Barcelona refuse to rule out Pep Guardiola return, Cristiano Ronaldo regrets leaving Real Madrid: Football transfer news round-up, 10th December 2019

Hello and welcome back to the transfer new round-up for 10th December 2019. With each passing day, we are edging closer to January and the football world is revelling in anticipation of another eventful transfer window ahead. On that note, let us take a look at the biggest transfer stories from today right now.

Also Read: Barcelona president refuses to rule out Guardiola reunion

Barcelona president hints at a sensational return for Pep Guardiola

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has hinted that Pep Guardiola will always be welcomed back to the Camp Nou if he ever wants to get back to his roots. The Spanish manager made the successful transition from a player to a manager with the Catalans, enjoying success first with the reserves and then taking over the reins of the first team.

At the Camp Nou, his Barcelona team attained legendary status, mesmerizing the world of football with the charms of tiki-taka and enjoying tremendous success. Guardiola left Barcelona after 4 seasons to join Bayern Munich and is currently in charge of Manchester City.

Bartomeu, in an interview with La Repubblica, said that it is up to the Spanish manager to decide if he wants to come back.

"It doesn't depend on me. It was Pep who decided to leave, but the door will always be open for him at Barca."

Barcelona have achieved domestic success under Ernesto Valverde, but have failed to find European glory in the 2 seasons under the Spaniard. As such, a return of the manager who redefined their history would certainly excite fans and players alike. Guardiola has also been enduring problems of his own with Manchester City this season, so one cannot rule out a reunion in the near future.

Cristiano Ronaldo regrets leaving Real Madrid

According to ABC via Sky Sports, Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his regret at leaving Real Madrid to his former teammates. The Portuguese even believes that he could have won two more Ballon d’Ors had he stayed at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo left the Spanish giants for Juventus in the summer of 2018, after 9 hugely successful seasons, where he won 4 Ballon d’Ors and established himself as one of the best players in the world.

Since joining the Old Lady, the Portuguese has failed to hit similar heights and has fallen short of his goalscoring records of the past. He has won silverware and personal accolades, but the Ballon d’Or, as well as Champions League glory, has eluded him. Los Blancos have struggled to replace their talisman so far, but it now seems that Ronaldo might be missing his former club too.

Donny van de Beek to Real Madrid still on the cards

The Ajax midfielder has been linked to a move to the Santiago Bernabeu for quite some time now and the rumours refuse to go away. Donny van de Beek is currently with the Ajax side preparing to face Valencia in their final group stage game of the UEFA Champions League.

The Dutchman enjoyed a brilliant 2018/19 season with Ajax, helping them reach the UEFA Champions League semi-final and winning the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup. The Dutch champions managed to hold on to their prized asset over the summer, despite strong interest from a host of big clubs around Europe.

Speaking in the pre-match press conference, van de Beek appeared to take a diplomatic stance when he was asked about the rumours, stating

"They are rumors, it isn't something I think about. The most important thing is the game tomorrow [Tuesday]"

When the Dutchman was quizzed about the move once again, the Ajax press officer interfered and declared –

"For now, this issue is not to be discussed."

Van de Beek is among the players Zidane is interested in and it remains to be seen if the Spanish side make a move for him in January.

Frank Lampard warns against knee-jerk spending spree in January

Frank Lampard knows that everyone expects Chelsea to spend big in January after their transfer ban was reduced. The 3-1 defeat at the hands of Everton could also propel the Blues to indulge in the transfer market in search of a solution. However, Lampard remains wary of such a knee-jerk reaction, which could jeopardize his actual plans.

During his press conference ahead of the champions league group stage game against Lille, the Englishman reminded everyone that one could not afford to make drastic reactions to the recent results. Instead, he spoke of striking a balance and trusting in his squad.

"You have to be careful not to be too reactionary. Ban lifted, lose at Everton it might be easy to come to that conclusion. As much as at the start of the season that we have got these young boys, we don't need anyone. As a club like Chelsea, there has to be a balance."

Lampard went on to praise his squad strength but did admit that there were opportunities to improve by reinforcing in the right areas. However, he also concluded that recent developments had not affected his long term plans.

"We have a strong squad, but we have to look at can we strengthen? There will be times going forward, whether it's January or next summer there will be times and opportunities to strengthen."

Patrick Vieira could consider Arsenal job

Gunners legend Patrick Vieira has hinted that an offer to manage his former club would be too good to turn down. Arsenal parted ways with Unai Emery at the end of November, after a disappointing run of games. Freddie Ljungberg has since been appointed as the interim manager, while the Gunners management keeps looking for the ideal candidate to take over the full-time job. Vieira is reportedly among the shortlisted candidates for the job.

The Frenchman is currently in charge of Nice, but his old teammate and current technical director at Emirate, Edu, is interested in bringing him back to his old stomping ground. Vieira was an integral part of the Invincibles at Arsenal and the current team could certainly do with a bit of his attitude on the field.

Speaking to Canal Plus, Vieira admitted that it was hard to ignore the Gunners, but stated that he was focused at Nice.

"You can never ignore a club where you’ve spent nine years but I’m focused on this project at Nice, I feel very good here. It’s a very exciting project. I’ve always said that I’m very happy in Nice. We’re all working to move the club forward and there is potential."

Also check out: La Liga La Liga fixtures La liga table 2019-20

Edited by Vishal Subramanian