Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona wants to sign five players this summer: a left back defender, a central defender, a defensive midfielder, a left winger and a centre forward.
They give an overview of how the "ideal" squad could look like next season.
Goalkeeper: Valdés
Back-ups: Pinto, Miño
The deal on the renewal of the contract of Valdés until 2014 has closed all negotiations with possible substitutes like Reina (Liverpool), Asenjo (Valladolid) or Diego López (Villarreal). Pinto will stay second goalkeeper. Barcelona considered to sign Moyà (Mallorca) to compete with Pinto, but he looks to be close to Valencia and Miño (Barcelona Atlètic) will be promoted.
Right back defender: Alves
Back-up: Puyol
Barcelona wanted to sign a back-up for Alves, but with Srna (Shakhtar) being too expensive and Bruno (Almería) having found a deal with Valencia, Puyol will act as alternative option on the right next season.
Central defenders: Piqué and Puyol
Back-ups: Márquez, Henrique, Cáceres, Milito, *new guy*
Piqué, Puyol and Márquez are expected to rotate as starters. The club considers to let Cáceres leave on loan. Henrique will do the pre-season with the first team but it's not sure if he will be able to stay. It's unclear when Milito will be back from injury. Because of all of these uncertainties, Barcelona is planning to buy a new centre-back. Chygrynskiy (Shakhtar) is the first option, Bruno Alves (Porto) the alternative.
Read more:
Barcelona planning six transfers
Guardiola wants larger squad and new players
The report of Txiki (1) : Three or four transfers
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Next season's team (1)
Monday, 15 June 2009
Barcelona looking at possible substitutes for Valdes
Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that, although the renewal of Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés is the priority for the club, Barcelona is also looking at other options.
Liverpool goalkeeper and Spanish international José Manuel Reina (26 - picture), Villarreal goalkeeper and Spanish international Diego López (27) and Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz (28) would be the three names on the list of possible substitutes if Valdés wouldn't renew his contract this summer.
Diego López and Gorka have a buyout clause of respectively 35 and 30 million euro but Barcelona would try to lower those fees. The value of former Barcelona youth player Reina is being estimated at 20 million euro.
Read more:
Barcelona managing list of four goalkeepers
Barcelona not willing to accept Valdes demands
Scouting report recommends transfer Asenjo
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Marseille goalkeeper Mandanda on shortlist
French football weekly paper Foot Transferts claims that Barcelona is interested in Marseille goalkeeper and French international Steve Mandanda (24) (read more here).
A Barcelona scout would have recently watched Mandanda in action. The report was positive and Barcelona would already have informed the player's entourage about their interest. Barcelona executives are expected to contact the French club shortly to hear more about the contract situation of the goalkeeper.
Mandanda would be part of a five-name shortlist of possible substitutes of Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés that also includes Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (31), Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez (27), Fiorentina goalkeeper Sébastien Frey (29) and Valladolid goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo (19).
Read more:
Marseille wants to sign Keita next summer
Manchester United wants to sign Valdes
Marseille goalkeeper Mandanda followed
Watch a video of Mandanda here:
Friday, 10 April 2009
Barcelona managing list of four goalkeepers
Spanish tabloid 20 minutos claims that Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristian is preparing for in case Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés (28) would leave the club at the end of the season and is managing a four-name list of possible substitutes.
The number one candidate would be Valladolid goalkeeper and Spanish youth international Sergio Asenjo (19 - picture), with Villarreal goalkeeper Diego López (29), who would cost 20 million euro°, being the alternative option.
Juventus goalkeeper and Italian international Gianluigi Buffon (31) and Atlético Madrid B goalkeeper and Spanish youth international David de Gea (18) are also on the list, although the possible transfer fee of the first would be considered to be too high for a player of his age and the second seems more an option for the future.
Read more:
Scouting report recommends transfer Asenjo
Who could replace Valdes?
Barcelona speaking with Cech and Buffon
Atletico B goalkeeper De Gea sounded out
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Scouting report recommends transfer Asenjo
Catalan sports paper Sport claims that the transfer of Valladolid goalkeeper and Spanish youth international Sergio Asenjo (19) is recommended in a scouting report drawn up by Barcelona goalkeeping coach Juan Carlos Unzué (read more here).
Asenjo would be preferred over Villarreal goalkeeper Diego López (27) because the first one is better outside the goal area and because he would cost less. While Asenjo has a buyout clause of 5,5 million euro°, Manchester United would already have made a bid of 26 million euro for Diego López.
Asenjo was again closely watched during the Valladolid versus Barcelona game last Saturday where the Spanish goalkeeper, who returned from an injury that kept him sidelined for a few months, again performed well with some crucial saves in the first half. People of his entourage would nevertheless believe that Asenjo is on his way to Atlético Madrid.
Read more:
Agent Asenjo confirms Barcelona contact
Aguero, Cesc and Asenjo could join this summer
Who could replace Valdes?
Thursday, 2 April 2009
Who could replace Valdes?
Madrid sports tabloid As claims that Barcelona will try to sign Villarreal goalkeeper Diego López (27) if the club cannot reach a renewal agreement with Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés (27) this summer (read more here).
Barcelona would in that case sell the Catalan goalkeeper in the summer and use the money to buy Diego López who would have a buyout fee of 30 million euro° but who could leave for 20 million euro°.
Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that there's a list of four candidates in case Valdés would leave the club at the end of the season: Villarreal goalkeeper Diego López (27 - contract until 2014 - buyout clause of 35 million euro°), Liverpool goalkeeper José Manuel Reina (26 contract until 2012), Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz (27 - contract until 2011 - buyout clause of 30 million euro°) and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech (26 - contract until 2011).
This led some media to again quote an interview Cech gave to Czech news site Idnes at the end of 2007: "In London I miss only my friends from the Czech Republic, otherwise I have got used to the way of life and my wife and I like it. So far I have been very happy at Chelsea and I have started to love the Premier League. But in the case of Barcelona showing interest, yes, certainly it would be worth considering. "
Read more:
Villareal goalkeeper Diego Lopez tops wish list
Valdes calm about renewal talks
Barcelona speaking with Cech and Buffon
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Advanced negotiations with goalkeeper Asenjo
Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain has met a few days ago with Fernando Redondo, the agent of Real Valladolid goalkeeper and Spanish youth international Sergio Asenjo (19).
Since other clubs are also interested, Barcelona had already asked for a meeting more than one month ago but the appointment was then cancelled bacause Begiristain had to travel to Japan to stand by his sick brother.
During this week's meeting, there would have been found an agreement on some basic conditions for a transfer next summer.
Asenjo has a buyout clause of 5,5 million euro° and would sign a contract for four or five years that would include a year salary of 2 million euro plus incentives. Although there are still some issues left, the intention of both parties is to find an deal, with Barcelona being the first option for the goalkeeper.
Barcelona goalkeeping coach Juan Carlos Unzué has closely followed the performances of Asenjo closely over the last months and in an positive report he has recommended the transfer of the Spanish goalkeeper, preferring his transfer over that of Villarreal goalkeeper Diego López (read more here).
Read more:
Asenjo candidate to be back-up for Valdés
Do We Buy? Goalkeeper.
Asenjo not considering foreign offers
Monday, 29 December 2008
Do We Buy? Goalkeeper.
This is one of the positions where we need to clear space before signing any. If we were now in June 2008, I may not dare to say “we are not in a hurry to sign a keeper”, I still have the taste of my blood in my mouth since last time I said Valdes is not THAT bad, but we are now in December, and everything is different, and the word “different” is always great to hear, but specially when it means “Better”.Rank B: Young talented keeper who will aim to challenge Valdes but still accepts being the number two keeper, at least for two more years.
Rank C: A young talented keeper who is not ready to play competitive games but whom certainly have the talent and potentials to be a great keeper.
Based on Pep effort in hunting the news for this blog, the following options are the most realistic ones for me:
In my opinion, Lopez is definitely a Rank (A) keeper. Meaning: if we buy him we need to sell Valdes. Having them together will cause the clash-y competition mentioned above. Lopez refused to be a back up for Casillas so don’t even imagine him warming the bench for Barcelona. One of the needs for a goalkeeper to perform well is to feel little secured, and having two Rank (A) keepers make each one of them feels that if he make just one mistake he will warm the bench for long, which is not the best environment for a keeper. And we don’t even need it, now. Will you recommend selling Valdes and buying Lopez?
Sergio Asenjo, Guillermo Ochoa and Akinfeyev are more a Rank (B) keepers. They have potential but will have more patience waiting for their chances. I mentioned that feeling little secure is good for the first option keeper, but feeling very secured and certain of having a guaranteed place in the selection no matter what, will back fire badly on the keeper performance. With a Rank (B) keeper - unlike Rank (D) - Valdes will feel calm but will stay alert. Now that’s what we need, and my favorite option here is Sergio Asenjo.
For the third spot, and based on the transfer criteria I posted in the previous part, I will turn my attention toward Barcelona Athletic first. If Miño is good enough to have a shot – or may be I have to say to block a shot – then he is my third keeper. If not, then I suggest scouting keepers like Alex Pena (Roma), Andrea Consigli (Atalanta) or Emiliano Viviano (Brescia). Last option, but also reasonable, is just to keep it void with Mino to fill if needed, may be in a year or two we get through our youth ranks a keeper to take that seat.
Do we buy now or next summer?
I don’t think next summer we will be able to buy Sergio Asenjo for less than his buyout clause (5,5 million euro), so I wouldn’t mind to make an attempt now. But again Valladolid are not that desperate nor in a hurry, so they will wait till summer, unless if we offered them the 5,5 millions plus Jorquera/Pinto, under a condition that either we get Asenjo now or at least we guarantee having him at the end of the season, I think this way we can avoid getting out-bidden by another club in the summer.
For the third option keeper, may be its better to delay that till summer giving Miño more time to show his potentials, and keeping Pinto in case Valdes get injured and the new B ranked keeper (if signed) needed time to settle.
If any of the mentioned scenarios happened in the following weeks, I will be glad, yet I will also sleep at night if not, as long as the change will come next summer because by then, it will become a must.
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Barcelona keeps on scouting Diego Lopez
Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona is still interested in Villareal goal keeper Diego López (27) (read more here).
The Spanish goalkeeper is being and will continue to be closely followed by Barcelona to see if he can keep on confirming the positive scouting reports drawn up until now (read more here).
López could in the future form a duo with current Barcelona first-choice goalkeeper Víctor Valdés (26), whom the club wants to offer a contract renewal until 2014 (read more here).
Diego López has a contract with Villarreal until the summer of 2014. The deal includes a buyout clause of 30 million euro°, which would force Barcelona to sit around the table with Villarreal if they will decide to try to sign the goalkeeper.
Read more:
Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez tops wish list
Asenjo candidate to be back-up for Valdés
Valdes is next on renewal list
Friday, 28 November 2008
Villareal goalkeeper Diego Lopez tops wish list
Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona is interested in Villareal goal keeper Diego López (27) (read more here).
Barcelona's technical staff would want to sign a new goalkeeper at the end of this season and have been searching the market. Although there are at this moment several candidates, Diego López would be the first name on the list.
Despite Villareal already having made clear to other interested clubs and to the player's agent Manuel García Quilón that the player is not for sale, Barcelona are monitoring Diego López closely and are drawing up reports on the goalkeeper.
Asked about the rumours linking him with Barcelona, Diego López has said at a press conference that he doesn't plan to leave: "It's always nice that you're linked with big clubs like Barcelona, but I my opinion Villareal is also a big club.
Last year, people were also telling that kind of stories and in the end I renewed my contract. I'm feeling very comfortable here and I already made that clear last year. I think I should stay here to keep making progress and to help the club for many more years."
Read more:
Asenjo candidate to be back-up for Valdés
Looking for a goal keeper
Villareal's Diego Lopez to rival Valdes
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Diego Lopez was sounded out
Barcelona site Pelikano claims that Barcelona has sounded out Villareal goal keeper Diego López (26) about a possible transfer to Barcelona (read more here).
This happened after a meeting between Barcelona president Joan Laporta and English national team coach Fabio Capello at the airport of a European capital in May.
The Italian, who also recommended Arsenal striker Adebayor, would have suggested Laporta to offer Diego López, who Capello knows from his time with Real Madrid, a contract.
Read more:
Villareal's Diego Lopez to rival Valdes
Guardiola asked for three goalkeepers
How things stand: Goal keeper
Friday, 9 May 2008
Villareal's Diego Lopez to rival Valdes
Madrid sports tabloid Marca claims that Barcelona has decided to put first-choice goal keeper Víctor Váldes (26) on the market. Váldes is not considered to be a vital piece in the rebuilding of the team and Barcelona will listen to offers coming in during the summer transfer window.
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