Griezmann ‘key’ to Neymar’s return, and Setien wants Ruiz
It is already clear that the summer deadline will be something special, but old acquaintances will probably play the main roles. One such is Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar Jr., whose future was in great doubt last summer, and this time, according to some Catalan media, Frenchman Antoine Griezmann could play an important role.
Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo and Sport played on their Friday editions with the image of Barcelona in the coming season, before which, as a result of the current crisis, many questions remain. One of the main ones is when (or if at all) the current season will end and when the next one will start, while there is also a lot of uncertainty about the amount of money clubs will have to make transfers.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has announced a long time ago that he expects a number of football players to change, and one such could happen between the Catalans and Paris Saint-Germain, with former Barca member Neymar Jr. playing. The latter was constantly linked to a return to Camp Nou last summer, which he so surprisingly left in 2017, and three years later, Antoine Griezmann could follow in his path.
The Frenchman agrees with PSG’s alleged plan
Griezmann is the key to buying Neymar,” the Sport daily said, citing Paris Saint-Germain’s plans to extend his contract with another major club star, Kylian Mbappe, and greatly increase the number of French footballers. Of course, Griezmann, the French national team and former member of Macon, Maconnais, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, would, of course, be in full compliance.
Another Barcelona sports newspaper, Mundo Deportivo, is still convinced that Inter’s Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez is still a “priority” for the club’s management. They also interviewed the trainer who “discovered” him – Fabio Radaelli estimates that Martinez is the “ideal striker” to work with captain Lionel Messi, as he is very reminiscent of Luis Suarez and also has some Diego Militos and Juan Esnaider.
‘Ruiza Barcelona wanted twice’
According to the newspaper AS, the club has been searching for reinforcements in the middle of the field for several months, knowing that there is a lack of running time and rejuvenating the staff. At the top of his wish list, even coach Quique Setien, who worked with him on Real Betis, is Napoli member Fabian Ruiz. Napoli and Barcelona, in the eighth finals of the Champions League final match in Catalonia, should still compete, but the expansion of the new coronavirus was greatly affected by the sporting event.
At 18, Martinez, as a member of Racing Avellaneda, also rejected Madrid’s Real Madrid bid, Racing President Victor Blanco told Mundo Deportivo. “When he was a junior and he was 18, he said no to Madrid. The men from Real came there and offered to go out on loan with the option of buying it for a lot of money. However, he declined the option because he wanted to succeed first with Racing and only then to go abroad. And he really stayed. He had clear goals in his head, “Blanco recalled.
“He grew up in the embrace of Setien, under which he launched himself among the stars, and the Cantabrian would be very happy to buy the player Barca wanted to bring twice before his arrival,” AS reports of the footballer who was selected as the best player of the last European Championship for players up to 21 years old. Ruiz turned 24 on Friday, and is also expected to be in the form of big rival Barca Real Madrid.
If the average age of the midfielder starring Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal is 32 (mentioned last year’s famous Champions League semi-final game against Liverpool), with Ruiz’s arrival with Frenkie de Jong and Arthur Mel, that average would drop every 24 years. The Catalans would be even younger if they opted for one of the biggest pearls of French football by Eduardo Camavingo (17 years / Rennes) instead of Ruiz, while some media also mention Juventus Uruguayan Rodrigo Bentancur (22 years) and Italian senior Nicolo Barello (Inter) ).
