Ronaldinho is learning Italian

Like could have been expected, the transfer of Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho (28) probably won't be resolved soon and seems on its way to become the transfer story of this summer.

The negotiations between Barcelona and AC Milan has apparently reached a dead point after a conference call last Saturday where there appeared to be a serious difference between offer and demand. Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Barcelona was asking 50 million euro° for both Ronaldinho and Barcelona full back Gianluca Zambrotta (31), while Milan would only be ready to pay 20 million euro° for the two players.

Milan president Silvio Berlusconi (on Italian radio station Radio Radio), Milan vice president Adrino Galliani and Milan adviser Ernesto Bronzetti (on Italian television channel RAI Sport) kept repeating all week long that Barcelona is asking far too much. Galliani even threatened to cancel the negotiations and to focus on other players if Barcelona would not accept Milan's conditions. Bronzetti said that Barcelona is initially always asking the double of their real target. Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti, who sent his son to Barcelona last week to hold talks with Barcelona representatives on Ronaldinho, also joined in and agreed with the Milan officials.

Barcelona is keeping a total silence on the negotiations, but on Wednesday Barcelona economic vice president Ferran Soriano hit out at the Milan negotiation tactics in an interview with Catalan radio station RAC 1: "This habit of always running to the press and negotiating through indirect statements is a style of last century. In the 21st century things can be done with more discretion. We certainly won't play that game."

Catalan sports paper Sport reported that Galliani nevertheless was in Barcelona on Wednesday and negotiated with Barcelona president Joan Laporta after the Champions League game against Manchester United. Italian sports paper Il Corriere dello Sport claims that Milan has changed its attitude and would now be willing to accept a fixed transfer price plus important variables based on matches played and goals scored by Ronaldinho and trophies won by Milan.

Meanwhile, Italian newspaper La Repubblica claims that Ronaldinho is already learning Italian, with the help of Zambrotta and of his friend Mimmo, a Napoli restaurant keeper who acts as private cook to Ronaldinho and his family. There you have the one responsible for that belly...

pep's opinion:
With Ronaldinho at this moment in my opinion worth somewhere between 25 and 30 million euro, and Zambrotta between 7 and 9 million euro, I consider 35 million euro for the two a correct price. With of course, in the case of Ronaldinho, important variables so Barcelona also gains if Ronaldinho would get back on his top level.

Read more:
Ronaldinho agrees terms with Milan
Ronnie's week: Barcelona-Milan
Ronaldinho to Milan: principal agreement

Crosas in exchange for option on Benzema

It is generally believed that Barceloan sports director Txiki Begiristain is trying to put Barcelona in the best postition for the day that Olympique Lyon forward Karim Benzema (20) will be put on the market (read more here). Catalan sports paper Sport reports that Olympique Lyon midfielder and Barcelona loan out Marc Crosas (20) could play a important role in attaining that goal.

Lyon wants to transfer the Catalan midfielder on a permanent deal (read more here) and the paper claims that Barcelona would be ready to offer crosas for free to Lyon, if the French champion would be willing to confer Barcelona an option to buy Benzema in the future.

When the loan deal on Crosas was negotiated last January, Begiristain aleready tried to include an option on Benzema (and on Olympique Lyon left wing attacker Hatem Ben Arfa (21) - read more here) in the deal, something that was back then rejected by Lyon.

Read more:
First contact with Lyon on Benzema
Lyon wants to buy Crosas
Ben Arfa could be left-wing back-up

Guiza agent confirms Barcelona interest

Nuria Bermúdez, the wife and one of the agents (together with Félix Moneo) of Mallorca forward Dani Güiza (27), has confirmed in an interview with Italian football site Tutto Mercato Web that Barcelona is one of the clubs that is following the Spanish international (read more here): "I think it will be difficult for Daniel to stay in Mallorca, since also a big club like Barcelona has now shown interest."

At this moment Güiza wants to focus on finishing the season with Mallorca before taking a look at the offers that are also coming in from countries like Italy, England or Russia: "There has not yet been an official contact between Mallorca and interested clubs, no formal offer has been made. In a few weeks time, my husband and I will evaluate the different possibilities together with my business partner."

Dani Güiza played before for Barcelona B on loan from Recreativo Huelva. In the first half of 2003, he scored 5 goals in 15 matches in a team with current Barcelona players Víctor Váldés, Albert Jorquera, Oleguer Presas and Andrés Iniesta, who came close to the promotion to the Spanish Second Division. Güiza, a declared madridista, nevertheless has always said that Barcelona didn't treat him well by not giving him a real chance.

Read more:
First talks with Guiza

Board member leaked Guardiola preference

A few weeks ago Catalan television channel TV3 brought the news that the Barcelona board had decided not to go on with Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard (45) and that he would be replaced at the end of the season by Barcelona B manager Josep Guardiola (37) (read more here). Based on reports in Catalan sports paper Sport and Catalan sports weekly paper Gol, this blog can give a reconstruction of the events.

During a board meeting in the last week of March (before the Liga game against Betis Sevilla and the first leg of the Champions League quarter final against Schalke 04) the future of Frank Rijkaard was discussed. The option to dismiss the Dutchman immediately if Barcelona would not qualify for the Champions League semi finals was mentioned and there was a discussion about who could replace Rijkaard in that case until the end of the season (read more here).

The name of Guardiola was put forward by a majority of the board members but in the end it was agreed to let Rijkaard continue and finish the season to not prematurely burn Guardiola (read more here). The former Barcelona captain could then take over in the summer.

At the end of the meeting it was explicitly asked that the Guardiola option would not yet become publicly known. But not even a week later the whole board discussion was already in the media (read more here and here), which infuriated Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who felt betrayed.

Laporta got to know that it was one of the board members who had been talking to TV3 and at the next board meeting two weeks later, the president locked everyone in the room and said that nobody would leave before he knew who had filtered the Guardiola story to the press.

It was board member Evarist Murtra who stepped up and admitted his mistake, saying that he had been betrayed himself by a friend. Murtra put his function at the disposal of the club. In the end everything was cooled down withoug big decisions.

Read more:
Could Guardiola be the emergency solution?
Guardiola takes Mourinho's pole
Will Rijkaard finish the season?

Crosas goes French / 22

Olympique Lyon played yesterday 2-2 against Caen at home. Three games before the end of the league, Lyon stays on top of the French Ligue 1 with a four point lead on second placed Bordeaux. Barcelona loan out Marc Crosas (20) started on the bench and stayed there for 90 minutes.

Read everything on the performances of Marc Crosas in Lyon here