Guardiola wanted to replace Henry this summer

Madrid sports tabloid As claims that Barcelona wanted to replace Barcelona forward and French international Thierry Henry (31) during the past summer transfer window.

Because Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola would have had enough of the clash of the egos of Henry and Eto'o, he reportedly asked the club to look for a new left winger.

Although it was Eto'o who took all the hits from the press and Henry came out of it fairly undamaged because of his good relationship with the media and the entourage of the club, Guardiola would have wanted to get rid of both players.

Barcelona would therefore have been discretely sounding out the market over the last months and contacted among others left wingers like Riera, Robben, Robinho, Mata and Silva. But although those players would have agreed to join Barcelona, it was not possible to close a deal with their clubs. If Barcelona would find a new left winger next year, Henry will probably leave the club at the end of this season.

Read more:
Robben confirms Barcelona interest
Henry wants to play in the US one day
Barcelona keeping an eye on Robinho

Valencia definitely closes door for Mata transfer

Asked about the new rumours linking Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) with a move to Barcelona (read more here), Valencia president Manuel Llorente told journalists yesterday that the player will stay this summer:

"I don't know anything about a possible renewed interest of Barcelona in Juan Mata.

I can anyhow tell you that no player will leave Valencia before the end of the transfer market on 31 August. Nobody has contacted us and in the case of Mata I think that it is clear that Barcelona has no chance of signing him. We have been able to keep our key players at the club this summer so that we can be competitive during the coming season."

Read more:
Mata hoping for last-minute Barcelona move
Barcelona not giving up on Mata

Mata hoping for last-minute Barcelona move

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) hopes that Barcelona will make a last-minute attempt to sign him this summer.

Although Barcelona will almost certainly not sign any more players if the transfer of Shakhtar centre-back Chygrynskiy would be finalized this weekend, strengthening the left wing has been a priority for the club over the past months and a transfer is still not totally excluded.

After the failed attempts to sign Bayern Munich attacker Ribéry, Mata would have become the first option for the left wing (read more here). Barcelona reportedly still has to decide if they will try to close another transfer operation this summer, but if they do, they will probably go for Mata, although nothing indicates that Valencia would this time be willing to sell the player.

Read more:
Barcelona not giving up on Mata
Mascherano, Chygrynskiy, Mata: Two out of three
Mata could buy his freedom

Barcelona not giving up on Mata

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona has not yet given up on Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21).

Barcelona reportedly still wants to sign a left winger before the end of the summer transfer window and new financial problems at Valencia could make the Spanish club willing to re-open the negotiations on Mata.

Read more:
Valencia holds on to Mata
Barcelona still hopeful of signing Mata
Mata could buy his freedom

Barcelona still hopeful of signing Mata

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona has not given up on Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21).

Mata remains the main option to strengthen Barcelona’s forward line this summer and Barcelona is said to believe that an offer of 18 million euro° could in the end be enough to close a transfer deal for the Spanish attacker.

Read more:
Mata could buy his freedom
Valencia holds on to Mata
Mascherano, Chygrynskiy, Mata: Two out of three

Mata doesn't want to talk about Barcelona

Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona (read more here), Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) didn't want to enter the issue when talking with journalists earlier today:

"I'm now focused on the national team. Every time I get called-up I'm very happy and very grateful to be here and I'm now only thinking about Macedonia, not about any clubs."

Read more:
Valencia holds on to Mata
Mascherano, Chygrynskiy, Mata: Two out of three

Valencia holds on to Mata

After the meeting between Valencia officials and Juan Manuel Mata, the father and agent of Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) (read more here), Valencia president Manuel Llorente has told journalists that all talks on the renewal are postponed and that the club is not willing to sell the player:

"We had a meeting in a good atmosphere. We didn't talk about numbers yet. We asked the player for some more time to look at the contract renewal. We're now increasing the capital of the club. When we will have financial stability, then that will be the time to study several things and the renewal of Mata will be our first priority.

The player has understood our position, he understands that the economic situation is now the most important thing. We have told his father that we count on the player. We know it's a young player, wanted, an international, who has made a lot of progress, with a lot of margin to get better. For us it's important to keep him with us. Barcelona? We didn't talk about possible offers by other clubs."

Read more:
Decisive day for transfer of Mata
Mascherano, Chygrynskiy, Mata: Two out of three

Decisive day for transfer of Mata

With a meeting between Juan Manuel Mata, the father and agent of Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21), coming up later today, this Friday is expected to be a decisive day for a possible transfer of Mata to Barcelona (read more here).

Valencia regional newspaper Las Provincias claims that, if the player and the club won't be able to find an agreement on a contract renewal, Mata will ask the club for a transfer. All media agree that Barcelona will make a bid of 18 million euro° today and that Valencia president Llorente would have promised Juan Manuel Mata to let the Spanish attacker leave for that sum.

Spanish radio station Radio Marca claims that Valencia will accept to sell Mata. The club would still have to pay 15 per cent of the players' salaries from last season and would therefore be forced to sell one of their top player this summer. Barcelona is reported to be willing to make a bid of more than 20 million euro°.

Read more:
Mata offer to be presented tomorrow
Mascherano, Chygrynskiy, Mata: Two out of three

Mata offer to be presented tomorrow

Valencia regional newspaper Las Provincias claims that Juan Manuel Mata, the father and agent of Spanish international Juan Mata (21), will tomorrow present Valencia an offer of Barcelona.

Mata will tomorrow meet with Valencia offials to disccus the player's contract renewal and to analyse the offer of Barcelona. The agent would inform the club, on behalf of Barcelona, about a bid of 18 million euro°.

Asked about the rumours linking Mata with a move to Barcelona, Valencia sport director Fernando Gómez said yesterday in an interview with Valencia regional radio station Punto Radio that the club doesn't plan to let the Spanish winger go: "Mata is one of those players we cannot let go, he should stay with the team for some more years. And I think he will stay at Valencia. But we will listen to everybody and who knows someone will come with a scandalously scandalous offer.

The renewal talks are the responsibility of the board but I want to make clear that he already received an important pay rise. Like his contract stated, his initial salary of 600 000 euro plus incentives was raised from the moment he had played fifty games with us, something that happned last season. Now we will talk about raising the contract again a little, and I actually think that would be a logical thing after his recent performances."

Read more:
Mata could buy his freedom
Mascherano, Chygrynskiy, Mata: Two out of three

Mascherano, Chygrynskiy, Mata: Two out of three

Catalan sports paper Sport that Barcelona has decided to sign two more players during the current transfer window.

Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain, Barcelona director of football Raul Sanllehí and Barcelona sports vice-president Rafael Yuste would have held a meeting yesterday morning in the Four Seasons hotel in Seattle to discuss the further transfer negotiations.

Three names would have been on table: Liverpool defensive midfielder and Argentine international Javier Mascherano (25), Shakhtar Donetsk defender and Ukrainian international Dmytro Chygrynskiy (22) and Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) .

With Shakhtar having been eliminated in the Champions League yesterday, Chygrynskiy seems at this moment the most likely transfer, although Barcelona would only want to pay a maximum of 15 million euro. Mascherano would still be an option. Barcelona officials reportedly think there's still a chance to sign the Argentinian despite the current asking price of 50 million euro. Regarding Mata, Barcelona is waiting for the outcome of the renewal talks planned between the player and his club tomorrow.

Read more:
Mata could buy his freedom
Price Chygrynskiy could drop to 10 million
Mascherano is in Barcelona

Mata could buy his freedom

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) is considering to buy his freedom.

The player's agent and father Juan Manuel Mata would meet on Friday with Valencia officials to discuss the Mata's contract renewal (read more here). If Valencia's offer isn't enough compared with several other proposals the player has received from other clubs, Mata would want to leave the club.

Valencia would have made Mata senior a few weeks ago the promise that, although the player's buyout clause is 60 million euro, he could leave for a transfer fee of between 18 and 20 million euro°.

Also because of the extremely difficult relations between Valencia and Barcelona after the events surrounding Valencia striker David Villa earlier this summer, the player's father would now think about paying that sum himself or through Brazilian player's agency Traffic, of which he is the representative in Spain. Barcelona would then later sign the player without having to negotiate directly with Valencia.

Read more:
Barcelona moving again for Mata
Mata agent honoured by Barcelona link

Mata agent honoured by Barcelona link

Asked about the new rumours linking Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) with a move to Barcelona (read more here), the player's father and agent Juan Manuel Mata has said in an interview with Catalan radio station COM Ràdio that it's an honour to be linked with Barcelona:

"That a coach like Guardiola, who has won everything, likes the way of playing of Mata and thinks that he has the right profile for Barcelona, is of course an honour.

In any case, it was Valencia that gave him the chance to have already played 80 games in the Liga, to have scored a bunch of goals, to become international, European champion under-19 and best player of that tournament.

No one of Barcelona has talked with me so far but I think that's normal because the clubs should first reach an agreement. The president of Valencia already told me more than one month ago that Barcelona and Madrid have asked for Mata and that he had rejected.

The president is always very clear in his public statements and he was also clear to me: Mata is a very important player for the current project of Valencia. But I guess a situation can always change overnight. I want to stress that football wise, Mata cannot complain at Valencia although you cannot deny that Barcelona has been winning a lot of trophies.

But we sure want to renew his contract because it's still the same as when he arrived from Real Madrid B and they have been promising the whole year that he deserves a better contract, so we're waiting for that. We had a first contact and the proposal wasn't exactly very good. We'll have a new meeting at the end of this week."

Read more:
Barcelona moving again for Mata
Looking forward to the last transfer window month

Barcelona moving again for Mata

Valencia regional sports paper Superdeporte claims that Barcelona is still trying to sign Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21).

Barcelona would be looking for a left winger and Valencia vice-president Javier Gómez is reported to have last week received a phone call saying that Barcelona Barcelona plans to sign Mata, whose current contract expires in 2012, this summer. Barcelona would nevertheless not have made a formal bid yet.

Valencia is anyhow not willing to sell Mata - unless they get an offer they cannot refuse - and will repeat that message when meeting with the player's father and agent at the end of the week to discuss a contract renewal. Although both parties want to reach an agreement, the player's agent considers the club's last offer of 600 000 euro a year to be ridiculous.

Read more:
Barcelona still interested in Mata
Looking forward to the last transfer window month
Mata will use Barcelona offer to get pay rise


Watch a video of Mata here:

Barcelona still interested in Mata

Spanish football site Futbolitis claims that Barcelona is still interested in Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21).

Although Valencia would have rejected starting negotiations before, a deal might be possible later this summer since Valencia would still be in need of money. The financial situation would also be the reason why the club cannot offer Mata the contract renewal the attacker had been promised. A transfer could be possible for a fee between 15 and 20 million euro, although a left winger is at this moment not a priority for Barcelona.

Read more:
Agent Mata confirms Barcelona interest
Looking forward to the last transfer window month
Mata will use Barcelona offer to get pay rise

Looking forward to the last transfer window month

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo looks ahead to the last month of the summer transfer window.


Central defender
With the transfer of Shakhtar Donetsk defender and Ukrainian international Dmytro Chygrynskiy (22) having become unlikely because of the player's participation in a Champions league qualifying game, Barcelona could decide not to sign another centre-back and to count on Henrique and youth players Muniesa or Fontàs.

Midfielder
Signing another midfielder seems at this moment the priority of the club, with Liverpool defensive midfielder and Argentine international Javier Mascherano (25) and Arsenal midfielder and Spanish international Cesc Fàbregas (22) on top of the list. A player with a back-up profile like Poulsen is not an option.

Left winger
With a transfer of main target Franck Ribéry not being possible, a transfer of a left winger is not a priority because the alternatives don't convince. Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) could be an option if he cannot reach a renewal agreement with Valencia this summer. Other rumoured options like Di María, Robinho or Arshavin seem far off at this moment. Homegrown players Pedro, Jeffren or Gai are expected to get their chances.

Read more:
Transfer of Chygrynskiy becomes unlikely
Mascherano or Cesc
Mata will use Barcelona offer to get pay rise

Mata will use Barcelona offer to get pay rise

Madrid sports tabloid Marca claims that Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) will use the personal offer he received from Barcelona to try to get a pay rise.

The father and agent of Mata will meet next week with Valencia officials to discuss a renewal of the player's contract, that was signed when he arrived as youth player two years ago and which makes him earn a salary of 500 000 euro a year.

Despite the promise of Valencia to upgrade the contract and several meetings over the last month, the player and the club haven't been able to find a deal and Valencia would even want to postpone the talks until next summer. The club has reportedly asked the agent to show them the offers other clubs would have made so they can make a better assessment of the situation. It is now believed that the personal offer made by Barcelona will be put on the table during a new meeting next week.

Read more:
Barcelona preparing new move for Mata
Mata lays future in the hands of Valencia
Agent Mata confirms Barcelona interest

Barcelona preparing new move for Mata

Spanish television channel La Sexta claims that Barcelona is still interested in Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) (read more here).

Barcelona would be preparing a new bid for the Spaniard and is expected to move soon.

Read more:
Mata is the main left wing target
Mata lays future in the hands of Valencia

Mata lays future in the hands of Valencia

Asked about the rumours linking him with several European top clubs among which Barcelona (read more here), Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21) has said in an interview with the readers of Madrid sports tabloid Marca that his future will depend on the decision of his club:

"I'm a Valencia player and I'm feeling comfortable here. A transfer to another club will only depend on what Valencia wants.

If the club thinks that the best thing is to look for another club, I'm willing to leave but I repeat that I'm feeling very good at the club at this moment. For now, I sure don't want to change to another league and I prefer to stay in the Liga."

Read more:
Joint offer for Villa and Mata upcoming
Agent Mata confirms Barcelona interest

Valencia majority shareholder not closing Villa door

Former Valencia president Vicente Soriano, who wants to return to power after he obtained the majority of the shares of the club last weekend, explained his plans this evening at a press conference.

Regarding the sale of the key players of the club, among which Valencia forward and Spanish international David Villa (27) and Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21), Soriano said that there's no need for any of them to be sold, although he also commented that when a club shows interest or a player wants to leave, the matter will be discussed and a decision will be taken.

Read more:
Joint offer for Villa and Mata upcoming
Picture of the day: Villa and Laporta
The contract of Villa

Joint offer for Villa and Mata upcoming

Spanish television channel La Sexta claims that Barcelona is preparing a joint bid for Valencia forward and Spanish international David Villa (27) and Valencia left wing attacker and Spanish international Juan Mata (21).

The bid would be made in the coming hours and consist of 55 million euro° cash plus the loan of two players: Palmeiras forward Keirrison (20) and Barcelona central defender and Uruguay international Martín Cáceres (22).

Read more:
Meeting with Villa
Agent Mata confirms Barcelona interest
First formal bid for Villa