Stuttgart wants to make Hleb loan permanent

Asked about the loan of Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) (read more here), Stuttgart sports director Horst Heldt is quoted as saying in an interview with Heidelberg local newspaper Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung that the German club wants to sign the player permanently next summer:

"We have brought him back home and he is a world-class midfielder. In the last three months we have tried very hard to lure him back to our club and I am delighted we have succeeded.

Coach Markus Babbel and I are willing to give Alex all the time he needs to find his feet at the club, as he is lacking in match fitness at the moment. We all know the ability he has and he was our top target this summer. If we are able to, we would like to sign him permanently after the loan deal expires."

Read more:
Official: Hleb to Stuttgart on loan
Bayern Munich and Stuttgart want Hleb

Hleb officially presented as Stuttgart player

Barcelona player Alexander Hleb has earlier today been presented as new Stuttgart player. The Belarusian joins his former club on loan for one season.

"It feels very good to retun here because this feels like home. Stuttgart and the club is like my home ground, I have a lot of friends here and I hope this good atmosphere will help to achieve great things. I started my career at this club and it's with a lot of nostalgia that I'm coming back."

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OFFICIAL: Hleb to Stuttgart on loan

OFFICIAL: Hleb to Stuttgart on loan

Barcelona has earlier today officially announced the transfer of Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) to Stuttgart.

Vfb Stuttgart has meanwhile officially confirmed the news saying that the clubs reached an agreement this morning.

Hleb will join Stuttgart on a one-year loan, with the German club paying his full salary. Hleb already played with Stuttgart for five seasons, from 2000 until 2005.

Read more:
OFFICIAL: Keirrison to Benfica on loan
OFFICIAL: Eto'o to Inter Milan
OFFICIAL: Sylvinho will leave

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 has deal with Stuttgart

German sports weekly paper Sport Bild claims that Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) has found a personal agreement with German club Stuttgart.

Hleb would sign a one-year loan deal with his former club. Italian sports paper Il Corriere dello Sport confirmed earlier today that Hleb had yesterday decided to reject the offer of Inter Milan and to join Stuttgart instead. Hleb would prefer to return to Germany because he doesn't want to live another year with language problems, as happened last season in Barcelona.

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What is happening with Hleb?

What is happening with Hleb?

Although Barcelona officially announced on Monday that Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) would move on loan to Inter Milan (with a buy option of 10+2 million euro) as part of the deal on the transfer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it is still not yet clear where Hleb will play next season.

Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that one of the player's agents Maurizio Gaudino travelled to Spain yesterday trying to close a deal. He would nevertheless not have been able to find an agreement with Barcelona on last season's bonuses, nor to convince Hleb to join Inter. Inter would already be looking at other options.

German sports weekly Sport Bild reports that Hleb's agents Uli Ferber and Niki Spilevski travelled to Milan on Monday and Tuesday, but despite the pressure by Barcelona to leave, Hleb would want to stay at the club. Catalan sports papers Sport and El Mundo Deportivo meanwhile both claim that Hleb, who won't travel with the squad to the United States (read more here), could finally end up with his former club Stuttgart.

Read more:
Still no final deal with Hleb on Inter loan
Four youth players will travel to US
Hleb wants to stay at Barcelona

Stuttgart cannot afford to sign Hleb

Asked about the rumours linking Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) with a move to Stuttgart (read more here), Stuttgart president Edwin Staudt has said in an interview with German tabloid Bild that it's unlikely the transfer will go through although he didn't exclude to sign the player on loan:

"I don't know if the transfer price is 12 million euro°, but with that kind of player, it's not only about the transfer fee, but also about the wage demands.

And although Stuttgart has a special place in Alex's heart, I cannot imagine that a player of his reputation and at his age would be ready to seriously lower his wage to come and play with us.

That is more likely to happen when one is near the end of his career. That's why you should see if it's better to buy him and offer him a contract for many years or if it's better to get him on loan for a shorter period with an option to buy him."

Read more:
Hleb does not want to leave
Barcelona planning six transfers
Lyon interested in Hleb

Hleb will leave if asked by Barcelona

Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Bayern Munich or Stuttgart (read more here), Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) has said in an interview with British sports site Setanta Sports that he will leave if he does not feel wanted anymore:

"To be honest I am now not thinking about the fact that this could be my last game with Barcelona, at the moment I am focused on winning this final. This does not happen every day, being involved in the Champions League final, as a consequence I will try to make the most of it.

I am aware of the fact that moving back to the Bundesliga is an option for me, but we will only sit down with the boss and with the president once the season is over. Sincerely, right now I do not care at all about that. If Barcelona do not want me to stay here, then what can I do? I will go. If they want me to stay, then I will stay. Obviously Barcelona are a very big club, and what I want to do is show myself more regularly, and most of all give more, but it is part of the game."

Catalan sports paper Sport meanwhile claims that Hleb will be part of the transfer deal on Bayern Munich attacker and French intenational Franck Ribéry (26) (read more here). Barcelona would already have reached a personl agreement with the player while Bayern Munich would be willing to let the Frenchman go in a cash-plus-players deal. The supposed interest of Real Madrid would only be an attempt by the German club to drive up the price.

Read more:
Inter Milan interested in Hleb
Total deal on Ribery transfer
Real Madrid considering bid for Hleb

Stuttgart carefully considering Hleb option

Asked about the rumours saying that Stuttgart officials travelled to Barelona on Monday to talk about a transfer of Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alewender Hleb (28) (read more here), Stuttgart sports director Horst Heldt confirmed the trip in an interview with Baden-Württemberg regional newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten but said it had nothing to do with Hleb:

"We did not have an appointment with FC Barcelona about Hleb. I can understand where the story is coming from but it's not true.

The thing is: Uli Ferber (Hleb's agent) needed to go to Barcelona urgently and we had important issues to discuss with him. Because otherwise we had to postpone our meeting, we decided to accompany him to Barcelona in order to be able to talk about some things in a calm way. So we did not meet with Alexander Hleb, I have not seen him, and we didn't have an invitation of FC Barcelona to talk about Hleb. I don't want to disappoint our fans but I don't want to give them false hope either."

Asked about the rumours, Stuttgart manager Markus Babbel nevertheless confirmed the interest in an interview with German tabloid Bild: "With this trip, we wanted to give Alex the feeling that we would want him very, very much to join us. But we're not the only club that is interested in him. It will be very difficult. Alex plays with the best club in the world."

Baden-Württemberg regional newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung claims that Stuttgart will only be able to sign Hleb if they qualify for next season's Champions league or if they sell striker Mario Gómez. Barcelona would ask a transfer fee of around 12 million euro° and Hleb wants a salary of 3,5 million euro and wouldn’t be very tempted to move if Stuttgart only plays in the Uefa cup. Hleb would nevertheless still have many friends in Stuttgart, where he felt more comfortable than in London and Barcelona, and has always kept in touch with the club since he left for Arsenal in the summer of 2008.

Asked about a return to Stuttgart, Hleb meanwhile unconfirmedly said in an interview with german sports weekly paper Kicker that he doesn't plan to leave Barcelona at the end of the season: "Me back to Stuttgart? That is crazy. Barça is a world topclub and I'm not giving up. I want to learn the language and do everything that is needed to break through."

Read more:
Hleb still believes in Barcelona future
Bayern Munich and Stuttgart want Hleb
Barcelona following Stuttgart striker Gomez

Bayern Munich and Stuttgart want Hleb

German tabloid Bild claims that Bayern Munich and Stuttgart are interested in Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28).

Both German clubs want to bring Hleb, whose contract with Barcelona expires in 2012, back to the Bundesliga this summer. Bayern is considering to sign Hleb, whom Barcelona could have offered in the transfer deal for Bayern Munich player Ribéry (read more here).

Aware of the interest of Bayern, Stuttgart sports director Horst Heldt and Stuttgart financial director Jochen Schneider would have flown to Barcelona yesterday morning at 9:55 am with a Germanwings flight. They were accompanied by Hleb's agent Uli Ferber and are expected back in Germany today after having held talks with Barcelona on a possible deal.

Read more:
Bayern preparing a bid for Hleb
Total deal on Ribery transfer
Hleb still believes in Barcelona future

Barcelona fan Gomez wants to play in Spain

Asked about the rumours linking him with several European top clubs among which Barcelona (read more here), Stuttgart forward and German international Mario Gómez (23) has said in an interview with the FIFA official website that he would like to play in Spain one day:

"I don't really have a 'dream club' which I would like to play for one day. As a kid I was a fan of Eintracht Frankfurt and Barcelona, but I don't think I'll be heading to Frankfurt any time soon. I would definitely like to play in Spain at some point, but whether that will be in two, five or ten year's time I couldn't say.

I actually find all the speculation regarding my future funny. The people who are praising me and linking me with the big clubs at the moment were the ones saying that I couldn't cut it a few weeks ago. I always try to do my best, but confidence plays a major role. I have the full support of my club, so I know that the goals will come if we are performing well."

Read more:
Contact with German international Gomez
Last summer's search for a striker
Barcelona following Stuttgart striker Gomez

Barcelona following Stuttgart striker Gomez

German weekly sports paper Sport Bild claims that Barcelona is still interested in Stuttgart forward and German international Mario Gómez (23) (read more here).

Barcelona would be one of the European top clubs that have been scouting the striker during the season. Gómez could leave the German club this summer for a buyout fee of 35 million euro°.

Stuttgart has confirmed that Barcelona scouts have at least been watching two games of the club and the player's agent Uli Ferber has admited recent contacts with Barcelona, although it would only have been a first sounding out. Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Gómez, who has a contract with Stuttgart until 2012, could this summer be available for a transfer price around 23 million euro°.


Watch a video of Gomez:




Read more:
Contact with German international Gomez
Last summer's search for a striker
Looking for a central defender

Last summer's search for a striker

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that, after deciding that they wouldn't count on Samuel Eto'o for the next season, Barcelona started looking earlier this year for the best possible successor.

Barcelona's technical staff started with a list of 15 to 20 players, on which Barcelona had detailled reports. In a first shifting, several names were deleted from the list, among which Ajax forward Huntelaar (25), who didn't get the full support of Joahn Cruijff.

The first choice of Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain was Lyon forward Karim Benzema (20), who soon appeared not to be for sale despite Barcelona being willing to make a bid of 40 million euro°. Barcelona then started working on the transfers of Arsenal forward Adebayor (24) and Tottenham forward Berbatov (27).

Because of the unclear plans of Mourinho at Inter and the uncertainty surrounding Drogba leaving Chelsea or Cristiano Ronaldo joining Real Madrid, the market didn't move between May and July. Barcelona tried to force a deal by offering Eto'o in swap deals with Adebayor and with Inter forward Ibrahimovich (27), but no club was willing to accept Eto'o's salary demands.

Although other names - like Stuttgart forward Gómez (23) and Bayern forward Luca Toni (31) - were discussed, it was in the end decided that Eto'o would stay with the club and that no transfer would be made.

Read more:
Barcelona working on Benzema transfer
Berbatov alternative for Adebayor
Meeting with Inter president on Ibrahimovich

Contact with German international Gomez

German weekly sports paper Sport Bild claims that Barcelona is interested in Stuttgart forward and German international Mario Gómez (22).

Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain had a positive meeting with Gómez' agent Uli Ferber last month.

New Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola would go and watch the player next week at the European championship in Austria and Switzerland.

In a reaction to the paper, the agent admitted the contacts: "Yes, they have contacted me. Mario is also in Barcelona a well-known player. They are interested but we didn't really negotiate yet because of the European championship."

Gómez, whose contract with Stuttgart expires in 2012, has a Spanish father and the double German-Spanish nationality and is a true Barcelona fan. Sport Bild claims Stuttgart plans to hold on to the striker and will certainly not let him go for a transfer fee below 30 million euro°.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Gómez is indeed one of the centre forward Barcelona is looking at. Because the German was last year already close to joining Barcelona, the negotiations can be picked up where they were left. Last year there would already have been a pre-agreement on a four-year deal.

Asked about the rumours surrounding him, Gómez said yesterday at a press conference that he's not thinking about at transfer right now: "Before the European championship I already said it and I can only repeat it: I will not speak and not even think about the issue. The Euro is too important for me and I cannot be busy with other things. I won't speak about club matters until the end of the tournament."

Read more:

Boca president reveals contact with Palacio

Stuttgart defender on the list

How things stand: Centre forward

Looking for a central defender

With Barcelona central defender Lilian Thuram (36) on his way out this summer, Barcelona planned from the start to bring in a new central defender. The serious injury of Gabriel Milito has now made Barcelona speed up the search.

Both main Catalan sports papers think that at this moment the main options are, and in that order of rank, Deportivo La Coruña central defender and Argentinian international Fabricio Coloccini (26) and Manchester United central defender Gerard Piqué (21), like had been analized by this blog last week (read more here).

Piqué left the Barcelona youth academy in 2005 for Manchester United. Due to a lack of playing time, the player has been rejecting until now to renew his contract that expires in 2009 (read more here). British tabloid The Daily Mail claims that Manchester United wants to sell players like Piqué and Saha to raise more funds they then want to spend in the summer. It is said that Piqué wants to return to Spain.

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Manchester United wants to renew the contract before letting him go on loan to Barcelona. Barcelona would prefer a permanent deal. With only one year left on his contract, the transfer fee is said to be around 5 million euro°.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that the Barcelona scouts have also been following two other players: AS Roma central defender and Brazilian international Juan (29) and Stuttgart central defender Matthieu Delpierre (27).

pep's opinion:
if you look at what we have now, there's mainly one thing lacking at the centre back: speed. don't know if coloccini or piqué really have that. and puyol, milito ànd coloccini: that's just too much hair!

Read more:
How things stand: Central defenders
Deal with Coloccini
Piqué tempted by Barcelona return