By Tim Stannard

After winning numerous LaLiga and Champions League titles, a Barcelona legend heads to Japan to continue his career

Despite growing up in the La Masia, playing alongside legendary players in truly epic teams, winning multiple league and Champions League titles, and being seen as the present and future of Barcelona, a return to the club of his heart and soul was not possible. Barca is in turmoil and the re-signing of a former star was out of the question.  

As Gerard Pique admitted on Sunday at the end of a traumatic, emotional weekend for the Camp Nou club, "the team is broken."

Instead, a sudden lifeline has been thrown from a blast from the past who also expected to be Barcelona for life but found a footballing future far from home. It's a lifeline that appears to have caught everyone off guard. 

"This opportunity is one of the best, both personally and professionally, and I can't wait for this big challenge," said the now ex-Barcelona legend on Monday when the announcement of the transfer was made. 

That player to give this former Barca star is none other than Andres Iniesta, who is currently at the Japanese side, Vissel Kobe. "Iniesta is special to me and I am happy to be able to play with him again."

The future looks bright again for Bojan Krkic.

Spurs show Kane-do spirit with Lautaro interest

While another certain former Barcelona star resolves his immediate future, Harry Kane has become the center of quite the soap opera as well and an added complication has been thrown into the mix. Manchester City's Pep Guardiola has openly admitted that the Tottenham striker is a transfer target this summer. Kane has already made his desire to leave Spurs very clear.

However, the new Tottenham boss, Nuno Espirito Santo, says he is planning to have Kane in his team this season, and Spurs drive a very hard and expensive bargain when it comes to transfers. However, a Kane exit is now being seen as doable if Spurs can pull off their own transfer deal. 

Inter's Lautaro Martinez is reportedly a target for Tottenham. If the Argentinean forward arrives, that could clear the way for Kane to go to City. However, an extra kerfuffle there is that the Italian champions are on the brink of selling their other striker, Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea, to leave an irate Antonio Conte - and furious fans - with his best players sold from under him days before the start of the season. 

Barcelona lose another Argentine forward

There's still time to swing back to Barcelona's current ills before Sports Burst signs off for the day and news that Sergio Aguero is set to be out for the next two months due to injury. The Argentine forward has a tendon problem and will not be fit for duty until November. 

To be fair, Aguero had not even been registered with LaLiga as a Barcelona player...and nor have the other three signings made so far this summer. 

Elsewhere, the Renato Sanches transfer train from Lille to Liverpool is gaining a head of steam. The current Ligue 1 champions are very much in selling mode and the former Bayern Munich midfielder is rediscovering his early-career form.

Ligue 1 - the League of Talents (and them some) - returns to beIN SPORTS on Friday with Lorient against Monaco.  But before that, the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals are in action from Tuesday across the beIN SPORTS network.