Exclusive: Klopp Barcelona TRUTH, Arsenal wonderkid scouted, Chelsea striker links & more

Posted Tuesday, January 30, 2024 by Caughtoffside.com

Is Jurgen Klopp really a candidate for Barcelona?
I think Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp have handled matters relating to his departure really well and maturely. A lot of the time when a manager decides to leave there are issues behind the scenes, but in this case it's a very nice and positive message from both Klopp and Liverpool in terms of their honesty and how they went about it – credit to the club and the manager, it's not an easy situation to handle in the middle of a fantastic season.

This was completely unexpected – a lot of people at the club and in the industry were not expecting this announcement. Still, it's not easy and Klopp has decided to leave and he hasn't got an agreement with any other club, he's free and he wants to take some time before deciding his next step.

We're inevitably seeing links with Barcelona now after Xavi also announced he was leaving his job there, but there is nothing ongoing now. It's still all very early and fresh, Barca will take their time to decide, it's not going to be decided in some days…step by step. Klopp has been very clear that he wants to stop for one season so I think it would be more than complicated for Barca or anyone else to hire him for next season. As of today, my understanding is there's nothing going on on that front.

New striker name linked with Chelsea
Victor Osimhen has recently been open about his plans to leave Napoli at the end of the season, but it's still too early to know for sure if he'll be moving to Chelsea or any other particular club.

It's also not yet clear what Napoli's plans are to replace Osimhen. It's important to remember that Napoli will have a new manager in the summer and maybe also a new director of football. Before deciding who's going to be the new striker you always need to speak to the coach – this is a normal process, so it will take time. Nothing is happening now.

One striker making the headlines at the moment is Jonathan David – he's another name being linked with Chelsea after some reports in the French press yesterday, but I personally have got no update at all on Jonathan David as of now – no movement, no negotiations.

I've always rated David, I think he's a very good and smart option for clubs to consider on the market, but at the moment the situation is quiet because he's an expensive striker. In the summer, I expect Chelsea will go for different names.

Barcelona closing in on Lucas Bergvall transfer
Barcelona are very close now and very confident on getting a new signing for next summer in the form of Swedish wonderkid Lucas Bergvall. Born in 2006, the midfielder is a really top talent who's been on Barca's list for a really long time.

Negotiations have been going on since the beginning of December and now an agreement is really close, with a bid of €7m and €3m which looks ready to be accepted by his club Djurgardens. Bergvall wants to go to Barcelona, though he was also approached by as many as ten other clubs, including Eintracht Frankfurt.

In the next days it could be completed and Bergvall will join Barcelona in the summer transfer window – a smart piece of business, nearly all done.

Tottenham were never that close to Antonio Nusa deal
Despite interest from Chelsea back in the summer, and more recently from Tottenham, Antonio Nusa to Brentford is almost agreed. A deal is in place over a €30m package. The player has also given the green light to the move, which will see him stay at Club Brugge until the end of the season and then join Brentford in June.

Tottenham were also in talks over Nusa for a long time but the truth is they were never really close to getting it done. Brentford now have a verbal agreement in place and they hope to get it signed very soon, but in any case the deal is valid from July as Nusa wants to complete the move in the summer and not now.

In other news…
Rafael Leao – I'm aware there have been some links with Rafael Leao and PSG. Luis Campos is the director who signed Leao at Lille, one of his incredible signings, so appreciating him is normal, but at PSG summer plans will be made in the next months. It's still early to predict what they will do, it depends on how this season will go and also on the Kylian Mbappe situation.

Chido Obi – This Arsenal wonderkid was recently linked with Borussia Dortmund. Of course, BVB are always tracking talents around the world, they know the boy well and they've been scouting him multiple times but, but there's nothing else so far. He's an important piece of Arsenal's future and so there's nothing imminent happening.

Morgan Rogers – Aston Villa have made a third bid to Middlesbrough for Morgan Rogers, understood to be in the region of £15m. Rogers remains the main target for Unai Emery. Negotiations are continuing in the right direction, with Villa working to close the deal early this week.