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

Ajax will listen to offers for Huntelaar

Ajax Amsterdam sports director Danny Blind has said in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that the renewal negotiations with Ajax forward and Dutch international Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (24) are temporarily put on hold:

"The negotiations are stopped for now. We have agreed that we will listen to offers coming in. If the interested clubs don't pay what we ask, then we hope we can sit again around the table with Klaas-Jan later on. We don't really want to see him go. He's our top goalscorer and we would want him to stay, even if he doesn't sign a renewal. He still has two years left on his contract."

Although Ajax offered Huntelaar a serious pay rise, the player couldn't accept the fact that the Dutch club wanted to include a buyout fee of 25 million euro in the new contract. Huntelaar has now set his mind on a transfer to a foreign club.

The paper claims that Huntelaar could this summer probably leave for a transfer fee between 15 and 20 million euro°. Barcelona has over the last months been rumoured to be interested in the Dutch striker.

Read more:

Huntelaar is in Barcelona

How things stand: Centre forward

Fake agent links Huntelaar with Barcelona

How things stand: Centre forward

(at the end of the season, Barça Transfer Zone looks forward to the coming transfer summer making an analysis for each position, in part 8 we look at the centre forward)

2007-2008

Due to the injury of Samuel Eto'o (27), who kept him away from playing until December, Thierry Henry (30) initially took the place in the centre. Since Henry had to move regularly to the left cause of the troubles Ronaldinho was facing, Bojan (17) got his chance up front.

Out

Bojan will certainly stay and will probably sign a renewal this summer (read more here). At this moment it looks like Henry will also stay, although he has been linked with a return to the Premier League (Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham, Aston Villa), with a move to the Major League Soccer (Seattle, New York) and with clubs like Inter Milan and Fenerbahçe.

Since he declared one month ago that he would leave Barcelona if the team does not win a trophy next season (read more here), Samuel Eto'o is in the middle of a transfer storm. Tottenham would have been pushing hard for the striker but it seems for now difficult he'll end up with the club, both for economic and sports reasons. Clubs like AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Fenerbahçe, Chelsea and Arsenal could also be following the Cameroonian.

In

Karim Benzema (Lyon - 20) is the dream candidate but will not leave Lyon in the summer. Since Guardiola was named as manager, there are rumours about him wanting to bring in a strong, tall striker, with Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal - 24) apparently being the back-up for Benzema.

Other names that were mentioned include Adriano (São Paulo/Inter - 26), Jozy Altidore (New York - 18), Amauri (Palermo - 27), Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham - 27), Diego Milito (Zaragoza - 28), Didier Drogba (Chelsea - 30), Dani Güiza (Mallorca -27), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax - 24), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter - 26), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke - 26), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla - 27), Rodrigo Palacio (Boca Juniors - 26) and David Trezeguet (Juventus - 30).

Read all How things stand contributions here or read the contribution about:

Goal keeper - Right back defender - Central defenders - Left back defender - Defensive midfielder - Attacking midfielders - Wing attackers - Centre forward

Fake agent links Huntelaar with Barcelona

Italian player's agent Vincenzo Morabito, who says he represents Ajax forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (24), has said in an interview with Italian radio station Radio Radio that he thinks the player will leave this summer for Spain: "Real Madrid and Barcelona have already shown interest in a transfer. Johan Cruijff likes the player a lot and he's very influential in Barcelona, so I think he'll join them in the end."

Last month, Huntelaar nevertheless denied to have any link with Morabito in a message on his official website: "Klaas-Jan Huntelaar wants to give a clear message. There is a man who says to be the manager of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, but he's not. His name is Vincenzo Morabito. The things he says are unreliable and not true. There is only one official manager and his name is Arnold Oosterveer."

Read more:

Huntelaar agent invites Barcelona

Huntelaar is in Barcelona

Ajax wants Gai Assulin on loan

Huntelaar agent invites Barcelona

Vincenzo Morabito, the agent of Ajax Amsterdam forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (24), has said in an interview with Italian radio station Teleradiostereo that Real Madrid is interested in the Dutch international but that he expects Barcelona could also make a move: "The entourage of Huntelaar prefers a call from Spain. Real Madrid has made a first official step cause they think he could be the successor of Van Nistelrooij. But we must also take into account Barcelona, who are planning to carry out a revolution in the summer, with a lot of changes building a team around Messi."

Read more:

Huntelaar is in Barcelona

First talks with Guiza

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.