FC Barcelona have announced record revenues of €914m for the 2017-2018 season, a trend that could allow the team to achieve an annual revenue of €1 billion by 2021.
“The board has valued the final balance of the year positively, and it’s in line with the strategic plan of the club to reach €1,000 million of income in 2021,” the club said.
One of the big reasons for such a massive income is the sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in August 2017 for a world-record fee of €222m.
In 2014, Real Madrid bought the best goalkeeper of the World Cup and four years on they look set to repeat the exercise by signing Thibaut Courtois.
After the Brazil World Cup they picked off Keylor Navas. The Costa Rican had not lifted the Golden Glove award because World Cup winner Manuel Neuer had been awarded it but Navas was outstanding throughout the tournament.
Fast forward four years and on Sunday, Courtois was announced goalkeeper of the tournament. The Golden Glove winner could be available for a bargain price of around €40m (£35.2m) because he has only one year left on his Real Madrid contract, and he has told the Premier League side he has no intention of signing a new deal.
Kylian Mbappe has ruled out a move away from Paris Saint-Germain this summer after lifting the World Cup with France.
The 19-year-old was one of the stand-out stars of the tournament and was awarded the trophy for Young Player of the Tournament as he became only the second teenager to find the back of the net in a final, after Pele in 1958, as Didier Deschamps’ team beat Croatia 4-2.
Mbappe’s performances have seen him linked with Real Madrid, who are searching for their next Galactico,but Mbappe insists that he has no intention of leaving PSG this summer.
Gareth Bale has had to play second fiddle to the best player in the world the last five seasons, but with Cristiano Ronaldo now in Turin, is it now the Welshman’s time in Madrid?
Madrid begin life after Ronaldo, and Zidane, on Monday with the start of their preseason training where Bale met his new coach Julen Lopetegui.
Lopetegui, speaking perfect English, is reported to have said all the right things to the hero of Real Madrid’s 2018 Champions League final success.
Bale and his representatives now want to see if things pan out that way over the next week or so.
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has suggested that Eden Hazard should leave Chelsea this summer amid interest from Real Madrid.
Hazard played a key role for Martinez’s Belgium in Russia as the Red Devils achieved a third-placed finish by defeating England in the otherwise meaningless playoff.
In the immediate aftermath of the match, Hazard indicated his desire to leave Chelsea and implied that the club ‘already knew’ which club he wanted to join.
And his national team coach Martinez has since weighed in, telling Spanish radio show Cadena Ser that the time could be right for Hazard to leave west London.
Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti reportedly wants to sign Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.
The club are looking to respond after title rivals signed and are aiming to agree a deal worth €45million (£40m) in the coming days.
Ancelotti was a firm advocate of Benzema during his time as Real Madrid manager and believes he will add a touch of stardust as well as quality to his Napoli squad.
Benzema has been a consistent performer since arriving at the Bernabeu in 2009 and has scored 192 goals in 413 appearances. Despite this, Real Madrid’s fickle fan base have never warmed to him.
With the departure of Andres Iniesta, it already looked like the start of a new era of sorts for Barcelona heading into the new season.
But many more are set to follow the Barca legend out the door at the Nou Camp as the Spanish champions aim to raise about €150 million in sales.
According to the Spanish outlet Sport, Barcelona want to offload seven fringe players in a squad revamp having already allowed Iniesta as well as Paulinho to depart already.
Joe Hart expects to be the surprise name Pep Guardiola is taking on tour to America with Manchester City on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old is ready to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer but believes he will be in the travelling party heading for Chicago.
Hart was frozen out by Guardiola two years ago – spending season-long loans at Torino and West Ham since – and subsequently overlooked for England’s World Cup squad.
He is looking for a permanent move elsewhere before the transfer window shuts next month and the suggestions are that his best chance of a switch lies abroad.
According to former club president Ramon Calderon, Real Madrid have made an ‘historic error’ by selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus,
The Portuguese star was official introduced as a Juventus player on Monday after completing a £100million transfer to the Serie A giants, ending a trophy-laden nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The 33-year-old is Real’s all-time leading scorer with 450 goals in 438 appearances, winning the Champions League four times during his time with the club.
And Calderon, the man responsible for bringing Ronaldo to Madrid from Manchester United back in 2009, believes the club have made a mistake.
Cristiano Ronaldo declared himself the new Special One of football as he vowed to go on and on at the very highest level after sealing a £100million transfer to Juventus.
Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, leaves Real Madrid after a nine-year spell with the Spanish giants, in which he scored 451 goals and won four Champions League titles.
Including his vast wages, Juventus’ investment in Ronaldo may reach up to £300m over the duration of his four-year contract in Italy, which will take the Portuguese forward through to the age of 37.
