FC Barcelona transfer rumour update – Christian Eriksen and Jean Seri

Likelihood of Coutinho moving to Barcelona decreases as Eriksen talks up move

Philippe Coutinho was one of the players on whom, the board, the sporting director, the coach, the players and the fans agreed on. We always felt that he was the right player. Even the ex-players and reputed managers agreed on the fact that he was the one to rejuvenate Barcelona’s midfield.

But optimism has not helped Barcelona get anywhere with this deal. Robert Fernandez and Josep Maria Bartomeu hoped Coutinho would push for a transfer. But Coutinho decided to stay at Anfield, with support from Jurgen Klopp and now, Ian Rush.

This has led Barcelona to pursue another player. A player who is nearing his peak and is one of the best midfielders in the world – Christian Eriksen. Eriksen has openly stated his interest in joining Barcelona.

"He said, “I still have a contract with Tottenham for a few more years and there are always rumours in football.I’ve been [at Barcelona on trial as a teenager] at one point and it didn’t work out too well. But Barcelona is a fantastic club — I don’t think there a lot of players who would say no to them.But there is ‘interest’ and then there is concrete interest. Until there is some concrete interest, I don’t have an opinion about it.”"

Backing of compatriot Michael Laudrup and Frank de Boer

Many ex-players have backed this move. Michael Laudrup thinks he should move to a bigger club to truly succeed. His coach and mentor at Ajax, Frank de Boer also believes Eriksen has what it takes to succeed at Barcelona.

"De Boer said, “I think he could have a wonderful career. [He, i.e, Eriksen], is ready to take a step forward because he has everything he needs to be a Barcelona player.”"

Eriksen’s comments clearly indicate his interest in joining the Catalans. He does not have an offer on the table, but if he does, he will give it a serious thought. Also, the two greats who have backed Eriksen are ex-Barca players, who have knowledge of the club and it’s philosophy.

His agent, Martin Schoots has spoken about this matter but backed away from making a controversial statement.

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"He said, “At the moment I prefer not to make comments on what the press has written about Eriksen’s future. The only thing I can say is that Christian wants to focus on his games with Tottenham right now.The only thing he’s thinking about is being important for the team, that’s the only thing that worries him. We will let the rumours be rumours, while Christian can keep becoming more and more important to his team, thanks to his goals.”"

Eriksen is an important cog in the Spurs wheel. While Tottenham may not win the Premier League title in the next couple of years, they can do it long-term. Christian Eriksen has to decide whether to remain part of Pochettino’s project, or glorify his career by winning competitions with Barca.

Barcelona leave no stone unturned as Robert shortlists Nice star Jean Michael Seri

Jean Michael Seri was Ligue 1’s best playmaker in the 2016-17 season. He was consistently brilliant and performed well day-in-day-out for Nice. His performances have attracted interest from Europe’s top clubs.

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Barcelona are one of the clubs in the race for his signature. Robert will have to fight off Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham and Roma. Roma have already had a bid rejected by Nice.

Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere was asked to comment on this matter by Radio Montecarlo.

"He said, “We have one wish and that is to keep Jean Michael. We don’t want to sell and we don’t need to sell, but some players will come and others go.Seri? The press are saying a lot of things. As far as we are concerned, aside from Roma who firmed up their interest but were told that their offer was not big enough, there have been no offers from other clubs.We know that he is speaking with other teams — his agent has been transparent enough about that. But they have not declared their interest to us.”"

Next: Review of Aleix Vidal's season

This indicates Nice’s will to hold onto Seri. The president has stated that Seri is an integral part of Nice’s future but when Barcelona come calling, very few, be it club or player, can resist.