Bayern Munich joins loan race for Hleb

German news site Spox claims that Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) underwent today medical tests at German club Stuttgart.

The one-year loan deal would be signed and officially announced tomorrow (read more here).

Asked about the situation of Hleb, Oliver Mintzlaff, a representative of the player's agency, told the site that Hleb has rejected to join Inter Milan but that he won't stay with Barcelona next season: "Alexander Hleb has yesterday decided, together with his agents Uli Ferber and Niki Spilevski, that he won't play at Inter Milan during the 2009-2010 season. Before the end of the week a decision will be made on where Alex will play, but he will definitely not play at Barcelona next season."

Baden-Württemberg regional newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten claims that Barcelona and Stuttgart have already reached an agreement on the loan and that only the signatures would still be missing. Hleb, who would accept a pay cut from 7,5 to 4 million euro, could start training with his former club in the coming days.

Mintzlaff nevertheless told German newsagency Dpa that other clubs are interested too: "Based upon the information I have now, it looks like he will play in the Bundesliga next season. There are nevertheless several interested clubs." German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung claims that Bayern Munich is also interested.

The player's agent Uli Ferber is quoted by the paper as saying that there are indeed two Bundesliga options: "I am surprised that in the case of Alex Hleb there are already reports confirming his arrival at Stuttgart. That is at this moment definitely not the case. A decision will be made within the next 48 hours.

We have rejected the Inter Milan offer on Tuesday and now there are two options in the Bundesliga. Is Bayern Munich the second candidate? You shouldn't exclude anything in football, so I won't do that is this case either. As things stand now, it will be a pure loan option with no option to buy."

Read more:
Hleb has deal with Stuttgart
What is happening with Hleb?
Bayern preparing a bid for Hleb

Hleb does not want to leave

Although Barcelona sports papers Sport and El Mundo Deportivo claim that Barcelona wants to sell Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) this summer, representatives of the player have said this week that Hleb wants to continue next season.

Asked about the transfer rumours, Hleb's agent Uli Ferber said in an interview with British sports site Sky Sports that the player is not thinking of leaving: "Even though he is not playing regularly he is not thinking about changing teams. He wants to stay at Barcelona and fight for his place."

Oliver Mintzlaff, a collaborator of Ferber, had earlier said the same in an interview with Catalan sports paper Sport: "Hleb isn't satisfied with the chances he has got... He wanted to play more, but he's convinced that he can prove to Guardiola that he's a quality player. With Barça, he has found a club where he can win trophies and his only option is to continue. Despite that, I can confirm that several very important English and German club have asked for him."

British tabloid The Daily Star claims that Aston Villa is interested in bringing Hleb back to the English Premier League. Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is believed to be interested in buying Hleb as a striker or wide midfielder, while Barcelona would be prepared to let the player go for a transfer fee of around 11,5 million euro°.

Ferber nevertheless denied the interest to Sky Sports: "We don't know anything about any requests from Aston Villa." And El Mundo Deportivo claims that Bayern Munich is no longer interested in Hleb after Louis van Gaal was appointed as the new coach of the German club.

Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta tried to include Hleb in a deal on Inter Milan striker Ibrahimovic (read more here). Olympique Lyon sports director Bernard Lacombe meanwhile confirmed in an interview with his club's official television channel that the French club is following Hleb: "Hleb is a good player, we'll see what we can do."

Read more:
Lyon interested in Hleb
Hleb will leave if asked by Barcelona
Possible pre-agreement between Hleb and Bayern

Hleb not looking for a summer exit

Asked about the rumours linking Barcelona attacker and Belarus international Alexander Hleb (27) with a move to Bayern Munich (read more here), Oliver Mindtlaff, one of the player's agents, has said in an interview with Catalan radio station RAC 1 that the player isn't thinking about leaving:

"Hleb is not looking for a transfer to Bayern Munich. He's happy at Barcelona and at this moment he's only focusing on working very hard because he wants to show the coach, the team and the fans that he's a great player.

Of course we like Germany and when you talk about the Bundesliga, then Bayern is the best club. I cannot count anymore the number of league titles they have won over the last ten years and Hleb is aware of that because he played against them when he was at Stuttgart.

But he's not looking for a transfer in the summer. Right now, he's playing at Barcelona, which is one of the top clubs in the world and Alexander knows that. Despite everything what happens, he's not unhappy. He wants to prove to everyone that he has a place in the team and besides that, he's delighted about living in Barcelona, a city that is fascinating to him."

Read more:
Hleb could be part of Ribery deal
Hleb could already leave this summer
Hleb honoured by Bayern interest