Agents Ashley Young confirm Barcelona contacts

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that the agents of Aston Villa winger Ashley Young (23) have confirmed that there have been contacts with Barcelona (read more here).

Barcelona would have turned to Young when the transfers of Ribéry and Robinho became unlikely. Aston Villa is nevertheless asking too much for the English winger and with Barcelona not willing to pay the 30 million euro° fee, they are now looking at other options.

Read more:
Hleb could be included in Ashley Young bid
Four English clubs ask for Gudjohnsen
Ashley Young another option for the left wing

Barcelona has been in contact with 22 players

Madrid sports tabloid As that Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain has already sounded out or been offered twenty-two players this year.

The main reason why Barcelona still didn't sign any players would mainly be the lack of financial means.

The list of 22 players would consist of the following names:


Sergio Asenjo (Real Valladolid)
Karim Benzema (Olympique Lyon)
Bruno Alves (Porto)
Dmytro Chygrynskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk)
Luis Filipe (Deportivo La Coruña)

Diego Forlán (Atlético Madrid)
Eden Hazard (Lille)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan)
Keirrison (Palmeiras)
Florent Malouda (Chelsea)
Javier Mascherano (Liverpool)

Juan Mata (Valencia)
Maxwell (Inter Milan)
Felipe Melo (Fiorentina)
Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich)
Robinho (Manchester City)

David Silva (Valencia)
Robin van Persie (Arsenal)
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
David Villa (Valencia)
Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow)

The report of Txiki (3) : 60 million for Eto'o

Catalan sports paper Sport reports that Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain presented the board on Thursday a report about the current transfer market. The club would want to sign three or four players this summer (read more here).

Barcelona thinks the forward line is the line with the most quality in the current squad but that things can always be improved.

Wings
Barcelona would like to sign a player for the left wing. The asking price for Bayern Munich attacker Franck Ribéry (26) would have gone overnight from 40 to 70 million euro° (read more here). Because the club thinks that this fee is above the market price, the negotiations have been put on hold.

Manchester City left winger Robinho (25), who is not feeling comfortable at his club, could only come on loan because he's too expensive (read more here). Valencia left wing attacker Juan Manuel Mata (21) and Aston Villa winger Ashley Young (23) would be the alternative options (read more here and here).

Centre forward
Barcelona would have valued Eto'o at 60 million euro° and hopes that Manchester United or Chelsea will bid for him. A swap with Inter Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic (27) is still not being excluded (read more here).

Atlético Madrid forward Diego Forlán (30) would fit the profile put forward by Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola but his age reportedly makes Barcelona doubt about paying his 36 million euro° buyout clause (read more here). Barcelona would believe that Valencia forward and Spanish international David Villa (27) will force his exit after the Confederations Cup and that in that case he will join Barcelona or Real Madrid (read more here).

Read more:
The report of Txiki (2) : Mascherano priority
Barcelona close to signing Robinho on loan
Manchester United confident of signing Eto'o

Hleb could be included in Ashley Young bid

British tabloid The Daily Star claims that Barcelona is ready to make a 30 million euro° bid for Aston Villa winger Ashley Young (23) (read more here).

Barcelona's technical has reportedly been following the English player during the past season and would now prepare a concrete offer. Barcelona might try to include Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) in the deal.

A Spanish source is quoted by the tabloid as saying: "Young has been impressive all last year with Villa and at times with England. He finished the season well and he is a player that Guardiola likes.

He has been following him for a while and we hope that he will want to come to a club as big as Barca and move to Spain. There has been no contact yet but the club are firming up their plans at the moment."

Read more:
Ashley Young another option for the left wing
Hleb does not want to leave

Ashley Young another option for the left wing

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona is interested in Aston Villa winger Ashley Young (23).

Because the transfer of Ribéry seems to have become unlikely, Young is reportedly one of the reserve options Barcelona was able to kept secret until now. Aston Villa could be asking 30 million euro° for the player.

Read more:
Manchester City denies Robinho exit
Chelsea offers Malouda to Barcelona
Valencia rejects offers for Mata


Watch a video of Young here: