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The 21-year-old was given the man of the match award in Wednesday’s Copa Libertadores final against Lanus after a masterful first-half performance. Melo was forced off early after the break, but Gremio went on to win the prestigious title for the third time in their history. Barca had already been linked to the young talent, but a photo released showing Melo alongside a senior Blaugrana official and in their shirt will only encourage rumours that a move is imminent....

As revealed by Goal, Barca are preparing a bid of up to €100 million for the midfielder, who is open to the idea of making the switch to the Camp Nou. All the latest transfer rumours PSG failed to win Ligue 1 for the first time in five years in 2016-17 and suffered a humiliating Champions League last-16 collapse at the hands of Barca. But Verratti is seemingly prepared to give the French side a chance to keep hold of him, suggesting that he could be willing to remain in Paris if they can sign some of the world’s top stars....

The Blaugrana won last week’s first leg 1-0 at the Camp Nou, meaning they just need to avoid defeat in the semi-final second leg at Mestalla on Thursday. Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has opted for Andre Gomes instead of Coutinho, who has yet to register a goal or an assist over four appearances with the Blaugrana thus far. Gerard Pique makes the starting line-up after shaking off a knee problem, and he will start alongside Samuel Umtiti in the centre of Barca’s defence....

Lionel Messi volleyed in Dani Alves' pass to open the scoring in the 23rd minute, only for Lafita to level after a rare attack for Getafe in the 37th. Substitute Cesc Fabregas appeared to have put Barcelona back on track when he initiated a move that ended with Alexis Sanchez scoring in the 67th. But Barcelona's brittle defense again betrayed it in the final moments when Lafita charged in to head home a cross and grab a draw that silenced the Camp Nou stands....

The 25-year-old playmaker, the world’s third most expensive footballer after securing a long-desired transfer from Liverpool, will be officially presented to the world’s media on Monday from 1130 GMT. But in a club video message released on Sunday, Coutinho, who posed for photographers at the Camp Nou wearing a tracksuit top in the colours of the team, insisted: “I want to play, win trophies and make the supporters happy. Those are my objectives....

Gio’s Mexico role still ambiguous The midfielder joined the Spanish champion from Atletico Madrid in 2015 but endured a difficult start to life at Camp Nou, fueling speculation he could be set for a quick exit from the club. Several players flocked to China in the January transfer window including Ramires, Jackson Martinez, Alex Teixeira, Gervinho and Fredy Guarin. Arda claims he was also the subject of interest from a Chinese outfit, but says Barcelona turned down the lucrative bid as did not want to ditch him after just six months....

Robert Lewandowski scored his first Camp Nou goal as a Barcelona player and assisted both ends of Pedri’s first-half brace in the win. Ousmane Dembele also found the back of the net as Barca deservedly led 4-0 at halftime against a disorganized and shell-shocked Mexican club. In the second half, after Xavi made wholesale changes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Frenkie de Jong put the cherry on top in a brilliant performance that will give Blaugrana fans plenty of optimism for the coming season....

What Is A Bare Root Plant? A bare root plant is a plant that is sold without dirt around the roots. Bare root plants are dug up at the nursery, have their roots rinsed and treated to remove the dirt, and then are carefully stored in a cooler until being shipped to their final destination. Why You Haven’t Heard Of Bare Root Plants Before Most people don’t know about bare root plants because they aren’t sold in local garden centers, nurseries or hardware stores....

MORE FANTASY BASEBALL: Top 25 for 2014 | Top prospects | 2014 Draft Kit While the Brewers' version may never keep pace with the Orioles' version in the power department over a full season, he's one to watch if he gets more playing time. That HR frequency (at-bats per home run) is an important stat to track when searching for power in the later rounds of fantasy drafts. The hitters below also had efficient AB/HR marks last year, though their HR totals may not stand out because they didn't play a full season....

Aleksander Barkov scored twice during Florida’s five-goal second period and the Panthers beat the Ottawa Senators 5-1 on Sunday night for their fourth straight win. Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist, and Frank Vatrano and Troy Brouwer also scored. Mike Hoffman had two assists and has points in 12 straight games, one short of Pavel Bure’s franchise record of 13. Bogdan Kiselevich also had a pair of assists....

At Vadodara’s Moti Bagh Stadium, Madhya Pradesh need another 279 runs with five wickets in hand to deny hosts Baroda an outright win. Madhya Pradesh, who were skittled out for 60 in the first innings, are struggling at 58/5 in the second innings. Madhya Pradesh batsmen failed to complement the excellent show by off spinner Jalaj Saxena, who picked up 7/82 to restrict Baroda to 244 in the second innings....

Had Bonds gotten a chance to continue playing for multiple years, he would have had a legitimate shot at 800 career home runs, rather than ending his career with 762. Had he just played in 2008, he could have helped a team’s lineup with a boost of on-base ability and power. Bonds never got that shot, though, and now he is alleging collusion by MLB teams is the reason why he didn’t....

Haunted Wenger running into the last man he wants to face Leicester City, meanwhile, will face Atletico Madrid in a daunting tie for Craig Shakespeare’s Premier League champions, while Borussia Dortmund will take on Manchester City’s conquerors AS Monaco. Real progressed to the quarter-finals by virtue of a straightforward aggregate victory over Napoli, but they will have their work cut out against the German giants, who thumped Arsenal 10-2 on aggregate, winning each game 5-1....

Former Real Betis coach Setien took over at LaLiga leaders Barca on Monday after the club parted company with Ernesto Valverde. His first match in charge comes on Sunday, with Granada visit Camp Nou. Upon his arrival at Barca, Setien thanked Valverde for his work, though also vowed to apply his own attacking, possession-based playing style, which drew plaudits during his time at Las Palmas and Betis. Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen revealed Setien has already put new ideas across to the Blaugrana squad, who the Germany international says will do everything in their power to ensure the 61-year-old is a success....

The 39-year-old has represented Al Sadd in the Qatar Stars League since leaving Barca at the end of their treble-winning 2014-15 campaign. Xavi initially said he would retire at the end of last season but postponed these plans and signed a two-year contract extension 12 months ago. However, he again spoke of a desire to bring down the curtain on his celebrated playing days last November and now hopes to sign off by helping Al Sadd to Emir Cup glory....

Barca expect imminent Messi renewal As per a report in Sport, Benfica president, Luis Filipe Vieira, visited the Catalan capital regarding the transfer of 23-year-old right-back Semedo. Reports in Portugal have suggested he spoke with Manchester City during his visit, but Goal understands he also met Barca officials as they look to resolve one of their problem positions. Aleix Vidal, Rafinha and Sergi Roberto have all been tried on the right-hand side of the defence this term as Luis Enrique looks to replace the departed Dani Alves....

Barcelona were interested in signing Kingsley Coman last season, but the move did not materialise. However, the 25-year-old Bayern Munich winger could be top of Joan Laporta’s transfer list, as the Blaugrana are looking to offload Ousmane Dembele this summer. The Blaugrana signed Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 on a €135 million transfer. However, the French international has been a disappointing signing, as he has missed a lot of games because of injury....

A first-half strike from John Guidetti put Barca’s record in jeopardy at the Camp Nou on Sunday, but Luis Suarez pulled his side level in the 72nd minute before a Lionel Messi free-kick gave the Catalans a 2-1 victory. Barca now have 18 wins and three draws in La Liga, while they managed 17 victories and four draws to open the 2009-10 campaign. That record has made them the runaway league leaders, with Ernesto Valverde’s side sitting 11 points ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid and 19 points clear of arch-rivals Real Madrid....

Barcelona’s first win in three rounds left it one point above second-placed Sevilla, which rallied to a 1-1 draw at fourth-placed Alaves. Injury-depleted Barcelona got goals from Gerard Pique and rarely used reserve player Carles Alena in each half at Camp Nou. With the hosts missing striker Luis Suarez, France forward Ousmane Dembele led Barcelona with his speedy incursions from the right flank. Dembele crossed for Pique to head in his 36th-minute opener....

The 28-year-old enjoyed a spectacular 2014/15 season under new boss Luis Enrique as Barcelona swept a record-breaking second treble and became the only club to achieve this historic feat. And Messi was at the heart of their success as the Argentine notched up 56 goals alongside Luis Suarez and Neymar as the devastating trident (MSN) were largely instrumental in Barca’s trophy-laden campaign. Talking exclusively to German kit-makers Adidas, along the lines of their #BeTheDifferencecampaign, the four-time Ballon d’Or winner believes that he will prosper in the centre of the park for the Blaugranas once age starts to become a barrier for him to play as a forward....