Deco wants to stay

Asked about the rumours linking him with a summer exit, Barcelona midfielder and Portuguese international Deco (30) has told in an interview with Portuguese sports paper Record that he prefers to stay with Barcelona, but that the decision will be taken in the summer: "To play for Barcelona was a dream since I was a kid and I did not only play for the club, I made history with the team. At the end of the season, I will decide on my future together with the club."

Deco, whose contract expires in 2010, says he would like to finish his career playing for Corinthinians, his favourite Brazilian club when he was a boy. After his career he wants to spend more time to business and to the foundation and the institute he has set up.

Read more:
Which Milan for Deco?
Deco could be new Bayern star transfer
Newcastle held first talks on Deco

Mourinho wants to have fun with Barcelona

In an interview with Spanish newspaper ABC former Chelsea manager José Mourinho (45) was confronted with the fact that he never has hidden his wish to return to Barcelona as head coach. Asked if he thought that's an option at this moment in his career, Mourinho left everything open: "Barcelona is absolutely a fantastic club. I had a great time when I was there ànd during the six games in three years I played against them when I was at Chelsea. I don't know if I will coach Barcelona or play against them in the future. But I do know that I hope to enjoy myself again with Barcelona."

Mourinho says that he's ready to return (read more here) but that he did not yet sign a contract with Inter Milan or any other club: "I'm still free to decide on my future and I don't feel any pressure to do that soon. There's no reason to hurry, I can afford to wait some more time and pick the best option. I'm calm about it, we'll see where I will end up."

The Portuguese manager neverheless repeated his career plan to first coach in Spain or Italy before going back to the English Premier League (read more here): "I have worked for four years in Spain. Of course only as assistant and not as head coach. But it was a great time and I wouldn't mind to return."

Read more:
Principal agreement with Mourinho
Mourinho preparing to take over
Guardiola takes Mourinho's pole

Transfer history: Ferguson (Manchester United)

After the manager himself told last week that he was close to joining Barcelona in 1986 (read more here), Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson (66) was later on a second time not far away from the Barcelona bench.

When Barcelona president Joan Gaspart was looking for a successor to Llorenç Serra Ferrer in the summer of 2001, Ferguson was one of the main candidates. But in the end the Barcelona board didn't push that option through and preferred to sign caretaker Carles Rexach, former Barcelona player and at that time member of the Barcelona technical staff, as the head coach for the 2001-2002 season.

Read more:
Transfer history: Zidane
Ex-Barça: Llorenç Serra Ferrer
Transfer history: Iaquinta (Juventus)

Read all transfer history stories here

Messi wanted by European top clubs

Although the player has a contract until 2014 and a buyout clause of 150 million euro°, Catalan sports paper Sport claims that several European top clubs are ready to break the bank to bring in Barcelona right winger and Argentinian international Lionel Messi (20).

Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid would all prepare a new summer bid for Messi. Inter would already have contacted the father of the player. Because Messi has no plans to leave and Barcelona doesn't have any intention to sell the player, it seems unlikely that a transfer could be agreed upon between all parties.

Read more:
Messi is Chelsea top target
Inter president wants Messi at any price
Messi wants to be captain

Case closed: Modric

Dinamo Zagreb midfielder and Croatian international Luka Modric (22) will not play for Barcelona as of next season, like had been rumoured over the last months (read more here).

Tottenham Hotspur has announced the transfer of Modric on its official website. The statement of the Premier League club reads: "The Club is delighted to announce that it has reached agreement with Dinamo Zagreb for the transfer of Croatian midfielder, Luka Modric. Personal terms have been agreed with the player and he will now undertake a medical and apply for a work permit."

The transfer has meanwhile been confirmed on the official website of Croatian champion Dinamo Zagreb: "On Friday night, all terms of the transfer of Luka Modric to Tottenham have been settled. Tottenham president Daniel Levy came to Zagreb and reached a deal with Dinamo vice president Zdravko Mamic and Modric's agent Zoran Mamic. Modric and his agent flew to London where Luka will be introduced to the fans before the match against Bolton. He'll go through the medical test on Sunday whereupon he'll sign a five-year contract."

Based upon the rumours in England and Croatia, the transfer fee is believed to be somewhere between 20 and 25 million euro°, depending on variables.

Read more:
Modric approved
Case closed: Benzema
Case closed: Mascherano

Read the whole Modric-Barcelona transfer story here