Although Mingueza wasn't able to make an impact at Barcelona, the club managed to retain 50% of his transfer rights when they sold him to Celta Vigo, valid till the duration of his contract with the new club. It didn't take long for Mingueza to make an impact at Celta, and for a time, it appeared the Barcelona were going to earn a solid chunk of revenue as big clubs circled around the defender.
One of the most heartwarming moments during the celebrations came when senior midfielder Frenkie de Jong called young prospect Tommy Marques to click a picture together with the trophy. It was a nice touch from De Jong, given that the La Masia gem had gone on record a few months ago naming the Dutchman as one of his idols. Flick trusts the 'other Frenkie' Meanwhile, in the background, Pau Cubarsi, who was watching from close by, joked: "Two Frenkies, two Frenkies!"
According to a report from SPORT, while the process is moving forward, there is still no final agreement within the board of directors. As per the outlet, at the centre of the debate is Joan Laporta's preferred timeline. The current president is understood to favour holding the elections in March, but that view is not unanimously shared across his governing team. Instead, a wide range of possible dates remains on the table, stretching from mid-March to as late as mid-June.
"Harry Kane to Barcelona? I'm not sure because he is very comfortable. He is 32 now and he'll find it more difficult, I think. I would think that he will find it much more difficult because of the tempo of the game and that kind of stuff," Yorke told FootItalia. "I still think he would do well, but he won't do as well as he's doing at Bayern Munich. I would be very wary of that if I was his advisor or one of the people around him."
Not long ago, Hamza Abdelkarim's transfer was being treated as a done deal around Barcelona. Reports out of Egypt pointed to documents being exchanged, travel plans discussed, and a January arrival that felt like a formality. That momentum has faded quickly. Instead of getting his bags ready to travel to Catalonia, the 18-year-old forward was back in an Al Ahly shirt this week. He played the final stretch of his team's League Cup match against Pharco, a 4-1 win.
The Blaugrana, who won the title last season by beating Real Madrid handsomely, will be eager to retain the trophy. For that to happen, they must first deal with Athletic Club tonight to secure a place in Sunday's final. Barcelona go into the game on the back of a strong run of results, racking up eight wins in a row in all competitions, most recently beating local rivals Espanyol 2-0 this past weekend.
The operation will not be straightforward for any club attempting to take Ake out of Manchester during this winter window. The Dutch international is under contract until June 2027 and earns a high salary. One of the main obstacles for Barcelona is that Man City would only listen to offers in the region of €20 million and are unlikely to agree to a loan deal. In addition, other Premier League clubs are also closely monitoring Ake's situation.
