By Tim Stannard 

1) Conspiracy over Messi jail-time U-turn

It’s Friday, so it must be MEGA PLAYER TAX FRAUD STORY!

This particular story will make a little happier reading for those in Leo Messi’s camp as reports out of Spain are saying that the footballer’s suspended 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud is set to be replaced by a fine. 

Messi had also denied any involvement in the management of his financial affairs and the prosecutors are set to hand the footballer a $284,000 fine if a judge agrees to the proposal, which is likely according to Spanish media. All in all, it’s a nice birthday present, a day ahead of the big 30th for little Leo who is currently getting ready for his wedding in Argentina. 

However, there is conspiracy ahoy with a Barcelona bigwig suggesting the move is only taking place because Cristiano Ronaldo is in the same hot water and the Powers at Be in Spain run by Real Madrid do not want to see their product following a similar path. "I find it difficult to imagine that this would have happened had there not been a similar problem with another player," noted Barcelona vice president Carles Villarrubi.

2) Ronaldo slams James in Instagram rant – sort of 

After such icky talk of double-dealing and doing time, something a little lighter, but equally as important. Cristiano Ronaldo does not like the new look of James Rodriguez. The footballer SLAMMED his Colombian colleague for a new blond hair-do on Instagram branding it as “ugly.” 

Meanwhile, Sports Burst has the sad duty to announce that Neymar has broken up with his girlfriend, Bruna Marquezine, not that the column knew that they were together in the first place. “Life goes on, because this is a part of it,” sighed the Barcelona forward who also urged his club to sign Brazilian midfielder, Lucas Lima.

Tune into the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT for even more news from the Barcelona and Real Madrid worlds in Clasico Corner. 

3) Alves disengages from Juve as Arsenal hopeful over Mbappe

TRANSFER TRACKER TIME! Dani Alves has been busy dropping cherry blossom hints over a move to Manchester City claiming that his agents are dealing with his extraction out of Juventus. 

Marco Verratti was reportedly in Paris on Thursday to meet with PSG’s big bosses and was firmly told once again that he would not be let go over the summer. 

Kylian Mbappe is reportedly open to a move to Arsenal, despite Coach Zizou also reportedly being in contact with the player. And Manchester United are sniffing around another Monaco man in Fabinho. 

Remember to tune into the Transfer Tracker on the beIN SPORTS USA Facebook account live at 12:30PM ET / 9:30AM PT for all latest news, views and made-up stuff. 

4) Spain look to seal place in Euro U-21 final four

The Confederations Cup is taking it easy on Friday but the European U-21’s are in action. England booked a first semi-final spot on Thursday and Spain should follow them with just a draw being enough against Serbia to take the team into the final four. There is one space available in the semis for the best runner up out of the three groups, so Portugal will need to pull off a hefty win against Macedonia to make sure they have a fighting chance. 

There is also a bit of MLS action later today lead by a Texas derby between Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas. 

You can catch all the best football action from around the world every day on the XTRA at 7PM ET / 4PM PT. 

WHAT IS SPORTS BURST?

The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. SB is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.