Lionel Messi will be part of the Barcelona squad that returns to the UK for a training camp next week after the reigning FIFA world player of the year cut short his summer break.

Just weeks ago it seemed that Barcelona were set to do something unique — a ‘double treble’ by retaining the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey trophies they won last season.

The transfer bans against Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid announced last week show both the strengths and the weaknesses of Fifa’s regulations.

Real Madrid director general Jose Angel Sanchez has branded the ban on registering new signings handed down by FIFA “absolutely unjustified” and is confident the club will win an appeal.

Barcelona secured a comfortable 4-1 win over nine-man Espanyol in the first leg of their Copa del Rey round-of-16 clash at the Nou Camp last night.

Much of the coverage of Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat to Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday afternoon focused on the disruption caused by injuries to stars Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta. But blaugrana fans and pundits should really be asking why last season’s treble-winning squad looks so threadbare just a few months later.

La Liga is returning, a little later than first expected, with plenty of new and old questions to be resolved.

Barcelona have signed Turkey captain Arda Turan on a five-year contract from Atletico Madrid for an initial fee of €34 million.

Dnipro 2 Sevilla 3: Colombian hitman Carlos Bacca claimed a double as Sevilla made Europa League history by seeing off Dnipro to win the competition for a record fourth time.

Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella hopes to instill belief in his players that they can overcome a 3-0 deficit to reach the Europa League final for the second time in their history (8.05pm, live on Setanta Ireland).