Blanc would like to coach Barcelona

Asked about the rumours linking him to Barcelona as a possible successor of current Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard (read more here), Girondins Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc (42) has said in an interview with Catalan radio station Ona FM that he would like to coach Barcelona and suggests that his football philosophy would fit perfectly with the tradition at the club: "I want to play in an attacking way. From the goal keeper to the centre forward, everyone should take part in trying to create chances to score. Even when that means the opponent will more likely score against you. The important thing is to score one goal more yourself."

The former Barcelona central defender admitted that he probably needs to gain some more experience to coach a European top club (read more here): "Because this is only my first season as a manager, I might still lack some experience to coach a big team. However, if I were given the responsibility, I would confront it with a lot of professionalism."

Read more:
Mourinho or Blanc
Transfer history: Laurent Blanc
Blanc is in the race too

Deco plays it hard

Catalan sports weekly paper Gol claims that Barcelona will again try to sell Barcelona midfielder Deco (30) in the summer. Besides his disappointing performances on the pitch, the club doesn't like the way of being and acting of the player, who is also still being linked with former Barcelona sports vice president Sandro Rosell.

Deco has told people of his entourage that he's having a great time in Barcelona and that he only will consider leaving if his new club would offer him a four-year contract and the same salary he's getting at this moment: 5 million euro°. If that's not the case, Deco plans to stay until his contract expires in 2010.

The weekly paper claims that Barcelona already wanted to let go Deco, who has a buyout clause of 75 million euro°, last summer. The club received many offers, but the Portuguese international only wanted to join his former Porto manager José Mourinho at Chelsea. No agreement could be reached with Chelsea because the English club did not want to pay the transfer price Barcelona was asking nor the 6 million euro° year salary that Deco wanted to receive for each of the three years he would be playing in England.

Read more:
Milan also wants Deco
Deco wants to stay
Inter and Juventus rival for Deco

Transfer history: Francescoli

While telling that he was close to joining Barcelona back in 1986 when he was coaching Scottish club Aberdeen (read more here), Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson also explained in the same interview with British tabloid The Sunday Express that Barcelona kept in touch the following years and that they asked his advice when the club was considering the transfer of Uruguayan playmaker Enzo Francescoli. Given the time indications it can be assumed that this happened in the late eighties.

Enzo Francescoli (47), the childhood hero of former FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, is the most legendary Uruguayan player of the last decades. In 1986 he came to Europe and played for three seasons with French club Racing Club de Paris. After one more year at Marseille, he left in 1990 for the Italian league, where he played with Cagliari and Torino.

Read more:
Transfer history: Alex Ferguson
Transfer history: Zinedine Zidane
Youth: Diego Polenta (Danubio)

Rijkaard co-favourite for Chelsea job

Asked about his plans for next season, Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard (45) did not want to pronounce on his future at Barcelona in an interview with Catalan television channel TV3 and said that the issue will be discussed with the board after the season: "I am very motivated and at this moment I just want to finish what we have been working for. The club has always supported me a lot but we will have to look at what is best for Barcelona."

British tabloid The Daily Star meanwhile claims that Rijkaard is, together with Russian national team coach Guus Hiddink, the favourite to replace current Chelsea manager Avram Grant (read more here). Even if the Israeli coach would win the Premier League title or the Champions League, it is likely that Grant, who is not popular with the players or the fans, will be offered another job at the club when the Chelsea board will decide on his future in the summer.

Read more:
Chelsea wants Rijkaard
Decision on Rijkaard in May
Rijkaard brother denies Chelsea

Inter president still likes Messi

Asked about the rumours linking Inter Milan forward and Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic (26) with a move to Barcelona, Inter president Massimo Moratti laughed away the rumours suggesting he would maybe consider an exchange with Barcelona right wing attacker Lionel Messi (20): "Ibrahimovic to Barcelona? That's all fantasy. There is no doubt that Zlatan will stay with us next season. He's a great player, so he's followed by big clubs, but he will not move from here. I also like Messi, but that does not mean anything."

Read more:
Messi wanted by European top clubs
Inter president wants Messi at any price
Messi closes Inter door