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Hello and welcome to the LaLiga Transfer Roundup where we take a look at the top La Liga transfer news, rumours and updates of the day - 11 August 2019.
Donny Van de Beek confirms Real Madrid talks
Despite all the Paul Pogba and Neymar speculation, Real Madrid are most likely to sign Ajax midfield sensation Donny Van de Beek. It is being speculated that a formal agreement/announcement is being delayed until Ajax play their return leg against PAOK in the UEFA Champions League as they look to secure qualification.
Ajax want to keep hold of Van de Beek as they strive for Champions League qualification after having already lost Frenkie De Jong to Barcelona and former captain Matthijs De Ligt to Juventus this summer. Juventus signed De Ligt last month after reaching an agreement with Ajax whereas Barcelona had agreed a deal for De Jong in January to sign him this summer.
Despite all the noise surrounding him, Van de Beek has not failed to put in solid shifts for his side. He scored a goal and provided an assist against Emmen in their most recent game and has already garnered 3 assists in addition to 2 goals from 3 games this season.
On being quizzed about his potential move to Real Madrid after the game against Emmen, Van de Beek said,
“There are still negotiations. I would like things to be resolved as soon as possible. When I am at the stadium and playing, I don’t ever think about my possible move.”
Zinedine Zidane, meanwhile, wanted to sign Pogba as the Frenchman is almost certain to chip in with goals from midfield. As such, Zizou will be expecting Van de Beek to kick on with his form and hit the ground running in Spain. As per the latest reports, we will have a final decision on both Neymar and Van de Beek by the end of next week.
Inter Milan to push for Rakitic signing this month
Inter Milan are showing no signs of slowing down in the transfer market even after signing Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United for a reported £72 million. They are now preparing to make a hard push for unsettled Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic before the transfer window closes.
Antonio Conte has expressed his desire to sign the Croatian international. As such, Inter Milan are ready to make an offer to Barcelona who currently have a surplus of central midfielders in their lineup.
However, the price tag, which is in excess of €50 million, that Barcelona have slapped on Rakitic could prove to be a real stumbling block. In addition to that, Barcelona have not given up hopes of including Rakitic in a swap deal for Neymar. As such, Neymar is almost certain to have an impact on Inter Milan's hopes of adding Rakitic to their squad.
Paris Saint-Germain want to sell Neymar to Real Madrid instead of Barcelona
After Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo admitted that they are in "advanced talks" for the sale of Neymar, football fans all around the world have been trying to figure out who they're selling him to.
Now, according to the latest reports, Paris Saint-Germain are looking to sell him to Real Madrid despite Barcelona being interested in re-signing their former player. PSG have a good relationship with Real Madrid whereas they share a strained one with the Catalans.
Barcelona were hoping that Neymar would go public with his desire to join them thereby quelling the competition. However, Neymar's desire to leave Paris Saint-Germain outweighs his desire to return to Barcelona.
As such, he is not interested in going public about wanting to join the Catalans as he does not want the other doors, particularly that of Real Madrid's, to shut.
Philippe Coutinho will stay at Barcelona
As per latest reports, Barcelona have admitted that their most expensive signing Philippe Coutinho will not leave the club this summer. Barcelona had been trying to offload the former Liverpool man but now that the Premier League transfer window has shut and the big spenders are off the market, they have decided to keep Coutinho.
Both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were in the race to sign him. However, neither move materialized. Coutinho had impressed initially after joining from Liverpool, however, his form dipped greatly after that and he has failed to win the Barcelona fans over despite being handed several chances last summer.
Barcelona's frustration is furthered by the fact that Coutinho is one of the club's largest earners and is failing to justify that on the pitch. Barcelona are open to including him in any swap deal to land Neymar. However, PSG are not keen on selling Neymar back to Barcelona.
