Barça B: Zaragoza holding on to Longas

Aragon regional newspaper El Periódico de Aragón claims that Zaragoza midfielder Antonio Longás (23), whose transfer to Barcelona Atlètic (previously known as Barcelona B) is subject to an agreement between the two clubs (read more here), will at least continue the pre-season with second division club Zaragoza until the end of the week.

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Zaragoza cancelled an earlier pre-agreement but that a final agreement is nevertheless expected soon. Catalan sport paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that the player could join Barcelona Atlètic on Saturday.

In an interview with Aragon regional newspaper Heraldo de Aragón, Longás said last week that he will only leave for Barcelona: "I wish to join Barcelona and I'm not considering any other option: if I don't leave for Barcelona, I prefer to stay with Zaragoza until my contract expires next year. The club has told me they don't need me anymore. I respect that decision but then they should allow me to go to the club of my choice.

A move to Barcelona would only bring advantages: it's one of the biggest clubs in the world, they work very well with their youth teams and their way of playing suits my style. The support of the technical staff, including manager Guardiola, has been decisive in my decision. They believe in me and I have felt that from the first day we have been talking.

They also offer me a two-year contract, which gives me some more stability. I will have a professional contract which would allow me to switch between the first and the second team without any problems, although I'm aware that's not a very likely option at this moment, rather a dream."

Read more:
Barça B: Still no deal with Zaragoza on Longas
Barça B - Official: Solano
Barça B: Deal with Longas (Zaragoza)