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The future of Javier Mascherano has taken another twist after Chinese side Hebei Fortune claimed they were unaware of links with the Barcelona star.
There’s been huge speculation in recent weeks that Mascherano will quit the club in January, as he wants regular playing time ahead of the World Cup next summer.
Hebei Fortune are the club who have been said to have offered a lucrative contract to Mascherano, and Barca have reportedly agreed to let him go.
However, a spokesperson for the club has responded to the speculation and claimed not to know about the latest reports.
"There's nothing to say," the spokesperson said. "The club hierarchy are not even aware of this [story]."
Source | Goal
It was only yesterday that Sport reported that an announcement regarding Mascherano’s £6 million move to Hebei Fortune was due soon.
While it still seems likely that Mascherano will leave, maybe a deal isn’t as close as we thought.