Gossip: Barca want Arsenal and Liverpool full-backs, Juve eye another Real star

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Barcelona are reportedly looking to the Premier League for three players
Barcelona are reportedly looking to the Premier League for three players

You can come out from behind your sofas – the international break is over and Premier League football is on the horizon.

But that does mean three days with no top level football, before Spurs and Liverpool kickstart the domestic season on Saturday lunchtime.

So what better way to bridge that gap than with some gossip, we hear you say.

Well that is just what we plan on doing, and it seems to be a very Barcelona-orientated column today.

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According to Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan giants are on the lookout for a new full-back, and their casting their eyes to the Premier League.

Hector Bellerin is constantly linked with a switch to the Nou Camp, but it is another Spaniard at the Emirates that catches their eye this time around.

Nacho Monreal, who unbelievably is 32, has spent five years at Arsenal and the Evening Standard say he is set for new contract talks after being impressed by Unai Emery.

Nacho Monreal is being linked with a new deal at Arsenal and a move to Barca
Nacho Monreal is being linked with a new deal at Arsenal and a move to Barca

But when Barcelona come calling, it is tough to say no.

If they cannot entice Monreal back to Spain, then the other name on their list is surprising: Alberto Moreno.

Why Liverpool’s second choice left-back – and a player prone to mistakes – is on Barcelona’s radar is anyone’s guess. If it is true, you suspect many Liverpool fans would pack his bags for him.

And it is not just full-backs that Barca are looking to these shores for.

They want one of former manager Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City stars, although indications are that Ilkay Gundogan would prefer to stay at the Etihad rather than move to Barca.

Deansgate or Las Ramblas? Not an easy choice.

It would not be a gossip column without a mention of Paul Pogba, although it is not all about him this time around.

Juventus are still interested in bringing him back to Turin (who would have thought it?) and they also want Real Madrid’s Marcelo.

Marcelo has spent 11 years at the Bernabeu, but could his time in Spain be coming to an end?
Marcelo has spent 11 years at the Bernabeu, but could his time in Spain be coming to an end?

The will he or won’t he saga involving John Terry and Spartak Moscow continues to roll on too.

Apparently, despite holding talks with the Russian club for the past few days, Terry is now worried it is not the right move for his family.

One paper in Russia say that Spartak will offer him an extra £1.2m on top of the £1.8m they’re already offering to secure his signature.

And in non-transfer news, Mario Balotelli reportedly turned up to pre-season training at Nice weighing 100kg (15.75 stone) – more than 12kg heavier than he had been last year.