Sports Burst - Barcelona's $300m Headache
Barcelona face moving Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele out on loan to see $300m investment wasted
By Tim Stannard/beIN SPORTS USA
Juventus reportedly interested in loan deal for Ousmane Dembele as new home sought for Philippe Coutinho
Wednesday sees Barcelona back playing six-dimensional chess in an attempt to work out its transfer policy this summer, in the same manner a caterpillar might tackle a novel by Tolstoy.
The day before saw stories that the club had reportedly agreed personal terms with Lautaro Martinez - the Argentine striker from Inter, coveted by Lionel Messi. And Barcelona of course.
Wednesday sees the club trying to organize the clutter left behind by Neymar's departure - the clutter is called Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele, two players that cost nearly $300 million, according to Transfermkt, but have not exactly been worth the value.
The former might be loaned off to the Premier League having spent the past season on borrowed time at Bayern Munich. The same fate might await Ousmane Dembele.
Mundo Deportivo reports that Juventus rightfully see huge potential in the French 23-year-old but are concerned over fitness issues that sees Dembele managing just 51 league appearances in three seasons with Barcelona and just five in the current campaign.
Barcelona would like to do a straight sale to raise funds for Martinez, but Juventus would prefer a loan deal with an option to buy.
The Sports Burst live show will ponder and predict the fate of both players at 12PM ET / 9AM PT on our beIN SPORTS USA Facebook page and beIN XTRA channel.
Zidane imposes fun order on Real Madrid players
Sports Burst is not sure that it believes Karim Benzema on this one, judging by the near-permanent scowl on the face of his manager, but the French striker has spoken about what the primary message from Coach Zizou was when the Real Madrid players returned to action.
"Zidane's message is to enjoy and play football," was what Benzema told the club's media channels eight days away from LaLiga's return in a round that sees Real Madrid hosting Eibar in the club's second stadium, while the Santiago Bernabeu is under massive reconstruction.
From fact...to fiction.
Sports Burst is duty bound to note that Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. That's according to AS - an apt name considering from whence they plucked that story.
The reality though is that the move is unlikely considering the player would cost around $150 million and Manchester United seem to be ramping up for a huge summer move for the English midfielder.
Primeira Liga becomes next big league to return on Wednesday
The Bundesliga is back in action on Wednesday with Werder Bremen hosting Eintracht Frankfurt which is actually a catch-up game from round 24. Keep up now.
Werder are currently trying to get out of the relegation zone and have been succeeding of late with seven points from three matches.
However, the Bundesliga is no longer alone as a European big cheese in action as the Portuguese Primeira league restarts on Wednesday. Round 25 gets underway with two matches that include league-leading Porto at Famalicao. Porto currently hold a slender one point lead at the top of the table over Benfica.
Day of destiny awaits for MLS restart plans
Wednesday will be a key day in the MLS restart plans. There is currently a standoff between the MLS Players Union and the MLS organization over the economic package on offer for the rest of the campaign, which is only two match days in.
The Union have submitted a proposal to MLS which is being reviewed - a proposal that does agree to moving the league to Orlando to run as a curtailed hub tournament. But if the MLS does not agree to the terms of the players today then a lockout could come into effect to throw a spanner into the works.
The Sports Burst PM show will have former MLS midfielder, Michael Lahoud, to look into how the standoff could be solved. Tune into beIN SPORTS at 7PM ET / 4PM PT.
NBA plans decision day on Thursday
There is more promising news with the NBA which also plans to run the rest of the season in Orlando.
On Thursday, the NBA board of governors will vote on a plan to move 22 teams to Florida and play a series of play-in regulars season games for those within playoff reach, as well as the playoffs themselves.
ESPN reports that October 12th is a targeted date for the final match of the playoffs.