Arsenal Star, Jesus Returns To Cub To Step Up Recovery From Knee Surgery Barcelona May Sell De Jong, Fati Over Drop In Wage Bill

BARCELONA may have to sell two of their players this summer a er being ordered to cut wage bill by €200 million.

Financial struggles at Camp Nou are well documented, with efforts to bring down a wage bill that had spiraled out of control, contribu ng to Lionel Messi leaving Catalunya for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.

It is now claimed that Barca need to trim a further €200 million (£177m/$215m) off their salary payments in order to comply with La Liga rules.

There are reports that several players may have to be offloaded in the next transfer window, including long-standing Manchester United target De Jong –who snubbed the chance to move to Old Trafford in 2022.

The Red Devils have also been credited with interest in Spain interna onal forward Fa , and the 20-yearold could come up for grabs as he is a big earner not guaranteed regular game me under Blaugrana boss Xavi.

De Jong is under con- tract at Barca un l 2026, and is said to be in line for a further £78m ($95m), while Fa is reportedly earning £200,000-a-week and may be allowed to move on if a bid of around £90m ($109m) is tabled by any of his suitors.

Sergio Busquets is another player that Barca are reportedly prepared to part with, as the long-serving World Cup winner heads towards free agency, while the Liga giants are also willing to offload Jordi Alba, Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Roberto and Franck Kessie.

GABRIEL Jesus has returned to Arsenal to step up his recovery following surgery on a knee issue in December, 2022.

The Brazilian striker has not featured for the Gunners since before the World Cup due to the injury he sustained while represen ng his country in Qatar.

He underwent surgery in London before Christmas and has been slowly working his way back to fitness ever since, with the forward now walking without the need for crutches or a knee brace.

Jesus spent me in Eng- land last month working with Arsenal’s medical team and was at the Emirates Stadium on January 22 to watch the Gunners beat Manchester United 3-2.

He then flew overseas to con nue his rehabilita on, but he has now returned to London to take a major step forward on his road to recovery.

Jesus’ first day back at Arsenal’s London Colney training centre was on Tuesday, with the 25-year-old now following a carefully mapped out fitness plan alongside the club’s medical team with the aim of returning to ac on at some point next month. He is now able to do some light ball work on the training pitch, although the key focus of his recovery at the moment is on con nuing to strengthen his knee.

Arsenal have been reluctant to put an exact meframe on Jesus’ return, but he has always been hopeful of being back on the pitch in me to s ll play a major role during the final stages of the season.

The Gunners host Brentford on Saturday looking to get back on track in the Premier League following their defeat at Everton.

Akinrun Stool: Gboleru Ruling House Appeals To Adeleke To Release White Paper

Aruling house in Ikirun, Ifelodun local government of the State of Osun, has appealed to Governor Ademola Adeleke to release white paper on the recommenda ons of the Chie aincy Affairs Review Commi ee.

The commi ee had on January 3, 2023 submi ed its report to the Governor.

Speaking on behalf of the ruling house yesterday, Prince Kayode Oyetunji, commended Adeleke for his ac ons and assurance to adhere to rule of law on chie aincy ma ers, par cularly on the Akinrun stool.

Oyetunji urged the Governor not to listen to some people who wants to misrepresent fact and manipulate him into closing his eyes on the Akinrun stool in spite of the recommenda on of the panel.

He said: “The execu ve order on chie aincy ma ers across the state was mely, and not only since calming down tensions across the state and par cularly in Ikirunland, but it is also giving all par es real hope that one day jus ce will surely triumph.

“We appreciate huge responsibili es of the Governor besides the needs for him and his team to appraise the reports and recommendaons of the panel before rolling out direc ves.

“Notwithstanding, we believe that the government should by now release a white paper to implement the posi on of the government. Therefore, we are appealing to the Governor to, please, without further delay release the white paper se ng out unambiguously the posi on of the government on chieftaincy ma er in Ikirunland.

“Meanwhile, rumours have it that a group of people is desperate to truncate good inten ons of the government either directly or indirectly, and or by technically misrepresen ng the true posi on with a view to crea ng “Don’t Do Syndrome’ thereby causing confusion or to put the whole ma er in abeyance, regardless of the work done by the honourable panel.

“Rumours also have it that another group of people is selling unfounded dummy to the government on rule of law and that the “Osun government must not commit contempt of court” because Gboleru Ruling House people have taken their ma er to Appeal court.

“We want to set the records straight. As people who believe in rule of law, our prayer before the panel and of course, the government, is that all government ac ons since 17th November, 2021 that our legal team had appropriately served the Osun State Government our appeal court papers, should be cancelled.

“The selec on carried out on 19th November, 2021 and the approval and appointment of new Akinrun of Ikirun by the Osun State Government on 26th October, 2022, while there exists legal encumbrances, were flagrant viola ons of rule of law.

“Therefore, the cancellaon of all the government acons will only further promote rule of law and not a contempt as being rumoured to truncate government’s ac ons.”