Imagine the refereeing bias in Spain favoring Madrid… A player already on a yellow enters the box, goes down looking for a penalty, yet somehow avoids a second yellow and a red card. It feels impossible to get through a Madrid game without some kind of refereeing controversy.

Rodri isn’t stupid enough to choose a chaotic midfield that can’t even build out from the back or control the tempo of a game. He made the right decision by choosing Barcelona. Madrid are still struggling and still look like the same team from last season. Hundreds of millions spent, yet nothing has really changed. They needed a stoppage time winner against Espanyol, and even that came down to pure luck.

The problem with some Barcelona fans is that you’d think they support Dortmund rather than Barça. Four years as a starter at Barcelona is more than enough time. If you haven’t developed as a player even 1% during that period, then you simply don’t deserve the opportunities you’ve been given. There are plenty of young players who never got even a quarter of the chances this limited player received. So if he leaves, he won’t be missed. The Barcelona board has learned its lesson from the mistakes of the past. We kept players like Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba for too long. I know they had history with the club and won everything, and nobody can take that away from them. But we kept hoping they would somehow return to the level they had shown in previous seasons, and that cost us nearly three or four seasons that we are still paying for today. This time, the board doesn’t want to repeat the same mistakes. They loaned Araújo to Liverpool, sold Fati to Monaco, loaned Ter Stegen to Ajax, and now it’s Balde’s turn. Balde simply hasn’t lived up to the expectations of the board or Flick. He has been at Barça for around four years, yet he looks almost exactly like the same player he was when he first broke into the team. At a club like Barcelona, you cannot keep waiting forever for a player to finally develop. And honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Koundé is also sold this transfer window. In my opinion, Koundé is actually the one who deserves to be sold more than Balde. The board has already shown that they are willing to make difficult decisions rather than repeat the mistakes of the past, and if they believe a player is no longer at the level required for Barcelona, they shouldn’t hesitate to move on.

When Flick was asked by a journalist about Real Madrid’s new signings and their new manager, José Mourinho, he simply replied: “Am I playing Real Madrid tomorrow? Then you’d better ask me about Elche.” That’s how you answer a question. Calm, confident and with personality. No pointless statements or childish soundbites just to grab headlines, only to get exposed on the pitch later. Madrid fans are now saying Flick is scared. Seriously? Is it really that embarrassing to say this about a manager who has beaten you 7 times in 2 years and left you trophyless across 2 seasons? Anyway, see you halfway through the season. By then, the “Special One” will probably be gone, just like the managers before him who got sacked after Flick exposed them.

Honestly, as a Barcelona fan, I can understand why Manchester City are rejecting Laporta’s offers for Rodri. From the very beginning, City made their position clear: they wanted €70–80 million, including add-ons, and were willing to facilitate the deal because of their relationship with Barcelona. So what happened? Laporta seemingly decided to take advantage of the fact that Rodri wants Barcelona and that City are willing to cooperate. The first offer was €45 million + €5 million in add-ons. It was rejected. The second was €60 million + €5.9 million in add-ons. It was rejected as well. And now Barcelona are reportedly preparing a third offer worth €70 million + add-ons. Then why not make that offer from the beginning? Why drag out the negotiations and create unnecessary frustration when we’re talking about the most important player Barcelona could sign this summer? And €5.9 million in add-ons? What is this, a Fantasy Football transfer? At this point, Barcelona need to stop playing around and get the deal done.

The whole striker situation has honestly become boring. We’ve been trying to sign a striker for four months now. One day it’s Pedro Porro, the next it’s Álvarez, and every day we’re interested in a different striker. At this point, it feels like we’re not going to sign anyone in the end. If we fail to sign a striker, I want you to sit back and watch Fermín López take the No. 7 from Torres, transition into a false nine, and start contributing two or three goals every game. The exact same thing happened with Xavi in 2024 when the entire midfield was injured. Fermín stepped up, scored in almost every game he played, and even delivered against the big teams. ❤️💙

I’m watching the PSG vs. Aston Villa game right now, and nothing has caught my attention more than this beast. Just imagine, he’s only 17 years old and already possesses that kind of physical strength and height! Brian Madjo is excellent at finding space, has a powerful shot, and is extremely difficult for defenders to deal with. A Lukaku-type striker, but with more agility. Aside from the several clear-cut chances he missed, he’s a very, very active striker who has given PSG’s defense a nightmare. A real striker.

Jules Koundé’s current gross salary is around €20 million. He is currently the third-highest-paid player in the squad, behind Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the club is looking to sell him, especially since Barcelona would now be selling a player for a net profit after having paid off the installments from his move from Sevilla. Selling Koundé would create a huge amount of Financial Fair Play (FFP) room.

🚨 It’s all agreed… Fabrizio Romano has confirmed everything. Barcelona have reached a full agreement with Rodri on all personal terms and contract details. Rodri and his agent have both given the green light to the move. That means the hardest and most important part of the deal is done. The only step left is reaching an agreement with Manchester City, and that should be the easier part given the excellent relationship between the two clubs. City were reportedly just waiting for Barcelona to enter the race before letting the deal move forward. The mission is underway. The “Here We Go” is closer than ever, and the best defensive midfielder in the world is on the verge of becoming a Barcelona player. 💙❤️

In these happy times, I’d like to thank those who made them possible. When Koeman chose to take the risk of playing Frenkie de Jong despite his knee injury, and De Jong agreed to it before returning to Barcelona with a long-term injury… It turned out to be the best thing they ever did, because it pushed Barcelona to move for Rodri. Thank you, Koeman. And a special thank you to De Jong. After seven years at Barcelona, you finally proved useful. Thank you, the worst thing the Netherlands has ever produced. ❤️

Gavi cut his vacation short and returned to training today. He was originally scheduled to return on August 12, six days from now. I honestly feel sorry for Gavi. He’s only 22 years old, yet it feels like he’s already a veteran who’s been through so much. He played during Barcelona’s toughest period under Koeman, then Xavi, suffered multiple injuries, and even tore his ACL. More than anyone else, Gavi is the player I want to see return to his best, keep improving, and truly shine again. He’s the player I’m most excited to watch develop this season. He most likely cut his vacation short because he wants to work harder and make sure he’s ready to help cover Frenkie’s absence.

Julián Álvarez is every Barça fan’s dream signing. He’s also the player so many inside the club want to see wearing the Barcelona shirt. Barcelona have stayed committed to him from the very beginning, refusing to seriously move on to another target. We’ve waited a long time for this deal, and with only a month left in the transfer window, the hope is still alive. After everything that’s happened, if the transfer doesn’t go through, it would be a huge disappointment. What makes this story even more special is that it’s not just the fans who want him. Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Cubarsí, and several other Barcelona players have all named Julián Álvarez when asked who they’d most like to see join the team. That alone tells you how highly he’s regarded within the dressing room. Hansi Flick wants him. The fans want him. The players want him. The board have made him their priority. Julián Álvarez isn’t just another transfer target, he’s the signing that many believe could take Barcelona to another level. 💙❤️

The only player I truly felt sorry for in today’s Portugal vs. Croatia game was Luka Modrić. Imagine playing the last World Cup of your career, your team completely outplaying Portugal, creating chance after chance, while you’re still solving difficult situations in midfield at 40 years old. Then imagine Portugal scoring the winner in the 94th minute, and Croatia scoring twice afterward… only for both goals to be ruled out, including one in the 103rd minute because the ball barely touched a Croatian player’s hair. The two pictures say it all. In the first, Modrić looks heartbroken after Portugal scored in the 94th minute. That’s football—it happens. In the second, after Croatia’s last-second equalizer was ruled out, he was so shocked that he just started laughing like a madman. Modrić experienced one of the cruelest possible endings to an international career. The only comfort is that he finished his international journey as the winner of the World Cup Best Player award, a recognition he fully deserved. Farewell, Luka Modrić. ❤️

If Barcelona move forward with the Barcola deal, it will be completely separate from the striker signing. Barcola’s arrival would only happen if Raphinha leaves. Everyone knows Barcelona have struggled to sell players in recent years. Right now, the club appears to be pushing Raphinha toward the exit through the media, with reports from Sport and Mundo Deportivo linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia. Barcelona have reportedly received an €80 million offer from Saudi clubs and are trying to raise it to €100 million. Raphinha’s recurring injury problems, along with the fact that he’ll soon be entering his 30s, are seen as valid reasons for the board to seriously consider a sale. We’ll soon find out whether that strategy works.

It looks like Atlético Madrid are finally starting to give in. Since Julián Álvarez’s comments, the club has reportedly been split. CEO Gil Marín, backed by Apollo, is against selling him to Barcelona because it would make Atlético look unable to keep their stars. Meanwhile, Mateo Alemany believes it’s better to sell a player who wants to leave than force him to stay and create problems. Now, Sport reports that Atlético are finally open to discussing a sale—but only on their own terms. That’s the key step, because it means negotiations can finally begin. If Atlético play hardball, Álvarez is expected to increase the pressure. Atlético’s demands are clear: €150 million, non-negotiable, paid in full, with no players included in the deal. Barcelona have been waiting for this moment for over a month. Hopefully, Sport got this one right. 🙏