FC Barcelona News: 8 July 2025
FC Barcelona and the player Wojciech Szczęsny have reached an agreement for the extension his contract which will tie him to the Club until 30 June 2027. The deal comes after a great season from the goalkeeper following his unexpected arrival to cover the unfortunate long term injury to Marc ter Stegen.
Ivan Rakitić announces retirement - FC Barcelona
Ivan Rakitić has announced his retirement at the age of 37. After spending his final seasons playing in the Saudi Pro League and back in Croatia, he has decided to hang up his boots, bringing an end to a brilliant career that included spells at Schalke 04, Sevilla, and FC Barcelona.
Advertisement
Barça Women's team to return to training on 28 July - FC Barcelona
The Barça Women first team will return to training on 28 July after medicals to link up with coach Pere Romeu and start preparations for the 2025/26 season.
FC Barcelona and Fridolina Rolfö agree to sever ties - FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona and the player Fridolina Rolfö have reached an agreement for the termination of her contract with the Club. The Club wishes to publicly thank Fridolina for her professionalism, commitment, dedication and her positive and close relationship with all elements of the blaugrana family, and wishes her all the best for the future.
FC Barcelona and Ellie Roebuck agree to sever contract - FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona and Ellie Roebuck have decided to terminate the players contract with the club. Barça wishes to thank the English goalkeeper for her commitment and dedication and wishes her luck and success in the future.
Spain 6-2 Belgium: Alexia Putellas strikes twice as world champions win again to reach quarter-finals | UEFA Women's EURO 2025 | UEFA.com
Belgium equalised twice but there was no stopping an Alexia Putellas-inspired Spain as the world champions ran up a big score for the second time in UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Group B, triumphing 6-2 in Thun in the joint highest-scoring game in final tournament history to seal a place in the last eight.
Advertisement
Pablo Torre, on track for Mallorca - Mundo Deportivo
The attacking midfielder plans to travel immediately after the operation is completed.
The two solutions for Iñaki Peña - Mundo Deportivo
The goalkeeper accepts his departure and prioritizes a foreign team, although if no offer is finalized, he will be at the start of Barça's game on June 13 because he has one more year on his contract.
AC Milan close the exit door on Rafa Leão - Mundo Deportivo
Coach Massimilano Allegri expressed his joy at the winger's continued contract and assured that "he's going to have a great season" at the Italian club.
Inter on alert over the future of Dumfries and Barça - Mundo Deportivo
In Italy, reports indicate that the Nerazzurri are concerned about whether Barcelona or Manchester City decide to exercise the Dutchman's €25 million release clause, a condition that expires on July 15.
Advertisement
More from barcablaugranes.com:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
13 minutes ago
- New York Times
Frankfurt are about to hit profits of €345m in six years just from selling strikers – this is how they do it
Most clubs would feel a little uneasy, maybe even start to panic, if they always had to think about selling their best attacking player come the end of a season. Others, understandably, would fight tooth and nail to try to keep that key figure. But for Eintracht Frankfurt, under the guidance of sporting director Markus Krosche, letting their top goalscorers go — as they have done after four of the past seven German Bundesliga seasons — has swiftly become a natural and necessary part of their self-sustainable approach. Advertisement 'I call them end clubs,' Krosche said in an August 2024 interview with Sky Sports, referring to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Liverpool. 'We are a club in between, who sell to these end clubs. 'This is what I tell the players: 'If your development is faster than our development as a club, and I get the money I expect, I will let you go'. This is why so many young talents like to come to Frankfurt, because we know what we have to do to develop them. 'Selling players is part of my job. I am not emotional about it. It's business.' Though it sounds clinical, Krosche's attention to detail — having invested heavily in the training facilities and coaching staff at Frankfurt over the past few years — is just as beneficial for the players as it is for the club's financial growth. They have hired psychologists and nutrition experts and can rely on a team of specialist coaches to work individually with young players, helping them to achieve their goals, which are, transparently, to move on and to play for Europe's biggest sides. With the imminent sale of Hugo Ekitike to Premier League champions Liverpool, reported by The Athletic to amount to around €91million with add-ons, Frankfurt's net transfer profit since summer 2023 will rise to around €161m. Their two biggest sales until that deal is official — Randal Kolo Muani and Omar Marmoush — both arrived as free agents and left commanding fees of €165m between them. When Ekitike is factored in, and only accounting for the centre-forwards they've sold, Frankfurt will have made a profit of around €345million (£300m/$405m at current rates) in just six years. Even before Krosche's 2021 appointment, in summer 2019, Frankfurt more than tripled their original investments when they sold Sebastien Haller and Luka Jovic in the same window. Andre Silva, who came in that summer on an initial loan to replace them, left for almost eight times the price for which he was purchased in summer 2020, just a year later, after scoring 28 league goals in the ensuing campaign. From a pure profit perspective, no club have generated more across the past three years, according to Transfermarkt, and they've done it while climbing steadily up the table: from seventh in 2022-23, to fifth, to matching their highest-ever Bundesliga finish last season by coming third. So, just how do Frankfurt keep doing it? And is it something we can expect to continue, with even more money coming their way? From a player-recruitment perspective, Frankfurt's approach to ensuring future profitability isn't groundbreaking. They target youngsters with high sell-on potential, placing particular emphasis on those who are positionally versatile and suit the club's style of play. It's the consistency and commitment to their methodology, along with the environment they create for incoming players, that helps them reap the rewards. Advertisement The execution of their strategy is always clear to see, with 21 of Frankfurt's last 26 permanent signings being under the age of 25 when they joined the club. They also, crucially, are not afraid to spend themselves if they spot a market opportunity, and will offer eight-figure fees if they believe that player fits their model. A look at their 10 most expensive buys illustrates that pattern. One of the oldest purchases in the list was that of Arthur Theate, though he was just 24 at the time. With plenty of top-flight experience in Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1 behind him, he came in from Rennes last August and played the third-most minutes of anyone in the Frankfurt squad. Of the 10, six are still at the club, and the others were sold for a cumulative profit of €111million, with a hefty boost to come when Ekitike officially becomes a Liverpool player. Jonathan Burkardt has yet to play competitively for Frankfurt but looks to be another acquisition that aligns closely with their recruitment project. Burkardt only turned 25 this month, so the three-time Germany international centre-forward has his best years ahead of him after leaving boyhood club Mainz. He scored 18 Bundesliga goals in what was his farewell season after recovering from the knee injury that kept him out for most of 2022-23 and the start of the following campaign. Able to play across the front line, as the position map illustrates below, even filling in at wing-back in his early appearances in the top flight, Burkardt is another forward who is adaptable, athletic and quick to spot opportunities to run in-behind — exactly the kind of attacking player who tends to prosper in a high-energy Frankfurt side. There are distinct similarities between him and now-Manchester City forward Marmoush, who was also picked up by Frankfurt after showing his versatility elsewhere in the Bundesliga with Stuttgart and Wolfsburg. As he has gone on to show in the Premier League, the Egyptian can play anywhere across the final third, but his skill set — an excellent striker of the ball from distance and a springy, powerful runner on the counter-attack — saw him thrive at a club that gave him the freedom to exploit space in transition. Advertisement As we can see below, Frankfurt were the side to have generated the most expected goals (xG) from fast-break situations last season, only being outscored in those scenarios by Liverpool across Europe's big four leagues (Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A). With Marmoush at the heart of their distinct attacking approach, alongside Ekitike, another player similarly well-suited to free-flowing football on the break, the pair saw their respective valuations take off. In that respect, Frankfurt's commitment to quick, attacking football under coach Dino Toppmoller goes some way to explaining their recent success in the transfer market. Appealing to clubs in the Premier League, far and away the highest-spending division in world football, will be key to the consistent profitability of their model. And given that the English top flight jumped above the Bundesliga for the number of direct attacks per game last season, players who can be decisive at speed will continue to command premium prices. Speaking to The Athletic in May, Frankfurt CEO Axel Hellmann used the example of Marmoush to underline the importance of targeted training within his club to accelerate the upward trajectories of their talented players. 'We have one of the best coaching teams in the Bundesliga,' Hellmann said. 'That's really important, because we sign young players and the process of educating them, which is what is making us famous at the moment, involves a lot. 'When Marmoush arrived, he wasn't really a goalscorer, but our coaches worked with him mentally, physically, strategically, and tactically and technically on the pitch. Our team worked on all his abilities and we created a whole new player. It's good education and good coaching.' Marmoush joined Frankfurt as a pacy, positionally fluid attacking player, but he left 18 months later as so much more. He became a clinical finisher, his work on free kicks and set pieces was evident, plus the technical ability and combination play to both break down low blocks and strike with space ahead. Some will view their approach as lacking ambition, but Frankfurt's acceptance of their place in the footballing food chain is arguably their greatest strength. Their track record of developing and upselling young players now speaks for itself and helps attract some of the best prospects to their club. There are no delusions at Frankfurt, no blockers; if a player works hard to realise their talent, they will get the move they crave and help the club to achieve their objectives along the way. Advertisement All that remains to be seen now is how they continue to scale up on the pitch. Even with Champions League football on the menu for the coming season, Frankfurt will struggle to reinvest all of their immense transfer profits into the squad, as they are unlikely to attract the kind of star player who can sign and then immediately improve them. They have little choice but to keep investing in the future, so even if we see a slight drop-off from that third-placed finish, don't expect Frankfurt's striker conveyor belt to slow down.
New York Times
13 minutes ago
- New York Times
Will Patri Guijarro be the next Spain midfielder to win the Ballon d'Or?
When holding midfielder Patri Guijarro was asked to play in defence for the 2021 Champions League final against Chelsea because Barcelona's regular centre-back Andrea Pereira was suspended, it was out of her comfort zone. But she was flawless and Barcelona won 4-0. And when Barca discovered that attacking midfielder Alexia Putellas was set to miss almost the entire 2022-23 season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, their replacement in the transfer market was not an equivalent playmaker, but instead defensive midfielder Keira Walsh. Guijarro was asked to step forward into the role played by Putellas, the world's best player. She was up for the challenge. Advertisement 'I watched a lot of videos of her to analyse how she moved and what she looked for in build-up play,' Guijarro said in No Nos Digas Que Es Imposible (Don't Tell Us It's Impossible), a new book about Barcelona by Maria Tikas. 'She's not a fast player, but she's very intelligent when it comes to finding space and looking forward.' When that season's Champions League final arrived, Guijarro was now established as a key attacking midfielder. Putellas had returned from injury, but she was not 100 per cent fit and had to be content with a place on the bench. Barcelona went 2-0 down to Wolfsburg, but Guijarro scored twice at the start of the second half to draw them level, before Fridolina Rolfo smashed in the winner. Guijarro, a starring centre-back in the equivalent fixture two years before, was named player of the match as an attacking midfielder. That sums up Guijarro; constantly sacrificing herself for the team and capable of playing almost any position. That is why she is such a good all-round holding midfielder, a position crucial to the possession play of both Barcelona and Spain. Traditionally, players in that role do not get the plaudits, especially when they are playing in the same midfield as Putellas and Aitana Bonmati, who have split the past four Ballon d'Or awards between them. But maybe that is starting to change. 'Patri is the foundation of the team,' said team-mate Vicky Lopez in a press conference before the semi-final against Germany. 'She's the one who drives the team forward, who makes us all play well and perform at our best. If you watch a match and focus only on Patri, you can't help but smile when you see her play. 'Playing with her is very easy and very difficult at the same time. There are passes that only she sees and you don't expect. You have to get used to her. She doesn't give easy passes. Her passes are almost always forward, with purpose. For me, playing with her is very nice. She's one of the best in the world and very underrated.' Advertisement Last year, Spain won the men's European Championship with Rodri voted the player of the tournament and then, later in the year, winning the Ballon d'Or. Rodri symbolised the new Spain. On the one hand, he had all the typical qualities of a Spanish holding midfielder: comfortable in possession and intelligent in a positional sense. But he was also a more aggressive, offensive-minded player than his predecessors. He pushed up and pressed high. He pushed forward to offer a goalscoring threat. His team, in turn, were more direct than previous Spain sides. And all this can be said of Guijarro. Look at a touch map from her performances so far at this tournament and it is not what you expect of a holding midfielder. Most of her touches are well inside the opposition half, partly a reflection of Spain's dominance, but partly because she often takes advantage of being unmarked to push on. Guijarro's aggression means Spain are excellent at getting into good attacking situations immediately after being without possession. Take this move early on in the 5-2 win over Belgium. Not many holding midfielders would be closing down this high up the pitch. But after Guijarro helps to force a turnover, she simply keeps on running and gets on the end of this through ball from Mariona Caldentey. Five seconds after hopefully closing down an opponent, Spain's holding midfielder is playing a cutback from close to the byline. Away from the pitch, Guijarro is a sensitive, reliable figure. She was one of the first signings of Barcelona's professional women's era in 2015, although she was initially hesitant, as she wanted to finish high school in her native Mallorca. Eventually, an agreement was made that she could finish her studies at La Masia, becoming something of a revolutionary as the first female player to study at the club's academy. She was instantly respected in the dressing room and was named one of the side's captains at the age of just 21. Advertisement Those who know her best describe her as loyal and caring, to the point of neglecting herself and her own interests in order to look after others. She conveys this same attitude to the team when she plays. 'Patri is one of the best people you could ever meet,' says one person close to the player, who preferred to remain anonymous to protect relationships. Guijarro is also Spain's dressing-room DJ. When Lopez was selected to start against Portugal in the team's opening Euro 2025 game, she knew what to play. 'Before the match, Patri played some dembow songs to motivate me,' Lopez told RTVE after the match (dembow is a music genre with roots in the Caribbean). On and off the pitch, she looks after her team-mates and sets the rhythm. If Spain feel like a more aggressive, attack-minded side than at the 2023 World Cup — getting the ball forward quicker and also pressing with more intensity — it is partly because of the return of Guijarro, who refused to play for Spain during that era. She has long been famous for fighting for women's footballers' rights. She feels deeply that she has to leave this sport in a better state than she found it, not only in terms of sporting success, but also off the pitch. And she has demonstrated this in everything she has done throughout her career. She and Barcelona team-mate Pereira were co-founders of FutPro, a union for female professional footballers in Spain, and she became a member of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) assembly. 'There had never been any FutPro players who voted for the president of the RFEF, and finally we were able to,' she said in an interview with newspaper El Mundo earlier this month. 'For us, voting was like women's suffrage in Spain in 1933.' Lawyer Amanda Gutierrez, FutPro's president, told The Athletic: 'Thanks to a change that FutPro is working on following the 'Se Acabo' ('It's Over') movement, we insist there should be female assembly members. There is now one female futsal player and six in Liga F. It is very important to be an assembly member because they are the ones who vote for the president and decide the president's salary. They have a say in what is decided. It is a way of being involved and knowing what is going on. It is a huge responsibility and Patri took it on.' Advertisement In September 2022, 15 Spain players sent an email to the RFEF declaring themselves unavailable for selection and demanding what they considered basic conditions for professional footballers. Guijarro was among the hard-liners; as the months went by, more than half of the initial 15 agreed to return. But she refused, alongside — most notably — Barcelona team-mates Mapi Leon and Claudia Pina, as well as Lola Gallardo, Ainhoa Moraza, Nerea Eizagirre and Amaiur Sarriegi. Spain lifted the World Cup without her, with holding midfielder Teresa Abelleira performing well in that position. Guijarro is not a proud person. What happened has not prevented her from returning to the national team when she felt the changes they were asking for within the institution had been made. She eventually agreed to return ahead of the Olympics last summer, after the RFEF's clean-up, which involved dismissing president Luis Rubiales and coach Jorge Vilda. Centre-back Leon remains a significant absence from this side, but the return of Guijarro and Pina, as well as Lopez's evolution into a first-teamer, have made Spain more complete. Among wonderful contributions in the final third from the likes of Pina and Putellas, Guijarro has probably been Spain's most consistent player at the Euros. The moment that sums it up best is her goal against Italy: not just because she got herself on the scoresheet, but because of the nature of the goal. Latching onto a loose ball from an Italy clearance, she simply slammed it into the net. Spain have scored prettier goals at this tournament, but this was what Guijarro is all about. What other defensive midfielders would regard as a potential interception, she sees as a potential goal. From defence to attack, without pausing for breath. Guijarro finished a respectable 11th in the Ballon d'Or voting last year, although she was behind five Barcelona team-mates, and ultimately her role is generally considered to be about letting more attacking players shine. But her performances at Euro 2025 have been even more dominant than we've become accustomed to. In this form, she is a serious contender to be named the best player at this tournament, and maybe the best in the world.
New York Times
13 minutes ago
- New York Times
The opportunity for Marcus Rashford at Barcelona is potentially huge – and very different to Manchester
Marcus Rashford has realised a dream — the chance to join Barcelona. Barcelona have long been attracted to him, too. The Catalans made an approach for the then 21-year-old in 2019, when he was rated a £100million ($134m at the current rate) player by Manchester United, and got nowhere — as they expected. But you don't get if you don't ask. They tried again when Jordi Cruyff, a former United player, was their sports director from 2022 to 2023. They thought it nearer mission impossible than mission difficult to get the United academy graduate then, too, but there were talks. Advertisement When the teams met in two epic 2022-23 Europa League knockout-phase games that marked the highest period of Erik ten Hag's managerial tenure, his then Barcelona counterpart Xavi felt Rashford was United's most dangerous player. Ten Hag was sacked the following year, and Rashford's stock also dropped. But that can be of benefit to the 27-year-old, since nobody is expecting him to be Lionel Messi in his prime during his season on loan at Barcelona. This is a huge opportunity to reboot his career. He should be highly motivated to take it and want to prove his many doubters wrong. That there was no buyer from a top league willing to pay a substantial transfer fee for Rashford, who scored six goals while on loan at Aston Villa in the second half of last season, shows how out of favour he is. But this next loan move could be good for all. United save on the substantial wages of a top earner, with Rashford also taking a wage cut to help get the deal done, and there's the possibility of a €30m (£26m) transfer fee further down the line — a steal for a player of his quality if he's a success. Barcelona must still find the money to register him, but as long as they do, this may prove the chance Rashford has wanted and needed. Barcelona are a top team. He has the chance to play in El Clasico and the Champions League and be in a team where he'll get far more of the ball than he did in the Premier League with Villa, because attack is vital to Barca. The Spanish champions' fans will greet the signing with enthusiasm. Having failed to secure their No 1 target, Nico Williams of Bilbao's Athletic Club, for the left side of attack and unable to convince Liverpool to sell them Luis Diaz, Rashford is a cost-effective alternative without needing to hand over an immediate transfer fee. True, the wages are going to be big, but Barcelona are used to that — they increased Mark Hughes' salary ninefold when he went from Old Trafford to Camp Nou in 1986. Hughes, by his own admission, said he only joined them for the money and didn't embrace his new life. He was lonely, reclusive, and spent most of his free time sleeping. Whereas Gary Lineker, who signed for Barca at the same time, learned a new language, discovered a beautiful part of the world and made friends for life. Advertisement And the wages can also be offset with merchandise sales if the England international is a success. British visitors make up a substantial chunk of the tourist market Barca actively court by selling match tickets at a premium, and other than Cristiano Ronaldo, no United player has sold more shirts with his name on the back in the past decade than Rashford. The forward is joining one of the best teams in the world, stocked with world-class talents; a club which played 60 competitive games last season, winning three trophies and scoring 174 goals along the way. But Barcelona wouldn't be signing him if they didn't think he could make an impact. They see an athletic, versatile ball player who can operate in three or four positions and score goals. Rashford will have to earn his star status, just as David Beckham did when he moved from United to Spain's other footballing giants, Real Madrid. Beckham's new team-mates, who thought the Englishman had been signed to help sell shirts, soon appreciated the Englishman for his work rate. Off the pitch, Barcelona is one of the best cities in the world, and there are numerous daily flights between Manchester and the Catalan capital: many of Manchester City's executives use them. Living in Barcelona — most players' homes are by the Mediterranean to the south of the city, near the airport — can be a blessing for a footballer who needs a change of scene. Leaving Manchester and the negativity that had built around Rashford — his relationship with United and most fans is damaged, though there were serious mitigating factors — could help. But he must be seen to connect with Barcelona's fans and the local media; to be a good person and embrace Catalan culture. Humility is important at a club that is owned by its members, who vote Barca's president in. Advertisement The media is also influential and significantly different to what Rashford will be used to in the UK. Ilkay Gundogan barely engaged when he left Manchester for Barcelona in summer 2023 on a free transfer after City's treble-winning season and was given a harsh time. When the German, now back with City after just a year at Barca, started to involve himself more, he was viewed in a different, more positive light. No matter how big the name, though, there's little patience for unprofessionalism, and the scrutiny will be fierce. Not since Gary Neville became Valencia manager nearly a decade ago will someone moving from Mancunia to Iberia have faced so much attention. 'They made our own pressmen appear like pussycats,' recalled Hughes in his autobiography. A man who had been United's star striker quickly felt that the Catalan media tried to turn the fans against him as a way of getting to the president who sanctioned his move. Hughes had little issue with what was being written in Spanish as he couldn't understand the language, more that it was being fed back to the British media. It quickly became a nightmare for him. Englishmen Terry Venables and Bobby Robson also had a rough ride during their spells as Barcelona's manager, despite their successes there, for reasons they had little control over at what is the most political of football clubs. History, however, remembers them both, and Lineker, well. Rashford now has his chance. The stage is set, and by the end of his loan, he could be playing to the biggest crowds in Spanish football as Barca's Camp Nou renovations near completion, which will turn it into a 105,000-capacity stadium. In Hansi Flick, he has a coach who speaks English and one who, perhaps most importantly, wanted to sign him. Deco, Barca's sports director, was also keen and, as mentioned, the club have long been admirers. United, meanwhile, were happy to get this situation resolved quickly. Given the circumstances, Rashford couldn't have asked for more.
