Spalletti denies Barcelona

AS Roma manager Luciano Spalletti (49) has denied the rumours linking him with Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Italian told at a press conference: "In the newspapers you can read a lot of things. I can only say I did not have personal contacts, nor was I contacted by telephone. So everything remains like it was and like it should be."

Youth: Jonathan Dos Santos

Barcelona youth player Jonathan Dos Santos (17), whose contract expires at the end of the year, has declared in an interview with Catalan sports paper Sport that he would like to renew his contract shortly. The attacking midfielder is feeling comfortable in Barcelona and thinks the club is satisfied with his performance: "So, I expect to sign a new contract very soon."

Jonathan Dos Santos is the younger brother of Barcelona right winger Giovani Dos Santos (18). Both brothers joined Barcelona six years ago after Barcelona scouts spotted them at an international youth tournament. Jonathan, who is also a Mexican youth international, is currently playing for Juvenil A, the highest Barcelona youth team.

(read more youth transfer stories here)

The Poulsen problem

Catalan sports paper Sport reports that the negotiations with Sevilla on the transfer fee that Barcelona will have to pay for Sevilla midfielder Christian Poulsen (28) could get complicated because of the tense relationship between Sevilla president José María del Nido and Turkish player's agent Bayram Tutumlu. Barcelona would like to lower the buyout clause of 10 million euro.

Tutumlu, who resides in Barcelona, acted as go-between during the negotiations between Barcelona and Poulsen. Together with the Danish lawyer Jorn Bonnesen, he closed the deal with Barcelona (read more here). Another player who is advised by Tutumlu, Fiorentina defender Tomas Ujfalusi would now have signed for Atlético Madrid, while he already had an agreement with Sevilla. Before the Champions League game in the beginning of March, Del Nido and Tutumlu were caught by television camera's holding an agitated conversation. Tutumlu is no longer welcome in Sevilla.

Earlier this season, Tutumlu, who is also the agent of Getafe manager Michael Laudrup and who acted as go-between in the transfer of manager Ronald Koeman from PSV Eindhoven to Valencia last October, had a unpleasant dispute with Real Madrid sports director Pedrag Mijatovic before the league game Sevilla-Real Madrid. This incident was also captured by television camera's (see the incident here). Madrid would also be interested in signing Christian Poulsen.

Meanwhile, Spanish news site El Confidencial claims that the relations between Bayram Tutumlu and Christian Poulsen, who was brought to Sevilla with the help of the Turk, would have deteriorated cause Tutumlu would talk too much without the consent of the player. The player would have refused to meet with the Turkish agent earlier this month.

(read more on the Poulsen transfer story here)

Henry is realistic target for Manchester City

British newspaper The Times reports that Manchester City president Thaksin Shinawatra and manager Sven-Göran Eriksson have agreed during a meeting this week that the club must try to sign a big name this summer in an effort to bring back supporters to the new City of Manchester Stadium. Eriksson is therefore ready to change his transfer policy: "It has been our policy to have gone for younger players but one of the things I discussed with the owner this week was if we should take in not an old but older player this summer. If we do that it must be a very, very big name who can fill the stadium."

Eriksson thinks Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham is not an option. The Times claims that Newcastle forward Michael Owen and Barcelona forward Thierry Henry (30) are more realistic targets (read more here). The Manchester City manager doesn't see a salary problem in the squad if a big name would be signed: "All the teams I've had in the past, there is always a difference in wages and people accept that. You have to be good enough to live up to the salary and if you do that, everyone is happy."

Barcelona president wants to retire with Rijkaard

Spanish news site El Confidencial claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta wants to become one of the few Barcelona presidents who never dismissed a manager (read more here). Laporta has therefore slowed down the negotiations with former Chelsea manager José Mourinho (45) to become the successor of current Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard (45) as of next season, although the first talks with the Portuguese in January were held with the president's approval. Nevertheless, it is clear to everybody, also to Laporta, that Rijkaard will only be able to stay in charge if Barcelona wins the Champions League or the Liga this season.

The newly elected Barcelona board appointed Frank Rijkaard as manager in the summer of 2003. The Laporta presidency will end in 2010.

(read more on the manager debate here)