Barcelona Transfer News Roundup: Big blow in move for €111M star, Quique Setien to be sacked and more - 17th July 2020

Sripad
SSC Napoli v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg
SSC Napoli v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg

Welcome to today's edition of the Barcelona Transfer News Roundup where we cover all the top stories related to the Catalan giants. They lost the title to Real Madrid last night, but regardless of the league results, the club need a massive revamp soon.

It is not just the fans who are asking for it now; even Lionel Messi has made it clear that things need to change big time at Camp Nou. Without further ado, here are the top Barcelona stories of the day, starting with what Messi had to say:


Messi blasts Barcelona after title loss

Lionel Messi is not pleased with what is going on at Barcelona and openly admitted that things need to change quickly. He made it clear that if the players do not take responsibility and become self-critical, they will end up losing the Champions League as well.

Talking to Movistar+ he said:

“We didn't want to end the season like this but it represents how the season has gone. We were a very erratic, very weak, low-intensity team…We lost a lot of points and today's game is a summary of the season.”
“We have to be self-critical. Starting with the players but doing a global self-criticism. We are Barca and we have to win everything. We can't look at Madrid…Madrid have done their job, but we have helped them a lot.”
“If we want to win the Champions League, we have to change a lot. If we continue like this, we will lose the game against Napoli.”

Big blow in move for €111M star

Manchester City are set to go all out to sign Lautaro Martinez according to Sky Sports [via Marca]. The publication report that Pep Guardiola is keen on getting the Argentine this summer and has asked the club to get him.

The Cityzens are ready to spend over €100 million for the Inter Milan striker, something Barcelona are not capable of doing right now. The report also adds that City would offer a much more lucrative deal to Martinez and see him as a proper replacement for Sergio Aguero.


Barcelona manager Quique Setien to be sacked?

Barcelona will fire Quique Setien on Monday according to Jordi Blanco Duch. The ESPN reporter adds that the manager will take charge of the last league match and will be replaced by Barcelona B manager, García Pimienta, for the time being.

Setien has been under pressure to deliver at Barcelona since he replaced Ernesto Valverde earlier this season, but has failed to have much impact. Reports suggest Bartomeu met with the manager today, and this is quite possibly the outcome of the meeting.

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Edited by Sai Krishna