Barcelona

Happy birthday, Robert Lewandowski. Barcelona swept aside Real Sociedad with a stunning display of attacking prowess, and the Polish striker bagged a brace.

Just two minutes later, Ansu Fati was at it again, passing to Lewandowski for the striker to score his second. He also claimed a jaw dropping assist for Ansu Fati to score his goal, a move that brought me jumping out of my seat. Barcelona swept aside Real Sociedad with a stunning display of attacking prowess, and the Polish striker bagged a brace on his 34th birthday.

On his 34th birthday, the Polish striker scored his first competitive goals in his second match for Barcelona. He opened the scoring after just 47 seconds, ...

Robert Lewandowski ended the game with Sociedad with two goals and an assist to his name. Barcelona coach Xavi noted: “Last week [a goalless home draw against lowly Rayo Vallecano] was a major disappointment, but this victory strengthens us because it's about insisting and having the will to overcome challenges.” He opened the scoring after just 47 seconds, guiding a left-footed finish in the bottom corner.

Barcelona are in a race against time to offload some of the club's fringe players before the summer transfer window shuts in a few days; Samuel Umtiti, ...

[Jules Koundé saga continues to play out](https://sportsbrief.com/football/barcelona/22382-xavi-extremely-disappointed-by-fc-barcelonas-inability-register-signing-jules-kounde/#:~:text=frustrated%20at%20having%20to%20sit%20on%20the%20sidelines%2C%20and%20so%20is%20Barca) as the end of the transfer window draws closer. Barcelona are now desperate to sell Frenkie de Jong and five other first-team squad players as they scramble to raise funds before the end of the transfer window, Barcelona have just 9 days to the end of the summer transfer window to register Jules Kounde and will be desperate to offload all players to be able to raise the funds for the French defender’s registration.

After Barcelona's thrilling 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad on Sunday evening Pete Sharland gets in touch with Jorge Ordas from Eurosport Spain.

“Without a doubt it is one of the plays that decides the game,” Ordas replies. “But, behind it, there is a gesture that did not sit well with the club. The decision looked to pay off pretty much straight away as it was his assist for Lewandowski’s blistering opener. But it was Ansu Fati coming off the bench who really caught our eyes. This performance looked a lot more like what people expected when they saw Barca’s aggressive spending in the window. There was certainly a lot of schadenfreude last weekend when Barca couldn’t get past Rayo despite all the millions they had spent, especially with Jules Kounde still unable to be registered.

For that, however, they still need to sanction a few sales (Aubameyang, Memphis Depay, Sergino Dest, Martin Braithwaite, Samuel Umtiti). In case Barcelona ...

In case Barcelona manage to bring on a new left-back, Jordi Alba may lose his spot due to excessive competition. First, [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s move to Chelsea is in jeopardy](https://barcauniversal.com/barcelona-strikers-transfer-to-chelsea-could-fall-through-romero/) and Alonso was expected to be a part of the package. Taking into account the mentioned numbers, it will be relatively easy for Barcelona to ‘lighten the wage bill and register players’.

For the game at Reale Arena, Xavi opted to change the team's formation. Barcelona started with three centre-backs on the night in Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo and ...

The Catalans will next take on Manchester City in a friendly game midweek before facing Real Valladolid on Sunday. Set free in front of the goalkeeper, Lewandowski made no special. The game got off to an absolute flyer when Lewandowski found the back of the net in the first minute. A lovely combination between the Spaniard and de Jong opened up lines and allowed Fati to find the striker in the box. A controversial moment arose in the 53rd minute that did not go down well with the hosts. The German goalkeeper’s brilliance kept the strike at bay and allowed Barcelona to enter halftime with parity.

Negotiations for Marcos Alonso have stalled. Barcelona have not taken the final step to close the deal and Chelsea could decide to end the operation because ...

[Marcos Alonso](https://www.besoccer.com/player/m-alonso-33522) has a promise from Barcelona that they will eventually sign him. [Chelsea](https://www.besoccer.com/team/chelsea-fc) have already warned them that it is now or never. [La LigaStar+,SKY Sports,LaLiga TV Bar,DAZN,ESPN 3ElcheAlmería22 Aug 2022](https://www.besoccer.com/match/elche/almeria/202349317) UtdLiverpool22 Aug 2022](https://www.besoccer.com/match/manchester-united-fc/liverpool/202318249) [La LigaStar+,SKY Sports,LaLiga TV Bar,LaLiga por M+,LaLiga 1 por M+GironaGetafe22 Aug 2022](https://www.besoccer.com/match/girona-fc/getafe/202349315) The Spaniards want Marcos Alonso, but they will not be rushed.

Xavi's Barcelona side are 'desperate to offload players' as they look to raise the '£17 million needed to register new signing Jules Kounde'.

He has trained very well, I see him in good spirits, but we need to sell players to be able to register him.' leaving them to offload Aubameyang, Depay, Umtiti, Dest and Braithwaite before the window shuts Catalans STILL 'need to bring in £17m before they can register Jules Kounde'...

PETE JENSON IN SPAIN: Lewandowski needed just 45 seconds to score on his 34th birthday but it was the magic of 19-year-old Ansu Fati that powered Barcelona ...

Injuries have slowed his young career down but he is up and running once more and he was too much for Real Sociedad. Lewandowski repaid Fati for the fourth. Lewandowski was keen to finish what he started and he scored from close range after a fine close-passing move from Barcelona.

Robert Lewandowski and his new Barcelona teammates showed how dangerous they might be this season with a thumping 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad on Sunday, ...

We had to be brave after not winning last week and the bet came out well for us." There are a lot of youngsters who I get chemistry on the pitch with quickly." "It was incredible, I'm very happy and proud of the team because, in the second half, we were playing really well and we scored four goals. Now, we go back to Barcelona and we'll enjoy it for the next few days." But Barça was pegged back just minutes later. He added: "The first game [against Rayo Vallecano] wasn't good, everything was new.

It's critical Xavi gets it right for Barcelona on the pitch, and let's just say he did it this weekend. PLUS: talking points galore around Europe.

But it looks like Napoli have managed to reload on the fly between Kvaratskhelia, Gio Simeone and [Giacomo Raspadori](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/271679/Giacomo-Raspadori) up front and Leo Ostigaard and Min-Jae Kim at the back, while also cutting the wage bill and bringing in some much needed transfer funds. [Sadio Mane](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/169797/Sadio-Mané) who is, you know, pretty good. From Atletico's point of view, there were some disappointing individual performances (Joao Felix, [Marcos Llorente](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/206474/Marcos-Llorente) and [Nahuel Molina](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/164826/Nahuel-Molina), with his silly red card, above all) and the result obviously stings (Villarreal are a direct opponent in the race for top four), but there were also encouraging signs that the back three can hold up. [Erling Haaland](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/253989/Erling-Haaland) hit the post and forced a tremendous one-on-one save from the excellent [Nick Pope](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/161715/Nick-Pope) before he scored to make it 2-1. [Monza](/soccer/team?id=4007), and you expect Neapolitan schoolchildren to learn both the pronunciation and the spelling of his name. Martin Odegaard, who scored twice, has found his feet and [Oleksandr Zinchenko](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/217482/Oleksandr-Zinchenko), playing fullback the Pep Guardiola way -- coming inside and playmaking -- offers a different dimension entirely. And if Leeds' forwards weren't running north-south at every occasion, [Kalidou Koulibaly](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/150312/Kalidou-Koulibaly) likely wouldn't have gotten two yellow cards for pulling back opponents. Stones didn't have a great game and [Ruben Dias](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/234878/Rúben-Dias) has been inconsistent in recent weeks. [Manchester City](/soccer/team?id=382) were 3-1 down against [Newcastle United](/soccer/team?id=361) at a rocking St James' Park, and it could have been worse, if the referee had given a penalty or [John Stones](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/157974/John-Stones)' collision with [Fabian Schar](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/179233/Fabian-Schär). And yes, [Kyle Walker](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/129358/Kyle-Walker) had a torrid afternoon against [Allan Saint-Maximin](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/193281/Allan-Saint-Maximin), but the good news is he only plays him twice a year. [Ferran Torres](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/265869/Ferran-Torres) started in his place) and especially Ansu Fati, effectively moving to a 3-3-4 formation. At this stage, you assume he's going nowhere because with Nico having joined [Valencia](/soccer/team?id=94) on loan, there's nobody else to provide an alternative to Busquets (and no, [Franck Kessie](http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/194711/Franck-Kessié) would have to reinvent himself to play that role.)

Chelsea and Barcelona are in 'very advanced' negotiations for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over a £22.8 million deal.

We can win with this team in Leeds, everything was going well, and we had goalscoring opportunities. It remains to be seen as to whether Tuchel will add further to his squad, but as of now Aubameyang appears to be the priority as Chelsea push on in the transfer window. Leaving the Gunners in January, Aubameyang has impressed for Barcelona. We were not forced to lose track. The transfer fee will be close to €22 million upfront, with an additional €5 million in add-ons. “Everything was going well.

Barcelona came back after a turbulent first half to blow away their opposition in the second period on Sunday night. Three goals within twenty minutes ...

Keeping that in mind, Xavi’s task will now be to enhance the chemistry and build a team. Meanwhile, Dembele, too, was forced to drop back and win the ball in the absence of a full-back. The youngster provides something special to the Catalan attack, a presence that can only be felt but not described. The result takes Barcelona to fifth place on the league standings with four points in two games. The performance lacked coherence and teamwork, but individual brilliance was enough to conjure a win. Barcelona came back after a turbulent first half to blow away their opposition in the second period on Sunday night.

Sportsmail reported on Friday the Blues were optimistic of making a deal happen for the veteran striker, and Sky Sports claim Thomas Tuchel's side are in ...

Discussions between Chelsea and Barcelona are ongoing and there is a willingness from both clubs to get a deal done; the deal under discussion is thought to ...

You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News. Negotiations between Chelsea and Barcelona have been ongoing for the past few days and there is an agreement in place between Chelsea and Aubameyang. Discussions between Chelsea and Barcelona are ongoing and there is a willingness from both clubs to get a deal done; the deal under discussion is thought to be worth between £15m and £25m; one source has told Sky Sports News an agreement is close

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has become a hot topic in the transfer market over the past few weeks, especially with Chelsea running a late operation to sign ...

Aubameyang was among the players in contention to leave Camp Nou by the end of the month. With that in mind, the club are actively looking to offload other fringe players in the team. The Dutchman is reportedly closing in on a move to Juventus, with his representatives seeking an agreement over personal terms in Turin.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will be playing a friendly on Wednesday evening against Xavi Hernadez's new-look Barcelona side, with all proceeds going to ...

"We want to thank Barca for inviting us to this wonderful venue. Guardiola has also said he will be taking his Manchester City stars to be part of this showcase despite a long season due to the Fifa World Cup in Qatar bringing the season to a halt in November and December. I am very happy to come."

Pep Guardiola's side have arrived in Barcelona ahead of Wednesday's friendly match for charity. The squad flew straight out after their 3-3 draw against ...

Pep Guardiola and Barcelona president Joan Laporta have a good relationship, but no approaches are expected to be made towards Bernardo Silva ahead of Wednesday. Pep Guardiola's side have arrived in Barcelona ahead of Wednesday's friendly match for charity. Nathan Ake was today ruled out of the trip due to an injury he sustained in the game with Newcastle today.

Barcelona midfielder Pedri dropped an absolute masterclass in his team's 4-1 victory away at Real Sociedad.

A vital 45 minutes from Los Cules, led by Robert Lewandowski, helped Barcelona overcome Real Sociedad 4-1 in San Sebastian.

Barca got the job done in San Sebastian with a convincing second half that should spread some optimism to all Barcelona fans. And Although it looks like he could be Xavi´s first choice to improve the lack of defensive ability that Jordi Alba displays, Barcelona´s back four needs work, and the club have to find ways to elevate the squad to the next level with at least another signing in this transfer window. In the past two games in LaLiga, Barca has conceded chances very easily, opportunities that could have cost them a couple of points that could matter down the line. A positive sign for Barcelona and Xavi to have Lewandowski play at this level to help Barcelona overcome challenging games like the one at San Sebastian. ¨ We have played with two pure wingers [Dembele and Raphinha] and a striker in the interior position [Fati]. Despite a sensational attacking display in the second half, the night began with a first-minute Barcelona counter-attack that ended in an excellent finish by Robert Lewandowski.

In a fresh twist, Frenkie de Jong could still end up leaving Barcelona before the transfer window closes as German champions Bayern Munich are considering a ...

With a week left before the window closes, there could be major developments at Camp Nou. However, they did not exercise the option of signing him permanently. Bayern have strengthened their midfield this summer with the signing of Ryan Gravenberch from Ajax.