Kylian Mbappe returned to the Cathedral where he experienced his epiphany in 2024, his resurrection born after hitting rock bottom, and delivered something like salvation. Exactly a year since he missed a penalty there, a bad moment he later said was a good one, the Frenchman was back at San Mames on Wednesday night. Last time, he missed a second penalty in a week, an awakening accompanying failure; this time, he scored two goals in an hour and set up another,
The speculation appears to have started from Joan Fontes on X and a post yesterday that read: "Íñigo, desperate to return to Barça." Fast forward a few hours and notorious rumor-mongers Fichajes posted a report that read "Iñigo Martínez is pushing to return to Barcelona in January." The report goes on to talk about how Martinez is eager to return on loan in the January window and "is confident that his desire to return will be fulfilled."
Frenkie de Jong returned to Barcelona training on Thursday morning and looks set to face Real Betis on Saturday in La Liga. The Dutchman missed the win over Atletico Madrid in midweek due to a fever but has recovered and should be in the squad for Barca's next match. De Jong's return will be a boost for Hansi Flick who saw Dani Olmo become the latest player to succumb to injury.
He is an exciting young talent with a bright future, and he has shown his quality in the Premier League. He could prove to be a superb addition for Chelsea if they manage to get the deal done. They would have to pay around 70-80 million to sign the player, as per Football Insider. Nottingham Forest will not sanction his departure in January, and Chelsea will have to wait until the summer transfer window in order to get the deal done.
Barca chief Deco isn't giving too much away about his side's interest in Guehi, though, simply praising him as a good player whilst seeming to play down the links. Liverpool tried to sign the England international in the summer before a deal collapsed late on, but they're still interested, according to the Athletic, who add that Barcelona are also among his suitors. We have identified a lot of players [as potential options], he's a good player, Deco said of Guehi in an interview with SER Catalunya, as quoted by Football Espana. We know what we want, but we're not going to speak publicly about what they are. We're content to have a young squad, with players from La Masia, allows us to be more calm.
Barcelona have opened up a four-point gap at the top of the La Liga table thanks to a hard-fought 3-1 against Atlético Madrid at Camp Nou on Tuesday night. A fantastic game of football that had everything ended with three deserved points for the Blaugrana, who played their most complete match of the season against a heavyweight opponent and sent a strong statement in the title race.
The return of Joan Garcia earlier this month has been quite a blessing for Barcelona. After a period of Wojciech Szczesny struggling to provide security in between the sticks, the Spaniard returned from injury after the international break, and Barcelona have never had to look back since. In the three matches he has played so far after returning, Garcia has been flawless, to say the least, with his most recent display coming against Alaves.
There were many positives to take from coach Hansi Flick, including Dani Olmo's superlative performance, as well as Raphinha and Pedri getting more action on the pitch. Although Flick wasn't too happy with Barcelona's performance and consistency, the German tactician had one more reason to be upset with the game. Barcelona and Flick outraged by referee's performance According to SPORT, the Barcelona coaching staff is very angry about the refereeing during Saturday's match.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong was reportedly back in training at the Ciutat Esportiva on Sunday morning and is expected to be available for Tuesday's match against Atletico Madrid. The Netherlands international missed the game against Alaves due to personal reasons, but AS say he is now back in action and should feature against Diego Simeone's side. However, it looks like Ronald Araujo will be missing again in midweek.
