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

Gorka dismisses Barcelona rumours

Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona (read more here), Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz (28) has said to journalists that he's not thinking about this at the moment:

"Those are just rumours, paper news... I'm not worried about all that since you cannot control it.

A football player needs to be focused on and be happy with his job and what he does every day. That's the only thing that I'm thinking about right now."

Read more:
Who could replace Valdes?
A goalkeeper, a left back and a striker
Valdes calm about renewal talks


Watch a video of Gorka here:

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