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Barcelona plans to sell 11 players in the summer

After ending the season without any trophy, Barcelona will be raring to get things right next campaign. In order to climb back to the top of the pile in Spain and Europe, the club needs to get plans for the summer transfer window spot on. Barcelona has already made 12 moves this summer, between incoming and outgoing players. While it may feel as if the bulk of their business is done for the summer, according to Sport, a further 11 players could still leave the club. Four of the five players that were left out of their tour to the USA remain at the club and Barcelona is determined to see them out the door one way or another. Samuel Umtiti and Riqui Puig are more likely to leave on loan, but Neto and Martin Braithwaite are could leave on a free transfer so that the club can shift their salaries. Miralem Pjanic is another player whose salary is causing problems. He was included in the preseason tour and impressed many with his accurate passing. While it seems Xavi Hernandez likes the Bosnian midfielder, the club will not want to pay a premium for a backup midfielder and will look to move him on. The well-publicized case of Frenkie de Jong continues to rumble on. Barce

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Xavi admits doubt over Frenkie de Jong's future at Barcelona

  Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez has admitted that he doesn't know if Frenkie de Jong will stay at the Camp Nou this summer amid interest from Manchester United by the end of the transfer window. The Netherlands international has been identified by his compatriot Erik ten Hag as his number one target to bolster their midfield after their successful relationship at Ajax, and the Red Devils have been working on the deal with Barcelona for some time now. A recent report claimed that Man United is preparing a final bid for the former Ajax star, but Chelsea is waiting and ready to hijack the deal.De Jong has been a prominent figure in Barcelona's pre-season amid speculation surrounding his future, and Xavi refused to close the door to a possible exit for the midfielder. "At the moment he's part of the team, like everyone else. The fact that he played as a central defender in the other games was not a sign that he was leaving.

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Tembah Report: Top players with most trophies in history

Soccer is a team sport but it is more loosely structured than other forms of football. The success of players and teams is usually measured by the number of trophies they have won. It is difficult to group all the footballers who play in different positions under one umbrella using most other metrics. But awards are not an exact measure of one's ability, we've seen a lot of mid-level players come up and do decent work for highly successful teams, but the world we live in is obsessed with numbers and numbers. 5 players who have won the most trophies in their careers. Barcelona’s Dani Alves, over the course of his career, won a whopping 43 titles, the most trophies by a player in football. 

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Brazil legend Pele reacts as Cristiano Ronaldo returns to action for Manchester United 

Brazilian football legend Pele interacted with the return of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo to participate with Manchester United against Rayo Vallecano after the Don made his first appearance before the start of the season with Manchester United in the team's last friendly match. Cristiano Ronaldo made his first preseason appearance for Manchester United in their final friendly encounter against Spanish side Rayo Vallecano. The 37-year-old shared an Instagram post after the match, with the caption:"Happy to be back!" As usual, Ronaldo's post garnered a lot of attention, with Brazil legend Pele among those who reacted. He sent in a comment with three clapping emojis as if to congratulate the Portuguese superstar on his return. Ronaldo played the first 45 minutes of the match, where he failed to get on the scoresheet. He got only one chance during his stay on the pitch but ended up skying an effort from Donny van de Beek's pass. He continued to make news after the game as reports emerged of him leaving the stadium while the match was still being played at Old Trafford. The Portuguese captain reportedly left the stadium with Diogo Dalot around the 80-minute mark of the match which ended 1-1. Whether or not this exit was sanctioned by new manager Erik ten Hag remains unknown to the media and the fans. He registered 24 goals in 38 games across all competitions for the Red Devils but the team fell flat on the collective front. They were knocked out early in all cup competitions and finished sixth in the Premier League, missing out on UEFA Champions League football for the 2022-23 season.

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Ronaldo: “happy to be back” playing after appearing in the friendly draw against Rayo Vallecano

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo commented on returning to participate with Manchester United after his appearance in the friendly match against Rayo Vallecano, the first match in which the Portuguese participated in the preparations of the Red Devils for the new season. Ronaldo was “happy to be back” playing for Manchester United after he appeared for 45 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Spanish team Rayo Vallecano in a friendly match at Old Trafford on Sunday. Ronaldo missed United’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to family reasons amid reports he wants to quit the club, but he reported to the training ground earlier this week to discuss his future with new boss Erik ten Hag. He later posted on social media a picture of him playing in the game with the caption: “Happy to be back.” Manchester United will begin their 2022-23 Premier League season against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on August 7.

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Napoli pick up 1-1 draw vs Mallorca in a pre-season friendly

The Italian Napoli team fell into the trap of a draw with its Spanish counterpart, Real Mallorca, 1-1, in the friendly match that brought them together on Sunday evening, as part of the two teams' preparations for the new season 2022-2023. Napoli faced a tough test in their pre-season friendly against RCD Mallorca tonight, picking up a 1-1 draw. Barley nine minutes into the game, Napoli was awarded a penalty following a Mallorca handball in the box and up stepped Osimhen to open the scoring for Luciano Spalletti’s men. In the second half, Napoli then made multiple substitutions with the likes of Rahmani, Kim, Fabian, and Zielinski coming off for Ostigard, Jesus, Anguissa, Elmas, and Politano. However, Mallorca equalized the game thanks to a header by Raillo in the minute 55 of the match.  Napoli has two more pre-season friendlies remaining now – against Girona on August 3 and Espanyol on August 6. The Serie A season starts on August 15, as Hellas Verona is going head to head with Napoli starting on 15 Aug 2022. Napoli lineup

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Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat to French outfit Strasbourg in a friendly

Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat to French outfit Strasbourg at Anfield on Sunday, just a day after their Community Shield triumph against Manchester United. Jurgen Klopp's men set out for another clash in preparation for the Premier League season. Adrien Thomasson and Habib Diallo netted for the visitors to make it 2-0 within 14 minutes. Most of the key Liverpool stars were absent, led by Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, Dutchman Virgil van Dijk, Darwin Nunez, and others. Liverpool's line-up in the match was as follows:  Goalkeeper: Davies  Defenders: Mabaya, Konate, Gomez, Chambers.

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Real Madrid adds six strikers to the transfer shortlist for Benzema's replacement

Real Madrid has reportedly added six names to their shortlist for a backup striker in the 2022-23 season. Carlo Ancelotti's side will once again head into the new campaign with Karim Benzema leading the line after failing to prise Kylian Mbappe away from Paris Saint-Germain. However, the La Liga and Champions League holders are set to be in the market for a new center-forward who can provide backup and competition to the 34-year-old. Borja Mayoral and Mariano Diaz are both expected to leave the club in the coming weeks, and the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Timo Werner, and Armando Borja are being linked with moves to the Bernabeu. Now, Defense Central claims that Los Blancos are considering as many as six other strikers for the role of Benzema's deputy in 2022-23, including two other Salzburg youngsters. Switzerland international Noah Okafor - who only has two years left to run on his contract with the Austrian champions - has supposedly been mentioned as a potential target. The 22-year-old amassed nine goals and nine assists from 21 top-flight games last season and will shoulder more of the attacking burden this term following Karim Adeyemi's exit for Borussia Dortmund. Real is also said to be keeping tabs on the development of Okafor's teammate Roko Simic, who is eight years his junior at just 18 and is seeking to make the step up to top-tier senior football. The report adds that Brian Bruby is also on the list, but the 20-year-old has just completed a permanent transfer to Ajax from Leipzig. As many as three Bundesliga strikers have also been shortlisted, including Stuttgart's Sasa Kalajdzic, who is also said to be on the radar of Manchester United. Jonathan Burkardt of Mainz 05 is also thought to be admired by those at the Bernabeu.

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Tembah Report: Barcelona's harvest in America's preseason tour 

Barcelona, led by coach Xavi Hernandez, completed the preparatory round in the United States of America in preparation for the start of the new football season in Spain. Barcelona defeated the New York Red Bulls 2-0 in their friendly match that brought the two teams together on Sunday at the end of the Barca preseason tour. The Catalan played 4 matches in the America tour, winning 3 matches, drawing one, and not receiving any defeat.