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Barcelona have opened talks with Juventus over yet another potential swap deal involving Miralem Pjanic.
Barcelona's title challenge has effectively come to an end after settling for a 3-3 draw with Levante on Tuesday. After embarking on an extraordinary run since the turn of the year, the Catalans have let it all go to waste in recent weeks after picking up just five points in their last four matches.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top stories involving Barcelona from 12 May 2021.
Ronald Koeman says 'it's impossible to understand what happened' against Levante
Barcelona have virtually dropped out of the La Liga title race after playing out a 3-3 draw against 13th placed Levante on Tuesday. Barcelona are currently second in the La Liga table with 76 points, one less than league leaders Atletico Madrid.
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Real Madrid have 75 points but both the Madrid sides have a game in hand over Barcelona.
Speaking to the press after the draw against Levante, Koeman lamented Barcelona's second-half performance. The Catalans conceded three second-half goals on Tuesday after being 2-0 up at half-time. The Barcelona manager said (via Marca):
“Our aim was to win all three games and hope that the others would lose points. But now it’s difficult.
“Games last for 90 minutes and we lost a lot in the second half. They [Levante] caused problems and we didn’t defend well.
“It’s very disappointing. It’s impossible to understand what happened. It’s difficult to explain it.”
He added:
“As a coach, you’re always responsible. We spoke at half time about improving defensively and not dropping our intensity. We were hopeful, we were 2-0 ahead. You don’t expect to draw from there.”
Barcelona interested in signing Gianluigi Buffon
According to Foot Mercato, Barcelona are keen to sign Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. The legendary Italian goalkeeper is all set to become a free-agent. The 43-year-old, who is tied with the Bianconeri until the summer, has confirmed that he will leave the club when his contract expires.
Barcelona are set to scour the free-agent market this summer due to their financial troubles. The Catalans' second-choice goalkeeper Neto is likely to leave the club in the summer and hence, they are looking to add a back-up goalkeeper to the squad.
Barcelona open talks with Juventus over Pjanic-Bentancur swap deal
Barcelona and Juventus swapped Arthur and Miralem Pjanic last summer and it was a move that did not make a lot of sense to supporters. While Arthur has taken his time to settle down at Juventus, Pjanic has become a peripheral figure at Barcelona.
According to Radio Catalunya 1 via Calciomercato, Barcelona have opened talks with Juventus over a swap deal that involves Miralem Pjanic yet again. The Juventus midfield has regressed in Pjanic's absence and is one of the main reasons behind their struggles this season.
Juventus reportedly want him back and the two clubs are looking at the possibility of pulling off a swap deal which will see Rodrigo Bentancur go to Barcelona in exchange for Miralem Pjanic.
