Transfer Talk: Barca's Striker Issue

We're laying down the cards, once and for all, as we try and make sense of the issue that's causing so much commotion in the world of FC Barcelona.

What is going on in regards to the club's striker? Is Eto'o leaving to Man City? Is he renewing his contract? Does he want to leave? Do the club wish to let him go? Will Villa come to Barca and replace him? Or can they two stay on the club together?

We've been following these stories like mad, and we offer you our take on it all...

There was a press conference earlier today between the club and Eto'o's agent, where all hell broke loose. The agent claims that Eto'o never wished to leave Barca, but that the club themselves want him to go, so they have been spreading lies to the press making Eto'o look greedy, fabricating that there was an offer from Manchester City to put more pressure on him to leave.

He says and we quote: "Barcelona played a double game by using the media to damage the image of Eto'o and to come out as the good ones."

"The club has been speaking with a double tongue and has been misleading the fans, using the media and twisting facts."

Frankly, we don't much believe him. The Barcelona board are a bunch of evil liers out to get Eto'o, ruin him and make a nice profit off of him, are they? Sure, and Real Madrid are winning the Champions League next season. He's gone too far saying such things about the club, this mess has gotten way out of hand.

Anyway, the club responded to this lashing out from the agent, releasing a statement on the official site: "FC Barcelona are awaiting a response from Samuel Eto'o to their offer of a two-year contract extension. The contract would give the Cameroon striker two more years at the club, whilst maintaining the same salary."

Quite decent of them, too. This goes against all that the club was accused of, proving that Eto'o is indeed welcome to stay, with the same salary we're sure he's been happy with and which is quite as much as he deserves. And if Eto'o really does want to stay and doesn't care for the money, as his agent claims, then they will take this offer, no questions asked.

Or, if the agent is not going to live up to his words, then Manchester City are waiting with open arms. Eto'o will be welcomed, he'll be lavished with cash, he'll have the spotlight all to himself. What's to complain about? Is he going to throw at us that he's too in love with Barca? Ah, but we've heard from him time and again that he considers his playing to be "just a job" and that Barca never was, or ever will be, his heart's club. Okay then Samu, do what you like. And can we recommend something? Find yourself a new agent.

The question remains: What decision will Eto'o (or his agent, because it looks like he's the one mouthing off and stirring everything up) actually take? We can't say, but we'll tell you this: Rumor has it that Eto'o has already found a house in Manchester, nearby City's training ground too. He would be renting the Georgian style mansion, complete with private pool and gym, for around 300,000 euros a year - if that's true, then he must have the intention of going to Man City.

Then of course, we must take into consideration that what happens with Eto'o greatly affects the club's attempts to sign David Villa. Barca defender Gerard Pique, for one, believes that Eto'o and Villa would be able to play together on Barca. Sorry Geri darling, but as much as we wish that could be, we really don't see it happening. It will be worse than when the club signed Henry and claimed that fielding him wouldn't affect Ronaldinho. If Villa is to come, Eto'o must leave. They play the same position, and both are such huge stars, and great goal scorers, you simply can't trump one for the other.

But how close is Villa to signing for Barca? Catalan newspaper Sport reports that they have spoken with Villa, and he assures them that he is pressing his agent to convince Valencia president Manuel Llorente to let him depart to Barcelona. We really hope that's so; having Villa on our club would be simply incredible, on so many levels.

Now though, all we can do is wait to see how things will turn out. We sincerely hope this will all be cleared up soon, and Barca's striker issue will be settled.

Gossip on the Guys: Bojan Coaches at Camp Nike

Let's check in on Barca's favorite little baller, Baby Bo, shall we? Bojan's been working it with his fellow Spaniards in the European under-21 championship, after he missed out on the call-up to the Spanish first team for the Confed Cup... but sadly, his team couldn't make it past the group stages.

Bo didn't sweat it though, and returned to Spain yesterday for the children's Nike Camp. He helped coach the youngsters, working with the group of girls from 13 to 16 years old - who we're sure all swooned at the sight of him - and then the mixed group of kids ranging from 8 to 12 years.

Bojan made quite a sensation among the children, who all got to take individual photos with him afterwards. He's headed back home to Andorra now for vacay until it's time to return to Barcelona for preseason.

Internationals: Congratulations Dani!

Barca's Daniel Alves has just won the Confederations Cup with his home country, Brazil! The game didn't start out very well for the Brazilians, after the score quickly became 2-0 in favor of opponents USA, but Dani and his teammates were able to fight back and score three goals in the second half, when Dani was subbed on.

Dani's gone back to Rio De Jeneiro in Brazil for a well deserved vacation now. We're so proud and happy for him!

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Spain also made good comeback to beat South Africa 3-2 in the third place playoff, congratulations to them and specifically to Barca players Xavi, Puyol, Busquets and Pique!

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Transfer Talk: Keirrison Almost Here... Villa On The Way?

We're sorry for the delay with this, but here we are! All the wacky transfer rumors from the past week...

Of course, again this week's reports have centered around Villa, and Barca have made a new bid of forty million for him. The player though, remains vague about his future. The club has also reached a confirmed deal on Palmeiras striker Keirrison, which is close to being finalized; Keirisson could be loaned out to Valencia as part of a deal for Villa. The latest is that Keirrison and Caceres would both be included in the negotiations.

Yaya Toure has signed his new contract with Barca, yet Manchester United are reported to be preparing a bid for him, for some reason. Renewal talks for Puyol are also underway, and reportedly Marquez will extend his contract in the coming week.

Manchester City have made a new offer for Eto'o, claiming that if he should sign for them, they'll make him the highest paid player in the world. We really do see him taking that deal; most rumors are that he'll go.

Henry is reported to want to finish his career in the United States, possibly joining the New York Red Bulls in 2011.

Barca's being linked to Ribery again, while Laporta claims that Bayern Munich refuse to sell him, and other reports sugges that he prefers Real Madrid.

Bruno Alves rumors continue, and now reports are that Henrique, whom Barca signed last year before loaning him out, could be included in the Bruno deal. Henrique however has expressed a desire to stay at Barca.

The Mascherano deal hasn't gotten anywhere, although the player himself says he's honored by Barca's interest, and now speculations are that De Rossi would be an alternative.

The deal to sign Luis Filipe was said to be close, before his club, Deportivo, claimed they want twenty million. And Txiki isn't willing to go that high.

Barca's supposed to be going for Robino again, while Ajax forward Suarez is being linked to us, as well as Belgian player Hazard, Chelsea's Essien, Ashley Young, Melo as well as Diego Forlan before his agent denied it. Shakhtar claimed that Chyhrynskiy is not for sail after Barca was said to be interested in him. More rumors suggest Cesc could be joining us, while others report that he'll stay at Arsenal.

Corinthians and Zaragoza are both interested in Sylvinho, while Gudjohnsen's been linked to several English clubs as well as Besiktas and Aston Villa and Independiente are after Milito. Zaragoza also want to get Cacereson loan, something that has been confirmed by his agent.

There's been a lot of interest from other clubs in Bojan and Pedro, though Bojan and Laporta both repeated that he'll be staying.

About the Barca B team, Corcoles and Verdes will officially be leaving. Gai Assulin wants to reach the first team, seven players have been promoted from Barca Juvenil to the B team, and Barca havesigned youth player Alejandro from Las Palmas.

Hopefully the coming week will settle our striker issue and Barca will make their first signing. And that that signing will be Villa...

Gossip on the Guys: Laporta's Musical Taste

Barca president Joan Laporta talked with Catalan radio station iCatfm, where he commented on the club's transfer events as well as his taste in music...

He talked alot... about Villa, Ribery, Keirrison, Eto'o, Mascherano, Luis Filipe, Valdes, and Bojan... basically, informing us that Pep and Txiki are handling everything and he's got nothing to do with it. He really just hinted at various transfers, not really confirming anything, except for assuring us that Bojan won't leave on loan, and, irrelevently, that Messi and Mascherano are friends.

Then, the talk turned to music. Laporta explained what music means to him: "Music helps you to overcome situations and form you as a person... to tame the beasts," he said.

On what he likes, Laporta first named Bruce Springsteen, "because he forces me to think that you should not ever give up." He's also a fan of Joan Manuel Serrat and his famous song 'Kubala', and went on to list the rest of his favorite singers, including Elvis Presley, James Morrison, Harry Nilsson, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson, also contributing a few emotional words to the latter, in light of his recent death.

Laporta went on to relate the story of something that happened with him when he was "twenty-one or twenty-two" and on holiday to Egypt, telling about about how he lost his money in the black market and ended up selling a much sought-after Madonna album he had with him, so he could have the money to get out of there!

Sidenote: Laporta turns 47 tomorrow, best of birthday wishes from us to him! (but seriously, have you ever seen a more youthful-looking 47-year-old? He honestly looks 30!)

Transfer Talk: Yaya Renewed

It didn't take nearly as long as others such as Valdes, just a couple of weeks of negotiations before an agreement was finally reached. We're glad things worked out so smoothly, and Yaya Toure is officially signed up for three more years of Barca!

The contract was finalized yesterday, and it's been made out for June 30, 2012, with the buy-out clause upped from 6o to 100 million euros. Nothing has been confirmed on the new salary Yaya wil recieve, but we hear it's around five million. And well deserved, too! Yaya oozes confidence and solidity on the pitch, a basic part of Barca; we're so thrilled he's staying on the team.

The Weekly Pick: Dani Alves

Who could we possibly choose for this week but Dani Alves? Despite only coming on the in the final ten minutes, he managed to turn Brazil's game around for them, scoring the winning goal and the only one of the match - and a spectacular one at that - and taking Brazil on to the Confederations Cup final. We take pride in the fact that the sole Barca player on the whole of Brazil was the one that made the match for the team - a team with so many stars, too - and in such little time! Not even Real Madrid's sixty-million man, Kaka, could surpass that. And Dani's a defender. Just goes to show, Barcamen are always the best.

And there's more - can we possibly overlook the fact that Dani pulled his shirt up over his head in celebration after scoring? This couldn't have been more perfect...

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Congrats Dani! You're the best babe, we're rooting for Brazil in the final.

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Random: Concert Prepping, Cars for Cups and Gio's Baby Bro

- U2 are really kicking it up in Camp Nou, getting ready for the upcoming opening concert of their 360° world tour. The band's been rehearsing every day in the stadium, practicing such a wide variety of songs, there's no way of knowing just what they'll play when the time comes. The stage, which was erected over the pitch a few days ago, is turning alot of eyes too - we can't say we're much fans of the design ourselves.

- Gerard Pique did an interview recently for Sport, and said that Cesc Fabregas will eventually end up wearing the Barca shirt. We'd very much like to believe him. And seeing what great buddies the two are, perhaps we can trust Geri on this one...
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- As their reward for having won the treble, Barca president Joan Laporta decided that the best gift to make to the players would be to give them each a car. The vehicles are from Audi, a sponsor of Barcelona, and the lads all got to choose the model of their choice. There's no goss on what each player picked exactly, except that Leo opted for the luxurious Q7, which most of the others went with as well. We're betting that includes Eto'o, Barca's very own car connoisseur.

- Everyone remembers Giovani Dos Santos, yes? He was supposed to be a teen wonder for Barca, but sadly wasn't so hot when he did get his call-up to the first team; things weren't much better for him after leaving to Tottenham, either. But his baby brother, Jonathan Dos Santos, may be a different story. Nineteen-year-old Jonathan is the captain of Barca's youth team where he plays, and is said to be even more talanted than his bro. Pep's reportedly been keeping an eye on him, and Jonny should be on the lookout for a call-up soon! Not to mention, he's the cutest thing since Bojan.

Internationals: Pobre Espana, Fuerza Dani

We hate the fact that Spain did not make it to the Confederations Cup final. Because we hate seeing Gerard Pique slumped up against a goal post in depression. We wanted him and the rest of our Spanish lads - who make up just about half the national team - to go through and do well and be happy... lord knows they deserve it. But in the end, our players are not at fault. We blame the Spaniards from Real Madrid - it's all Sergio Ramos' doing! He's quite a joke as defender, really.

Real's rightback flopped, but ours certainly didn't. Daniel Alves positively shone with Brazil last night, scoring the single goal of the match and taking his team through to the final. Congrats Dani! We're so proud of him, and we hope he and Brazil will be victorious.

In the meantime, we're off to find Geri and comfort him... and maybe stop by Xavi, Puyol and Sergi on our way too.

Birthday Boy: Lionel Messi

While we admire the nifty ensemble Leo was sporting at Barca's treble celebration, can we stop a minute just to say how unbelievably proud we are of him? Our favorite mind-blowing little right winger turns twenty-two today, and we can't get over how amazing he is for someone so young! We're sure he'll be the first one to be named best in the world at just twenty-two. He's had the most incredible season with Barca, and we know he'll keep up the star performance! He's our hero, always and forever.

Last year Leo was on duty with Argentina when his birthday came around, but this time he's in the middle of vacation, and gets to spend it with his family (and, undoubtedly, girlfriend Antonella). We're glad for him! We really hope he has great time.

Random: Semi Finalists, Family Photos and Youth Talent

Congrats to our boys Pique, Puyol, Xavi and Busquets - they've just qualified with the Spanish NT to the semifinal of the Confederations Cup! And of course Dani Alves too, who goes to the semis with his home country Brazil. Spain will next face the U.S.A while Brazil are up against hosts South Africa. We're wishing them luck... and that Geri keeps taking his shirt off.

More on Pique - he revealed recently that he was approached two months ago by the insatiable Florentino Perez, newly appointed president of Real Madrid, about siging for the club. As you'd expect, Geri flat out rejected. Why Perez ever thought he'd agree to it is beyond us... but then, he's clearly delusional, the man thinks he can sign every footballing star on the planet. He'll never get near any of our boys, that's for sure.
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Sport have revealed the insider info that two hours before kickoff of the Champions League final in Roma, Bojan recieved a text message from his parents telling him that his grades were out and he'd passed the Spanish baccalaureate. Congrats to him! Baby Bo's been struggling all season long to balance high school with his footie, and circumstances forced him to stop attending class altogether. But he never gave up, hiring a tutor so he could keep up and in the end, he succeeded. Bojan wants to go on and continue at college as well, alongisde his footballing career. All the best, babe!

Barca medic Daniel Medina released a statement concerning Andres Iniesta's muscle tear: "It's a serious injury and it needs time to heal but if there aren't further complications, we'll try to make sure that he'll join the pre-season group sessions around the time of the tour in the United States." Iniesta should be fit by the beginning of August... here's wishing him a good recovery!
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We all know what a prestegious youth Barca have, but is this taking it too far? Reportedly, the club will have Algerian five-year old Sif Eddine Cherifi, more commonly known as "Sisso", on trial next month from July twelfth till the twenty-seventh, after which they'll decide if he's good enough to stay. Sisso, who is travelling with his father, has also got a shot with French club Olympique Marseille in August. Now, five years does seem a bit young to be talking about trials and signings, but if the kid's good, heck, we'll take him. Our very own Leo Messi was a star as a toddler, if there are any others like him, a footie club is the place to be, and what better place than Barca?
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Pep was on vacation last week with his wife Cristina and their three children, Maria, Marius and baby Valentina. The family's looking muy adorable, and happy! Maria's too cute with the phone camera.

Transfer Talk: Villa, Where Are You...

The madness escalates as we conclude another wild week in the world of transfers...

The talk this week has been mostly about Villa, as Barca’s vice president confirmed the club’s interest in him. Soon after word came that negotiations were ongoing with Valencia; before it was announced that Barca’s president, Laporta, made an official bid. Pep is said to be keen for the move, but Valencia recently claimed that Villa isn’t for sale. Out of all the players Barca’s been linked with so far, we’re wanting him the most…

Man United were reported to be monitoring the Victor Valdes renewal issue, looking to sign him in case he shouldn’t work things out with Barca. Barca were also said to be looking at other keepers, with Mallorca’s Moya a strong option, other reports linking us to Porto’s Helton, who says he’s unaware of Barca’s interest, as well as Fiorentina’s Frey, before his agent dismissed it and his club declared they know nothing about it. However Vic’s renewal has been confirmed, so that’s the end of that story… or not. Even after the renewal, Barca again claimed that they would either sign Moya or promote B-keeper Mino.

Ribery’s club again announced that they want him to stay, then declared that he wasn’t for sale at all. Please, someone tell us how much longer this will go on!

The Mascherano story continues as the player’s agent was in Barcelona to hold talks with the club. Txiki announced that Mascherano is a priority of Barca, however the player’s club, Liverpool, rejected Barca’s initial bid for him. Mascherano is all for the move, it’s Liverpool who won’t let go here. Pretty ridiculous of them.

Robinho is said to be the club’s main target as a left winger, and rumors go on to claim that Barca are close to bringing him on loan. However, his club is still denying that he’ll leave. That’s expected, we’ve never seen a greedier club than Man City.

Speaking of Man City, they still haven’t given up on Eto’o despite his wage demands, and came forward with another bid for him. Reportedly, Barca have also held talks on Eto’o with AC Milan, while Txiki claims the club would want 60 million for him. Man City would gladly pay that, we think…

Yaya Toure is supposed to be signing his renewal soon, as his agent set next week as a deadline for the club to make the transaction. Good move from him, this must be settled already. We don’t need him turning into another Vic.

The agent of Barca’s Henrique, who was loaned out directly after being signed last summer, will meet with the club next week to discuss the player’s return. And we need him too, what with half our defense still nursing injuries.

Fiorentina are reportedly interested in our man Marquez, while Getafe are after getting Bojan on loan. Galatasaray want a bunch of our players – that’s Rijkaard wanting to buy Barca back after he was recently named manager of the Turkish club.

Barca were supposed to be closing a deal with leftback Filipe, before word came that the issue was put on hold; apparently his club, Deprtivo, are asking too much for him. Reportedly we’re currently negotiating with Asenjo while also monitoring Argentine talent Pastore, while other rumors link us to several Shakhtar defenders and Lyon’s Ederson. We’re also supposed to be bidding for Ashley Young, with Hleb possibly thrown into the deal, as well as Valencia’s Mata, before his club rejected our bid. Reports go on to claim that Txiki met with Kun Aguero this week and that the club has conducted talks in Portugal about Bruno Alves.

Zhirkov declared that coming to Barca would be his first option, while Barca supposedly want him as the first option for the leftback position. Bruno Saltor claimed that he’s not excluding a move to Barca, while Chelsea, supposedly, are offering Malouda to us. Tevez, after breaking up with Man United, is supposed to be a possibility for us as well.

In relation to the B-team, Victor Sanchez is said to be leaving on loan, while Xavi Torres is officially off to Malaga. Corcoles is close to closing a deal with Recreativo… yeah, we still haven’t gotten over the departure of Xavi Torres.

Here’s hoping Barca are able to secure Villa in the coming week. Or at least some signing…

Gossip on the Guys: Leo Outdone By A Kid

Leo Messi is unbeatable when it comes to playing actual football, but apparently when it comes to doing his thing the virtual way, he's not quite as good.

He was at a promotional event for the Family Association of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FAME) yesterday in his hometown, Rosario, where he played a PlayStation footie tournament to benefit the association.

Playing Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, Leo was up against eleven year old Santino Obrella, who went on to beat him 4-3 and 6-3. Both chose to play with FC Barcelona, Santino's team in the home kit and Leo's in the yellow away.

Young Santino admitted that he couldn't sleep all night from excitment prior to the event, but that luckily he managed to win in the end. He also acknowledged that Messi is a very good player when it comes to video games as well as on the pitch, saying that it was difficult to beat him.

"It's an honor to be here with you. Thanks for the invitation, and hopefully we'll all continue to work as well as now," declared Leo, who interrupted his own rest period to be at the event. He also hung around for endless autographs and photos with the kids present.

The Weekly Pick: Gerard Pique

Do we need a reason for this man to be our choice for the week? We might as well proclaim him as the hottest player on Barca at all, or even in the world.

We know you agree. If you don't, rush off immediately to the nearest hospital for a checkup, there's surely something wrong with you. This man is so incredibly sizzling, we just narrowly escape fainting most of the times we look at him. Throw in the fact he's a fantabulous player, he's hilarious and has got the most amazing personality a footballer ever had, and you've got absolute perfection.

Still not convinced? Okay, here's why we chose him for this week: because he's gone and done the. hottest. photo shoot. ever. for Esquire magazine! If you never hear from us again, know that we have died and that this was the cause of our death.

Transfer Talk: Victor Valdes Renewed

We have one thing to say: Finally!

This has been going for how long now - a year? Victor, his representatives and the club have been haggling about this contract for so long, we were beginning to think it would never be settled. It's such a relief that they've finally come to an agreement!

The talks took place last night, and the club released the news officially this morning. The contract, which is yet to be signed and finalized, will run till 2014, and Vic's salary will be around seven millions euros.

He's happy. The club's happy. And we're positively gleeful. Now we can rest assured that the hottest man ever to stand inside a goal will continue to grace our team with his drop-dead stares, drool inducing abs of steel, and - well, goalkeeping skills, of course...

Gossip on the Guys: Leo Is A Shoe Model

Between winning the treble with Barca and struggling to qualify for the World Cup with Argentina, Leo Messi is not too busy to squeeze in some time for modeling. Shoe modeling, to be exact. He did this photoshoot for LadyStork shoes, and despite the dorky brandname, Leo still manages to rock it out. He's radiating absolute hot with this - the careless poses, the intent stare, you can almost hear him saying, "Join me as I perch on the arm of this lawn chair - it won't topple over. I promise. Or perhaps you'd like to come lean on this rail with me? You know you want to..."

We'd take him up on that, if he offered. We'd be content just to stand there and drool. Hold his hand, maybe, if he'd let us. Oh, who are we kidding - we'd be soaring if we ever got within a five foot radius of him.

Transfer Talk: Yaya Set For Barca Stay

Betting.betfair.com's Gareth Freeman guest-blogs for Barcelista!

Yaya Toure’s agent claimed a week or so ago that Barca didn’t ‘respect’ the Ivory Coast man and he was considering offers from elsewhere. Granted this wouldn’t have been the biggest disaster that could have affected Camp Nou this summer but it certainly wouldn’t have been a welcome departure. Fortunately this all appears to have been agent talk aimed at getting Yaya a better deal and the news has broken that Toure is set to stay.

This is what the holding-midfielder had to say while on duty with the Ivory Coast: “I am very happy with Barcelona and love the city.

“The atmosphere is excellent and the team is wonderful. I want to continue here and could reach a final agreement this week.”

Obviously I don’t need to tell anyone how important Yaya is to the Barca team. Without his physical presence in midfield Xavi and Andres Iniesta would have a much harder job and he frees up a lot of room for the more creative players to demonstrate their flair. I was personally very disappointed to see that Barca had been linked with Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano as a replacement for the powerful African. As good as Mascherano is, and he might well be a better footballer in terms of technique, I think Toure has the better attributes as a player and rarely (if ever) is he out-muscled in the challenge.

For me Toure now has the opportunity to join the ranks of the greatest in the world in his position. He is at a club where he has the chance to secure silverware on a regular basis and under the stewardship of Pep Guardiola I’m confident the blaugrana will continue to deliver results.

Real Madrid may continue to splash out (ludicrous amounts of) their cash on the world’s ‘best’ attacking players but they seem to be ignoring their defence (typical Perez).

You have to ask the question though – are Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka better than Theirry Henry and Leo Messi? For me it seems a safe football bet that they’re not. Madrid can buy all the flair attacking players they like but if they don’t shore up the defence they won’t be getting anywhere near the La Liga title again next season. Fortunately Barca know a good player when they’ve got one and have decided to offer an improved deal to Yaya to keep him at the club, finally putting to bed rumours of a switch to Premier League sides Manchester City and Arsenal.

Transfer Talk: Weekend Summary

We couldn't possibly keep up with the forty hundred transfer rumors that arise every day, so instead we'll be offering you a weekly report every Sunday that sums up all the latest transfers linked with Barca. This week things have been as hectic as ever...

Ribery rumors go on as Barca's president Joan Laporta supposedly talked with him over the phone, as well as with Bayern's president. And apparently, Barca have made their bid for him.

Barca is continually linked with Inter Milan's Ibrahimovic, and his club have opened the doors for the transfer. Then they stepped up and said that they want as much for him as Real Madrid payed for Cristiano Ronaldo. Ninety-four million? They can keep dreaming.

Barca's also announced that should they be unsuccessful at signing Ibra, Bayern Munich's Luca Toni would be possible replacement. Toni claims he's heard nothing from Barca, though.

Robinho would be an alternative for Ribery, too... he's offering himself to Barca, claiming that he'd love to join up. Dani Alves is enthusiastic about the move, and apparently Pep would love it too. Add us to the list!

The race for David Villa is on... top clubs including Real Madrid are all after him, and now Barca's one of them. Reportedly, Villa prefers us. The feeling is mutual, then.

Cesc Fabregas says that he wants to continue at Arsenal... except if he were to get a direct call from Pep. That would change things, seeing as Pep's his idol. Well, what can we say, except for this: Pep, pick up that phone!

The club's reported to be interested in Porto's Bruno Alves, too, but his club are denying it, although Barca's sports director Txiki is supposed to have met with his agent. Bruno's father is all for the move, and other reports claim that a deal with him is very close.

The issue of renewing Victor Valdes' contract has been very unsettling. Victor and his representatives just can't seem to reach an agreement with the club, who claim that the keeper's demands are too high. Other reports suggest that should Vic leave, doors would be opened for other keepers such as Asenjo and Moya to join.

Samuel Eto'o has been heavily linked to the city of Manchester, with Man City desperately wanting to buy him and Man United confident of signing him. Chelsea, Liverpool, and Inter are all interested too... at least, that was all before Samu scared them off by claiming that he wants a salary of a million euros per month. His agent and the club, meanwhile, are both reported to want him to renew with Barca... he's going nowhere, if you ask us.

Barca's been reported to be signing Man United's Nemanja Vidic... after his agent stepped up and denied everything. Then Vidic did the same.

United are also interested in our Yaya Toure. Then again, the club announced that they'll be renewing Yaya's contract soon. They did make him an offer already, but Yaya rejected it... claiming the deal the club proposed was no good at all. His agent continues to pressure the club for the renewal.

Barca's supposed to be very interested in Liverpool's Xavier Mascherano. Apparently Pep talked with him, and he said he was open to an offer, before his club announced he wasn't for sale. But Mascherano is set on moving to Spain, since he feels his family would be more settled there.

Atletico Madrid's Kun Aguero has been hinting at a move to Barcelona, before the club's president denied that he was going anywhere.

Van Persie, Malouda, and Mata are all supposed to be next on Barca's list. Rumors go on to link us to PSG defender Sakho, Liverpool player Benayoun, Deportivo's Filipe, Cheslea's Ashley Cole, and Diego Forlan.

Reports say that Alex Hleb will be staying next season, after he was linked to Stuttgart who later decided they can't afford him. Fluminense are said to want Sylvinho, while Gudjohnsen has been linked to Marseille, who later denied it. Galatasary want him too... predictable, seeing as they've just signed Frank Rikaard as their coach.

In regards to Barca B, it's practically confirmed that Xavi Torres will leave to Malaga. We've been crying our eyes out for days. Abraham is officially off to Cadiz, and Maric and Joni are said to be leaving, too. Sporting and Osasuna want Botia and Pedro on loan, respectively. Real Sociedad want to loan out some of our youngsters as well, and there's been much interest in Jeffren.

Whew! What a week. Coming one will be even crazier, and maybe we’ll actually make a signing… we’ll be thankful once this transfer window is closed.

Random: Cakes, Cups and Couples

- First off, we're really starting to get suspicious about Cesc Fabregas and our Gerard Pique. They've been getting quite cuddly on the Spanish NT together lately - it's alarming. We know they've been bffs ever since they were toddling about in Barca's youth, but... we fear Bojan will be jealous. He and Pique have been the team's royal couple... so while we love Cesc and want him to return to Barca, we really don't want him to come between them. Bojan should be hiking out to join them, right away. Why wasn't he called up for Spain?

- Besides... we've moaned about Pique's choices in regards to his hair and dress in the past, and judging by that awful blond mowhawk thing, Cesc is not the best influence for him right now! We can't bear to have Geri start dabbling in bleach again.

- And as long as we're talking about Pique, he's got a hidden talent: Smashing things. Who'd have thought? We'll be sure to hide all breakables next time we have him over.

- Moving on... seeing as the pitch of Camp Nou will have to be replaced after it gets trampled by fans at the U2 concerts that will take place there this July, the club is considering the option of selling the grass to the fans. Queue up now, you don't want to miss out on a piece of the treble turf!

- Barca coach Pep was out at the “Casa Pepe” restaurant in Barcelona a few days ago, enjoying a meal with fellow coaches and friends, who ended up surprising him when dessert was brought out - three cakes in the shape of the three cups, Liga, Copa, and Champions League – to commemorate Barca’s treble. Pep was so delighted, he went on to distribute cake to the guests at other tables around the restaurant. Imagine, being offered cake by Pep! We're sure we'd faint on the spot.

The Weekly Pick: Rafael Marquez

We find the offseason annoying because there's not nearly so much yummy news on our boys, nor any weekly matches from which we can single out one gent who was positiveley shining... nevertheless we can still manage to pick out a favorite even if they're not playing! And this week it's Rafael Marquez...

First off, we miss him. Like, really miss him. He missed out on too much of this past season because of injury, and he remains sidelned even now... but he's making such an effort to get well again, we can't help but fangirl over him these days.

He's so determined to recover in time for the preseason, he won’t even stop to take a few days holiday with his family... instead he's working as hard as he can to reach full recovery as soon as possible! He’s doing double sessions of recuperative work daily - we just hope that won't overburden him? - and he's just flown out to the sports rehabilitation center “Camp St. Raphael 8” in France.

Along with other players, including former Barcaman Ludovic Giuly, Rafa had invested in the construction of said sports center a while back. Now, he's there to continue his recovery. He should be returning to Barcelona next week to continue the next phase of the program set for him by the medical team at Barca - we hope it goes according to plan! We just adore his dedication and determination to regain fitness quick... and besides, doesn't he look just dieworthy on crutches?

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We've also included the pictures of him when he picked up this accursed injury - he's even mega hot when he's in pain. Aren't you just falling in love with those sizzling black locks? And those deliciously pouty lips? And doesn't the way he buries his face in between his thighs just tear your heart up - it's so sad and so cute at the same time! Who knew injury could ever be so hot...

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