Philippe Countiho has decided to stay in Barcelona for the year 2020/2021 season. The Brazilian midfielder is set to exit Camp Nou after spending the last term at Beyern Munich on loan. Arsenal, Leicester City, and Tottenham Hotspurs were all eager to ushering the star player back to England.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner was reportedly the first player to report for training on Monday. Lionel Messi took part in Barcelona training on Monday, his first session since his attempt to leave the club failed.
Messi believed he could use a clause in his contract to leave for free, but Barca and LaLiga disputed that claim and insisted his deal could only be terminated should his 700 million Euros release clause be paid.
The 33-year-old accused Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu of going back on his promise to allow him to leave if he wished, but he stressed he would be fully committed to the club for 2020-21.
In a surprising turn of events, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced that the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy has lost from its headquarters in Cairo. The Egyptian Pharaohs won the AFCON cup 3 times in a row, thus they could stake claim to the trophy permanently. Ahmed Shobeir, former EFA vice-president said “The EFA started looking for some trophies because they wanted to place them in a notable museum inside the EFA” “However, the EFA was shocked to discover that the AFCON trophy was lost and decided to open an investigation”.
Real Madrid midfielder, Luka Modric has said Barcelona can still succeed without Lionel Messi. According to Croatian, his team at Los Blancos had a similar experience when Cristiano Ronaldo took his leave from the club. Madrid snatched the Laliga title from Barca last season, making it there biggest silverware in recent times since Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018.
He said though Madrid has some challenged in the champions league since they lost C. Ronaldo, but they had forged with their business and have acclimatized to face the reality.
According to Cadena SER report, the Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi, will not be tied to his £632 million release clause, as the clause has since been expired during the end of last season. Messi pushed for his transfer last week to his club with the hope that his deal would be terminated.
Liverpool will travel to London to face FA Cup winners, Arsenal, after lifting the Premier League trophy 37 days ago. The Reds are favourites for the 2020/21 season opener, however, success or defeat in the Community Shield has mattered little in terms of what comes next in the Premier League.
