Brazilian full-back Adriano officially signed for Turkish club Besiktas on Friday, moving from FC Barcelona for an initial fee of €600,000, which could rise up to €1.7 million if the Turkish side qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Adriano, 31, signed his new contract with the Turkish club, ending a period of six years at the Catalan giants.
He landed at Barcelona in July 2010 from Sevilla, where he played between 2004 and 2010.
The versatile full-back, who can also play in midfield, made over 100 appearances for the Catalan giants over the course of six seasons but was never truly considered a player who had the calibre to start on a regular basis.
He has represented Brazil at the U20 level, and at the senior level, earning 18 caps for the Selecao between 2010-13.
FC Barcelona have announced that they’ve secured the services of Portugal attacking midfielder Andre Gomes from La Liga rivals Valencia.
The 22-year-old was heavily linked with moves to Real Madrid and Manchester United in recent weeks after impressing with Valencia over the span of the past two years.
The club Tweeted the news late in the night but have yet to release information regarding the transfer and how much they paid Valencia for the UEFA European Championship winner. “Agreement with Valencia for André Gomes.
The player will both sign and be presented as a new Barcelona player next week,” the club tweeted.
Gomes made 77 appearances for Valencia in two seasons after joining from Portuguese side Benfica.
He was part of Portugal’s 2016 European Championship-winning side in France and becomes Barcelona’s fourth signing of the transfer window after Denis Suarez,Samuel Umtiti and Lucas Digne.
Manchester United winger Memphis Depay is reportedly a surprise target for La Liga champions FC Barcelona.
Memphis Depay has had a torrid time adapting to life in English football
Memphis Depay joined the Red Devils in a £25m from Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven and was handed the legendary number 7 jersey at Manchester United.
Fans were delighted with the signing of the Dutch sensation and were hoping for great performances from their latest number 7.
The 22-year-old was criticized for his lethargic attitude and was consistently singled out for a lack of work ethic.
The fact that the winger failed to emulate his Eredivisie form contributed heavily in making his other shortcomings more visible. The lack of work ethic wasn’t a problem earlier for Manchester United with the Red Devils having similar experience with Dimitar Berbatov.
However with Jose Mourinho at the helm known to be a stickler for a hard-pressing game, Depay’s future at Old Trafford seems to be in doubt.
The 22-year-old was earlier linked with a move to Italy as Juventus appeared interested in the United winger. Fresh reports from Spanish publication Don Balon have stated that Barcelona have emerged as a possible destination for the player.
The report states The Blaugranes‘ talks with Atletico Madrid have stalled over the possible transfer of Luciano Vietto and that the Catalan side are looking to Depay as a possible alternative.
Don Balon further state that United are most likely to want to see a return of at least their £25m investment in the Dutch winger. The talent in Depay is undoubtedly there for all to see and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is reportedly willing to take a chance on the 22-year-old. Juventus have been reported to be interested too and it will be interesting to see where Memphis ends up playing his football in the coming season.
It may well be Old Trafford if the winger is able to convince Mourinho of his willingness to adapt and work harder. For now though, his future is up in the air along with several others as Jose looks to stamp his authority at United.
French defender Samuel Umtiti is closing in on a move to the Spanish champions FC Barcelona.
The 22 year old centre back is a target for several Premier League clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea, but the player prefers a move to La Liga and Barcelona in particular.
The Lyon defender is expected to cost around 30 million Euros and will partner Gerard Pique at the heart of Luis Enrique’s defence. Argentine defender Javier Mascherano has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou.
Umtiti is currently one of the best young defenders in Europe and could develop into a world class player under the tutelage of Enrique
Barcelona’s target Hatem Ben Arfa has not ruled out the possibility of extending his stay at current side Nice.
Ben Arfa, 29, will become a free agent at the beginning of July and the Frenchman is being chased by a handful of Europe’s top clubs.
Recently crowned Spanish Champions Barcelona have reportedly opened talks with Ben Arfa, according to Catalan-based newspaper Sport, while Lyon who also interested in signing the talented play maker have revealed his club have opened negotiations with their former player.
However Ben Arfa has admitted his future is far from certain with Nice keen on handing the former Newcastle man a contract extension.
Ben Arfa, speaking after Nice’s Ligue 1 curtain closer with Guingamp, told Canal Plus: ‘Why would I not stay with Nice?’.
Ben Arfa has attracted admirers during the course of the season by bouncing back from his grubby Premier League departure to score 17 league goals.
Reports are swirling that Barcelona will seek to sign 19 year-old Liverpool midfielder Cameron Brannagan in the upcoming transfer market window, according to Spanish language news source Sport.
Barcelona scouts have reportedly been present at a number of Liverpool matches this season with their eyes on the young attacking midfielder who has appeared six times so far in his first year with the senior squad at Anfield.
Brannagan first joined Liverpool at the age of 5, and has played his entire youth career with the club. The midfielder earned his first appearance this season in a Europa League contest against Bordeaux, followed by a start in the Capital One Cup, and four successive appearances in the Reds’ FA Cup campaign.
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has endorsed Brannagan publicly, stating that the youngster has everything necessary in a star midfielder.
The 19 year-old signed a contract last October that keeps him at Anfield until 2018, and it should be interesting to see how determined Barcelona really are to add him to their ranks for next season.
