do not have the elegance, the class that there should be at a club of this standing. It's really a club that has no class."

Dugarry spent just one season at the Camp Nou, scoring no goals in seven appearances. Per SFR Sport (h/t SportsJoe's Robert Redmond), he has said he was deeply unhappy at the club and even pretended to cry so he could force a move back to France.

Barcelona have endured a few difficult days, with Lionel Messi and sporting director Eric Abidal clashing over an interview the latter gave to Sport. Per RAC-1 (h/t Juan Jimenez of AS), that led to a meeting to clear the air, but after the 1-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey, full-back Jordi Alba reignited the controversy:

Tuesday: Messi claps back at Abidal's criticism of Barcelona players

Thursday: After Copa del Rey exit, Jordi Alba goes back in pic.twitter.com/d0AsntOv8J

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 7, 2020

On the pitch, the Catalan side have lost two of their last four outings in all competitions. The switch to new manager Quique Setien has not gone smoothly, and injuries to key forwards Luis Suarez and Dembele have only complicated matters.

No forward depth arrived in the January transfer window, despite the clear need for it, and Barcelona's transfer strategy came under criticism as a result.

Big-money signings like Dembele and Coutinho have failed, and the club's asking price for the latter has been dropping, per Mundo Deportivo (h/t Goal):

Barcelona are happy to lower Phillippe Coutinho's price tag from €120 million to €80 million, according to Mundo Deportivo 💰

Worth it? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/2aSLK0okbB

— GOAL (@goal) February 7, 2020

The latest controversy only adds to the pressure on club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who is already a target because of the lack of success in Europe and on the transfer market in recent years.

Sports writer Dermot Corrigan expects new presidential elections in the summer:

Looks to me like summer presidential elections kinda inevitable now - with Messi having power to force them due to his contract clause allowing him to leave if he wants.

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) February 4, 2020

Setien will return to the Estadio Benito Villamarin to take on his former club Real Betis with his new side on Sunday.

Sergio Busquets would not be drawn into using the spat between Lionel Messi and Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal as an excuse for the club's Copa del Rey exit on Thursday. 

Barca were stunned by Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals when the hosts won 1-0 at the San Mames Stadium thanks to a stoppage-time own goal.

Unfortunately for Busquets, he was the man to turn into his own net under pressure from Inaki Williams.

It compounded Barca's misery in a week when Messi responded publicly and angrily to some ill-advised Abidal comments about the circumstances of Ernesto Valverde's January exit from the Camp Nou:

Lionel Messi hits out at Barcelona's Sporting Director and former team-mate Eric Abidal 👀 pic.twitter.com/8FCBU48YE5

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 4, 2020

Having the club captain and sporting director at loggerheads was hardly ideal preparation for one of Barca's biggest games of the season so far.

But Busquets, 31, refused to blame off-field issues for Barcelona's defeat, per Malik Ouzia of the Evening Standard:

"We are just focused on the sporting side of things. It's a sad day for everyone. We didn't want to go out. We have two competitions left, we have to keep on fighting. We have to continue. Everyone's angry. We did things well."

Since succeeding Valverde in the top job at the Camp Nou, Quique Setien has overseen some variable performances.

The Blaugrana were outplayed in losing 2-0 to Valencia in La Liga, which has led to them dropping three points back from Real Madrid in the title race, and only a late Antoine Griezmann double saved their blushes in the third round of the Copa at third-tier Ibiza.

Against Athletic, though, Barca performed fairly well and arguably did not deserve to be knocked out:

Barça just can't catch a break. Actually played pretty well tonight, but knocked out of the cup by a 93rd minute winner for Athletic. When it rains, it pours.

— Andy West (@andywest01) February 6, 2020

As far as Setien was concerned, it was a sign his side are headed in the right direction:

Setien “Everything went well, except the result and being eliminated. I’m pretty satisfied with how we played. Many people look at result, but it’s about the path. And we’re going in the right direction.”

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) February 6, 2020

The 61-year-old will look to build on that decent performance when Barca visit Real Betis on Sunday in La Liga.

Gerard Pique has said the injury that forced him off during Barcelona's Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic Bilbao on Thursday is not serious. 

The centre-back had to be replaced by Samuel Umtiti in the 80th minute at San Mames before Sergio Busquets' stoppage-time own goal sent Barca out of the Copa along with Real Madrid:

Real Madrid Barcelona
🤝
Getting knocked out
of the Copa del Rey
a few hours apart pic.twitter.com/RnHcNTcQcc

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 6, 2020

Pique made assurances after the 1-0 loss that he has not suffered a major injury, per Marca: "It's an overload. It doesn't seem to be anything serious."

Barca already have a number of key players sidelined through injury, including Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele, so Pique's prognosis will come as a big relief to beleaguered manager Quique Setien.

As will the fact that his squad appear prepared to move on from the recent controversy surrounding Lionel Messi and club sporting director Eric Abidal.

Messi sent Barca into crisis on Tuesday after issuing a response to Abidal's comments about the departure of Setien's predecessor, Ernesto Valverde:

Lionel Messi hits out at Barcelona's Sporting Director and former team-mate Eric Abidal 👀 pic.twitter.com/8FCBU48YE5

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 4, 2020

Per Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden of ESPN FC, Messi is ready to put the incident behind him.

And Pique said after Thursday's match that the squad are united, per John Skilbeck of Goal:

"It's not time to air the dirty washing. The dressing room is fully united. Elimination is a big blow but we said in the dressing room that we've taken a step forward and played well, despite all the noise that's been generated."

Barcelona's form has been erratic recently, but they were unfortunate to be knocked out by Athletic after a decent performance:

Barça just can't catch a break. Actually played pretty well tonight, but knocked out of the cup by a 93rd minute winner for Athletic. When it rains, it pours.

— Andy West (@andywest01) February 6, 2020

If there were any positives to the result, one is that they did not have to play extra time before visiting Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday.

Barca could be six points behind league-leading Real Madrid by the time they step out at the Estadio Benito Villamarin because Los Blancos play Osasuna earlier in the day.

The Blaugrana have won 4-1 and 5-0 at Betis in the past two seasons, which should give them confidence heading into the game.

Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba has criticised sporting director Eric Abidal for his suggestion that some players did not put in enough work under former manager Ernesto Valverde. 

Abidal made the comments to Sport, and he has already been called out by club captain Lionel Messi:

Lionel Messi hits out at Barcelona's Sporting Director and former team-mate Eric Abidal 👀 pic.twitter.com/8FCBU48YE5

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 4, 2020

Alba said on Thursday, per Reuters (via ESPN FC):

"This club gets enough s--t thrown at it from the outside, so we shouldn't be throwing s--t at ourselves.

"Abidal was a player; he is loved by the fans, and that's why he should know what it's like inside the dressing room and how players feel."

Valverde was sacked in January and replaced by Quique Setien. At the time of his dismissal, the team were top of La Liga, ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference.

Football writer Andrew Gaffney also felt Abidal's comments were a mistake, though he does not believe the Frenchman should be removed from his role because of them:

As much as Abidal didn't exactly say all the right things in the interview he did with SPORT, sacking him - or asking the guy to step down - isn't the answer here. It wouldn't look good for Bartomeu, Messi or the club either.

— Andrew Gaffney (@GaffneyVLC) February 5, 2020

The 40-year-old made 193 appearances for Barcelona between 2007 and 2013, winning four La Liga titles, two UEFA Champions Leagues and two Copas del Rey, among other honours.

Alba's comments came after Barca were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao on Thursday because of a 93rd-minute Sergio Busquets own goal.

Gerard Pique is hoping to move on from the tumultuous period:

The Barcelona defender has called for calm after a dramatic few days for the club 🤫 pic.twitter.com/vPDiuEwbhJ

— GOAL (@goal) February 7, 2020

Barca had made it to the Copa del Rey final in each of the past six seasons, winning the trophy four times.

In La Liga, they are three points off Real Madrid, while in the Champions League, they are set to take on Napoli in the first leg of their last-16 tie on February 25.

Barcelona have confirmed that Ousmane Dembele will undergo surgery on his hamstring on Tuesday after he suffered a tear in training.

The Catalan club provided an update on his injury on Thursday:

[MEDICAL REPORT]@Dembouz will undergo surgery to treat his right hamstring tear on Tuesday, February 11 in Finland. Information on his approximate expected recovery time will be given once the operation has been carried out.https://t.co/KamzExiF2Q

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 6, 2020

Dembele suffered the injury while working his way back from a hamstring problem that had kept him out since November. 

Injuries, many of them to his hamstring, have severely hampered Dembele's time at the Camp Nou since Barcelona signed him from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €105 million (£97 million) fee in 2017.

He only managed to make 24 appearances for the Blaugrana in his first campaign. The 22-year-old managed to get on the pitch 42 times for Barcelona last season despite further issues, but this season, he has played in just nine games.

Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele could reportedly miss the rest of the season after tearing his hamstring on his comeback from injury pic.twitter.com/f1mvQWWFos

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 4, 2020

As football writer Zach Lowy observed, the youngster is running out of chances at Barcelona:

Next season is last-chance saloon for Ousmane Dembélé.

Barcelona likely won't sell him in the summer because there won't be suitors willing to offer big money for him and because of the potential of Setién improving him. His deal is up in 2022, last chance to sell him is 2021.

— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) February 4, 2020

His latest long-term injury has also come at a particularly unfortunate time for Barca, as Bleacher Report's Gianni Verschueren noted:

https://twitter.com/ReverschPass/status/1224714899617656832

The club are already without Luis Suarez until May after he underwent knee surgery in January, so with Dembele out and the club opting not to reinforce in January, they're down to Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann as their only senior attacking options.

Ansu Fati is an exciting talent who can fill in for Dembele on the left wing, and he has five goals and an assist in all competitions this season. However, he only turned 17 in October, so Barca will be stretched thin as they juggle multiple competitions in the coming months.

Lionel Messi is reportedly ready to move on from his spat with sporting director Eric Abidal after discussions with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

According to Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden of ESPN FC, Bartomeu has spoken three times on the phone with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner, who is "happy to turn the page on the incident" and make peace with Abidal.

Messi sent Barca into crisis on Tuesday when he responded angrily to comments from Abidal, his former team-mate, which appeared to place some of the blame on the Blaugrana players for the recent sacking of manager Ernesto Valverde:

Lionel Messi hits out at Barcelona's Sporting Director and former team-mate Eric Abidal 👀 pic.twitter.com/8FCBU48YE5

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 4, 2020

Given the Argentinian is arguably the most important person at the Camp Nou, and the fact that he has a clause in his contract that could see him leave for free at the end of the season, any situation that makes him unhappy is a potential disaster for the Catalan giants.

But Bartomeu's peace-keeping mission appears to have cleared the air, at least for now.

Per Llorens and Marsden, the Barca president also had a two-hour meeting with Abidal and CEO Oscar Grau on Wednesday in a bid to smooth things over.

Barca have enough problems on the pitch to be creating them off it.

Valverde's successor, Quique Setien, has not had the easiest start to life at the Camp Nou. A 2-0 defeat to Valencia in January has seen the defending champions drop three points back from a relentless-looking Real Madrid in the La Liga standings:

📊🔝 @FCBarcelona's win helps them close the gap on leaders @realmadriden!#LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/1mjOBpaJqa

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) February 2, 2020

Meanwhile, a poor transfer window and a fresh swathe of injuries—Ousmane Dembele has joined Luis Suarez on the treatment table—has shorn Setien's squad of adequate depth.

If Barca are going to have any chance of competing on three fronts until the end of the season, they will need Messi at his best and with no distractions.

The Blaugarana cannot afford to slip up in key fixtures in the coming weeks, starting with Thursday's Copa del Rey quarter-final against Athletic Bilbao.

That is followed by La Liga matches against Real Betis, Getafe and Eibar before a crucial week when they visit Napoli for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie and go to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second Clasico of the season.   

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said Barcelona are in for a difficult period when Lionel Messi leaves the club. 

Guardiola managed Messi at the Camp Nou between 2008 and 2012, and he believes Barca will struggle in a similar manner to Real Madrid following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure in 2018.

The coach spoke to Post United about Madrid's difficulties in the wake of Ronaldo's exit, saying (h/t Goal):

"It is inevitable; these players are so important.

"When Messi leaves Barca, they will need some time to re-adjust. It is inevitable. 

"These guys score 40 or 50 goals a season."

Ronaldo spent nine seasons at Real Madrid. He scored 450 goals—an average of 50 per campaign—and also laid on 131 assists.

Last season, after he left for Juventus, Real finished third in La Liga having scored just 63 goals, down from 94 in Ronaldo's final campaign. They also exited the UEFA Champions League—which they had won in four of the previous five seasons—in the round of 16 at the hands of Ajax.

Messi has been similarly influential at Barcelona since he came through the club's academy, La Masia.

The Argentinian has played 711 times for the club and contributed 622 goals and 256 assists along the way.  Since the 2009-10 season, he has scored between 41 and 73 goals in all competitions in each campaign.

This season, despite missing five of Barca's 22 La Liga matches through injury, he is still the Spanish top flight's leading scorer and creator:

1 - @FCBarcelona's Lionel Messi has the most goal assists (8) in @LaLigaEN this season as well as being top-scorer (14). Special. pic.twitter.com/N119LdQNRZ

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) February 2, 2020

The 32-year-old has spent his entire career at the Camp Nou, but his future will be a source of major concern for the club. His deal expires in 2021, and he also "has a clause in his contract which enables him to unilaterally walk away for free" this summer, per the Guardian's Sid Lowe.

On Tuesday, Messi became embroiled in a public row with Barca sporting director and former team-mate Eric Abidal after the Frenchman said some players did not put in enough work under Ernesto Valverde, who was sacked as manager in January:

Lionel Messi hits back at Eric Abidal after he implied that some players weren't performing under Ernesto Valverde 😳

🗣 Messi: "I honestly don't like to do this kind of thing but I think everyone has to be responsible for their job and take responsibility for their decisions." pic.twitter.com/ilG7htQK1J

— GOAL (@goal) February 4, 2020

🗣 Lionel Messi: "Lastly, I think that when you talk about players, you should give names, because otherwise you are tainting everyone's name and feeding rumours that spread and are not true." pic.twitter.com/1TLTH2H7kk

— GOAL (@goal) February 4, 2020

Barca had lined up Neymar to be Messi's heir at the Camp Nou, but his exit to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 scuppered those plans. Since then, they haven't managed to successfully replace the Brazilian.

They used his transfer to fund moves for Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, but the former is on loan at Bayern Munich after failing to impress, and the latter has been beset by injury problems:

Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele could reportedly miss the rest of the season after tearing his hamstring on his comeback from injury pic.twitter.com/f1mvQWWFos

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 4, 2020

Their struggles in replacing Neymar don't particularly inspire confidence they can bring in the right players to move on from Messi, whom the team has become increasingly dependent on over the years.

Barca have become particularly reliant on him in recent seasons as key players like Neymar, Xavi and Andres Iniesta moved on. Messi deserves immense credit for the Catalan giants' four La Liga titles in the past five seasons.

With Messi approaching his twilight years, Barca should be surrounding him with personnel who can ease his burden and smooth a difficult transition away from him as much as possible.

As things stand, the club has failed to that and may pay a heavy price in the years ahead.