Sergio Aguero sidelined with calf injury

It’s fair to say Sergio Aguero’s start to life at Barcelona has been far from ideal, with the player having to wait to be registered due to the club’s financial predicament and his best friend Lionel Messi suddenly departing the club.

However, things have gone from bad to worse with the news that Aguero has picked up a calf injury and will likely miss the opening weeks of the season, while Clement Lenglet has also been ruled out with a knee injury.

The former Manchester City man joined Barça as a free agent earlier in the summer having been drawn to the prospect of lining up alongside close friend and all-time great Messi at Camp Nou. However, his compatriot has now left the club with Barcelona unable to afford to register him as a new player following the expiry of his final contract in July, in line with La Liga’s financial rules.

And now injury has been added to insult, with Aguero out for up to four weeks with the calf problem.

In an official statement ahead of their Joan Gamper Trophy pre-season match against Juventus on Sunday, Barcelona said: “Philippe Coutinho has been passed fit to return to action but Clément Lenglet and Sergio Aguero are both out.

“The French defender has a tendon problem in his right knee and is ruled out with his return depending on his recovery. The Argentine striker has a right calf injury and will undergo more tests to find out the exact extent of the injury.”

According to Spanish journalist Javi Miguel Club, the injury could keep Aguero sidelined for three to four weeks, meaning he would likely miss Barcelona’s opening three La Liga fixtures against Real Sociedad, Athletic Club and Getafe, with his return likely coming against Sevilla on 12 September after the international break.

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Aguero and Messi together on international duty / Gustavo Pagano/Getty Images

News of Messi’s exit initially caused reports to circulate suggesting Aguero no longer wants to play for the Blaugrana, but Sport claim this isn’t the case and that he remains committed to the club.

The report adds that both Aguero and his family are already settled in Barcelona and as such he’s not even considering the possibility of moving again.

Barcelona members plot EU appeal to block Lionel Messi move

A group of Barcelona members have lodged a complaint to the European Commission in an attempt to block Lionel Messi’s move to Paris Saint-Germain. 

Messi had been expected to pen fresh terms with Barça, only for the club to announce that due to ‘economic and structural obstacles’ a new deal would not be possible. The news brought the forward’s incredible 21-year era at the Camp Nou to an end, during which time he scored 672 goals in just 800 appearances in all competitions.

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Messi bid a tearful goodbye to Barcelona on Sunday / Eric Alonso/Getty Images

Messi is widely expected to join PSG imminently. However, one group of Barça fans is looking to block his departure. 

A lawyer representing the group, Juan Branco, posted the following statement on social media: “On behalf of FC Barcelona partners, my firm has prepared a complaint with the European Commission and demands for provisional suspension before civil and administrative courts in France to prevent Paris-Saint Germain from signing Lionel Messi,” he wrote, as reported by Tribuna.

“PSG’s ratios in terms of “financial fair play” are worse than those of FC Barcelona. In 2019-2020, PSG’s salary-to-income ratio was 99%, while Barcelona’s was 54%.

“Meanwhile, the difference has increased. It is inconceivable that the ‘financial fair-play’ serves to aggravate the drifts of football-business, the instrumentalization of football by sovereign powers, and the distortion of competitions.”

This threat of legal action is unlikely to dissuade PSG from pursuing Messi. Negotiations are progressing well with the player scheduled to undergo a medical on Sunday or Monday. Messi joins a PSG squad already overflowing with talent. 

Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma have all signed on free transfers this summer. Achraf Hakimi has also arrived from Inter. Messi will link back up with Neymar in Paris, whom he previously enjoyed a fruitful relationship with at Barcelona. It is understood that the Brazilian is even willing the cede the number 10 shirt to La Pulga.

Tottenham 1-0 Arsenal: Player ratings as Son Heung-min strike wins Mind Series clash

Son Heung-min’s second-half strike proved the difference as Tottenham beat Arsenal 1-0 in their Mind Series pre-season friendly on Sunday.

Son netted following good work on the right from Japhet Tanganga, firing in from close range to make the Gunners pay for their ineffectiveness in possession.

Mikel Arteta’s side had the better of proceedings throughout the first half and struck the post through Alexandre Lacazette, though Spurs had chances of their own with Dele Alli twice hitting the woodwork.

Debutant Ben White looked cool and assured in central defence for Arsenal, while Pierluigi Gollini got his first taste of playing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the hosts.

The result confirmed Chelsea as the inaugural winners of the Mind Series, following their victory over Arsenal and draw with Spurs.

Here are your player ratings from Sunday’s encounter.

Hugo Lloris (GK) – 6/10 – Made a couple of saves, including one to deny Lacazette from range. Substituted in the second half.

Japhet Tanganga (RB) – 8/10 – Strong showing from the young Englishman. Offered Arsenal little on the right and his persistence on the wing led to Tottenham’s goal.

Davinson Sanchez (CB) – 6/10 – A pretty assured showing from the Colombian, though not always tidy when asked to play out from the back. Brought off later for Joe Rodon.

Eric Dier (CB) – 7/10 – A settled display from Dier. He and Sanchez dominated in the air and he almost sent a free kick whizzing in during the closing stages, just clipping the bar.

Sergio Reguilon (LB) – 6/10 – Charged up and down Tottenham’s left in typical fashion. Booked for a cynical challenge on Pepe.

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Dele hit the woodwork twice / GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

Oliver Skipp (CM) – 6/10 – Booked for a challenge on the edge of Tottenham’s box. Otherwise pretty neat and tidy before being replaced by Harry Winks.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (CM) – 6/10 – Had a little tussle with Mikel Arteta on the touchline. Aside from that, the Dane blocked and covered space well.

Dele Alli (AM) – 6/10 – Flung himself into Pepe, picking up a deserved yellow card. Strolled onto Son’s lay-off and looked set to open the scoring but struck the post. Lunged at the back post but again struck the woodwork with a poke. A frustrating afternoon.

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Son scored the game’s only goal / GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

Steven Bergwijn (RW) – 6/10 – Looked lively but in true Bergwijn fashion, the Dutchman thwarted his side’s counterattacks with some slack passes on a few occasions.

Son Heung-min (ST) – 7/10 – Saw a shot from point-blank range well saved by Leno. Forced to live off long balls which were mainly gobbled up by Arsenal’s centre-backs, but made a game-winning contribution by smacking in from close range.

Lucas Moura (LW) – 6/10 – Set up Son’s opportunity nicely, skipping round the outside of White. Started brightly but faded as the game wore on.

Giovani Lo Celso – 6/10

Pierluigi Gollini – 6/10

Joe Rodon – 6/10

Dane Scarlett – N/A

Harry Winks – N/A

Serge Aurier – N/A

Bernd Leno (GK) – 6/10 – Made himself big to deny Son from close in. Could do little to stop the goal.

Hector Bellerin (RB) – 5/10 – Was found out of position a little too often. Didn’t make a dent in an attacking sense.

Ben White (CB) – 7/10 – Strong showing from Arsenal’s new signing, though he did get rounded by Lucas a little too easily on one occasion. Spotted danger well and stepped up to make interceptions when required.

Pablo Mari (CB) – 5/10 – Sold White short on a few occasions and had an absolute nightmare for Son’s strike, overcommitting and falling to the ground before the South Korean scored.

Kieran Tierney (LB) – 6/10 – Typically robust and difficult to get past on the left, mixed with some nice intricate passing. Did play it a little safe on occasion.

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Lokonga in action / GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

Albert Sambi Lokonga (CM) – 6/10 – Looked to move Arsenal forward from midfield. Some nice dribbles and looks a promising player for the future.

Granit Xhaka (CM) – 5/10 – Clattered into Skipp for a caution. Played a little further forward as Arsenal tried to play more aggressively.

Emile Smith Rowe (AM) – 6/10 – Had a few little moments of ingenuity, including one nice run and pass to slide in Saka, but wasn’t totally effective otherwise.

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Pepe runs away from Reguilon / GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

Nicolas Pepe (RW) – 6/10 – Some nice deliveries from set pieces which his teammates couldn’t take advantage of. Buzzed around nicely but just couldn’t make any telling contributions.

Alexandre Lacazette (ST) – 7/10 – Tested Lloris from distance before striking the post from a similar position. One of Arsenal’s better performers on the day.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (LW) – 6/10 – Popped a shot high over the bar early on. Sent Hojbjerg for a hotdog with some excellent footwork by the touchline. Not much else to report.

Calum Chambers – 5/10

Ainsley Maitland-Niles – 6/10

Bukayo Saka – 6/10

Mohamed Elneny – 5/10

Folarin Balogun – 5/10

Nuno Tavares – N/A

Cedric – N/A

Reiss Nelson – N/A

For more from Jude Summerfield, follow him on Twitter!

Axel Tuanzebe joins Aston Villa on season-long loan from Man Utd

Aston Villa have confirmed the arrival of defender Axel Tuanzebe from Manchester United on a season-long loan.

The 23-year-old spent the 2018/19 campaign at Villa Park, making 35 appearances in all competitions to help lead Dean Smith’s side up to the Premier League.

Minutes have been hard to come by for Tuanzebe ever since, but he now has another shot to kick-start his career as Villa took to their official website to confirm the return of the young defender on a season-long loan.

United later confirmed that Tuanzebe had put pen to paper on a new contract, signing on until 2023 with the option of extending by a further year as well.

The loan contract does not include an option to buy, with United keen to get Tuanzebe back next summer to have a closer look at him.

There had been hopes that Tuanzebe would blossom into a first-team regular at Old Trafford after his loan with Villa, but some rotten luck with injuries brought that optimism to a swift end.

He managed just 11 appearances in 2019/20, missing almost the entirety of the second half of the season after rarely being fit enough to play in the first six months, and that trend continued as he carried an ankle injury into last season.

Tuanzebe remained fit for most of the 2020/21 campaign but was well down the pecking order by that point. He ended the year with 19 appearances, with three of his four Premier League starts coming in the final month of the season.

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Tuanzebe has been a fringe player since leaving Villa / Visionhaus/Getty Images

At Villa, he’ll provide cover at both centre-back and right-back, but he is facing an uphill battle to reclaim the starting position he gave up two years ago.

At the heart of Smith’s defence, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa have been excellent, while right-back Matty Cash was among the best in his position last year.

Tottenham agree fee with Inter for striker Lautaro Martinez

Tottenham have agreed a fee with Serie A champions Inter for striker Lautaro Martinez, with the figure thought to be in excess of £60m.

Spurs have done plenty of scouting in Italy this summer following the arrival of director Fabio Paratici, with Gianluigi Gollini and Cristian Romero both arriving from Atalanta. Young Spaniard Bryan Gil has also been brought in.

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Martinez stuck up a fine partnership with Romelu Lukaku / BSR Agency/Getty Images

As reported by The Times, Martinez would be signed to play alongside Harry Kane up front. Inter value the Argentine at £76.8m, so there are expected to be add-ons in the deal. However, there is no word yet as to whether Martinez will agree to the move.

Martinez played a key role for Inter as they won Serie A under Antonio Conte. He scored 17 goals and added six assists in 38 league appearances, with his side finishing 12 points ahead of closest competitors AC Milan.

It would set a new transfer record for Tottenham, with Tanguy Ndombele currently their most expensive player having cost £54m from Lyon in 2019. Arsenal had previously been interested in Martinez, with Alexandre Lacazette consistently linked with a move away from the Emirates as he enters the final 12 months of his contract.

Inter’s financial difficulties have been well documented, but if Martinez were to move to north London, they would need a new strike force. Romelu Lukaku is closing in on a return to Chelsea, leaving new Nerazzurri manager Simone Inzaghi with just Alexis Sanchez up front.

Elsewhere at Tottenham, England striker Kane came back late from international duty and missed training as he looked to force through a move to Manchester City. The Premier League champions are yet to submit a realistic offer, though Daniel Levy remains adamant he isn’t for sale regardless. Kane has since rejected the claim that he refused to train.

For more from Jude Summerfield, follow him on Twitter!