Gareth Bale has been linked with an imminent move away from Real Madrid in recent days. Zinedine Zidane called Bale out in a press conference only to later deny his comments were disrespectful.
Yet, Bale still managed to both play and have an impact in Los Blanco's International Champions Cup match against Arsenal on Tuesday.
Ah, Gareth Bale: the Welsh Messi, the Cannon, and, as his Real Madrid teammates call him, the Golfer.
Bale is prodigiously talented with pace, dribbling ability, range of passing and a rocket of a left foot. It seems like forever ago when the Welshman transferred from Tottenham to Real Madrid for a then-record fee of $113 million, but now it seems that his time at the Bernabeu is coming to an end.
The greatest champions league final goal ever.
Despite having not scored more than 10 league goals in a season since 2014-15 (his first with Real Madrid), Colombian attacker James Rodriguez remains one of the game’s most recognizable and beloved footballers. The 28-year-old’s playmaking ability is world class (he dropped 13 assists during his first season on loan at Bayern Munich), and although he’s been deemed surplus to requirements by Zinedine Zidane, the likes of Atlético and Napoli are desperate to sign the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner.
It appears that Arsenal’s summer is going from bad to worse. The club has reportedly been working all transfer window on a deal with Saint-Etienne for 18 year-old center back William Saliba, a player with massive potential who would serve as a replacement for an aging and unhappy Laurent Koscielny.
Arsenal fans were left stunned today when it was announced that captain Laurent Koscielny had refused to attend the club's preseason tour of the United States.
After a late season collapse that included that historic beatdown from Liverpool in the Champions League semis and defeat to Valencia in the Copa del Rey final, FC Barcelona has dusted itself off and is now looking forward to its 120th season in existence with relish.
Last Friday, a substantial crowd at the Camp Nou welcomed new signing Frenkie de Jong from Ajax. The 22-year-old cost $84 million, and he’ll instantly slot into Barça’s midfield three alongside Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic.
Manchester City looks to be wrapping up its first signing of the summer.
With a few players that are starting to age, Pep Guardiola has been looking for immediate replacements. Fernandinho, arguably one of City’s most important players in the past few years, is 34 years old. While he still has a lot to give for Manchester City, he isn’t as young and spry as he used to be.
Arsenal insider David Ornstein has reported that Arsenal has made a bid of $50.45 million (£40 million) for Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha. Zaha has been a vital player in Palace’s side, netting 10 goals and 10 assists last season, helping the Eagles secure a solid mid-table finish.
Arsenal's bid is far below Palace’s valuation of Zaha, as the club has stated it is not willing to part with him for anything less than $100 million (£80m).
Just two years ago, PSG shook the soccer realm by acquiring Neymar by way of a $263 million transfer.
Now with plenty of talent to go around in Paris and Barcelona missing its favorite Brazilian forward, Barça has to look into sending the same money back to France.
PSG hopefully kept the receipt for Neymar, but Barça may have some return policies.