Oleguer wants to leave for Ajax

Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad claims that Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam is negotiating the transfer of Barcelona centre and right back defender Oleguer Presas (28). Ajax general director Henri van der Aat and Ajax sports director Danny Blind travelled to Barcelona on Friday trying to finalize the deal.

Blind, who has given up the hope to bring Henrique to Amsterdam (read more here), confirmed the trip in an interview with football site Goal: "I was in Barcelona and now we have to see how things will turn out. Barcelona wants to keep Oleguer but the player wants to leave. He sure has no problems to play in the Dutch league."

New Ajax manager Marco Van Basten also confirmed the interest for Oleguer yesterday in an interview with Amsterdam local television channel AT5.

Barcelona board member Rafael Yuste admitted in an interview with Catalan radio station RAC 1 that there were negotiations going on: "It's true that Ajax has shown interest and that the player knows about that. We have started the negotiations and they will go on next week. I think it would be a good thing, both for the player and the club, if we could reach an agreement."

Dutch football weekly paper Voetbal International claims that Barcelona is asking 5 million euro° for Oleguer, whose contract expires in 2010. Catalan sports paper Sport claims that the Barcelona technical staff wants to hold on to the Catalan defender but will respect the wish of the player if he wants to leave. Barcelona would settle for a price between 3 and 4 million euro°.

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that the negotiations are advanced and that a deal could be closed in the coming days. The transfer price would be 3 million euro° plus another possible 2 million euro° variables.

Madrid sports tabloid As claims that the negotations already started in December. Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola has now given his approval and Ajax could officially announce the transfer on Monday or Tuesday.

Read more:
Talks with Ajax on Henrique and Oleguer
How things stand: Central defenders
Ajax wants Oleguer on loan

Huntelaar is in Barcelona

Dutch television football talk show Studio Voetbal claimed last night that Ajax Amsterdam forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (24) took yesterday evening a flight to Barcelona, where he could negotiate today about a transfer to Barcelona. Huntelaar's contract with Ajax expires in 2010 and the player, who scored already 29 goals in the Dutch league this season, has been linked with several European top clubs in the past months. Dutch television channel AT5 denied that Barcelona is in the race for Huntelaar, because they have enough quality forwards and because Barcelona adviser Johan Cruijff isn't a big fan of the player.

Dutch sports site Sportweek claims that Huntelaar left Barcelona and headed by train to Madrid, where he could have met with Real Madrid officials. An Ajax fan association states that Huntelaar went to Spain to cooperate on a new commercial by a sportswear supplier.