Although teams are just starting to do contact training and gearing up for games, transfers are still in the works. Here is an overview of some popular soccer transfer news.
Barcelona FC
It is rumored that Barca is looking at regaining 19-year-old Eric Gonzalez. He is a current center back for Manchester City after leaving Barca three years ago. It was thought that he could have more potential under Pep Guardiola. However, he has only had 14 appearances thus far with them.
Even though the club is looking at trying to retake Gonzalez, Xavi Hernandez is not in agreement with them. Xavi stated that he would never allow a player who left Barcelona to come back to the club.
While Barca is trying to get Gonzalez, they are continuing their struggle to get rid of Philippe Coutinho. They originally tried to loan him out to Bayern Munich last year, but that fell through. Now they may be able to loan him out to Tottenham Hotspur F.C. for an £8 million ($10m) loan.
There have been some rumors about Barca wanting to get rid of center back Clement Lenglet. The speculation started when Quique Setien came in to replace Samuel Umtiti in the starting 11. Barca has assured that he is not going anywhere and Lenglet is motivated to return to the starting lineup.
Juventus
It looks as if Juventus is trying to get Borussia Monchengladbach’s 22-year-old Marcus Thuram. Thuram has been making headlines from how well he is playing and his stance in the #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd campaign. Within 37 appearances Thuram was able to get 14 goals and nine assists.
Fans seem to want Thuram as much as the club. His father players for Juventus from 2001-2006. The fans look at it like Thuram is coming home.
Juventus is also trying to keep hold of 33-year-old center back Leonardo Bonucci. Man City is determined to strengthen their defense by gaining Bonucci. However, Juventus is not looking to sell him.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Napoli’s 29-year-old defender Kalidou Koulibaly is looking at where he can go, but he may not leave. According to an Italian newspaper, Koulibaly is interested in going to Paris Saint-Germain F.C. He has estates in France that he would like to be closer to.
He is also open to the idea of going to Liverpool or Tottenham. However, there are a few things in the way. His contract isn’t up with Napoli until June 2023. Napoli is asking for €100 million and Koulibaly would want to keep his €6 million per year salary.
It will be interesting to see which transfers occur during the pandemic and what other soccer transfer news will arise.
