The Fans Football Blog3

Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Bayern Munich (read more here), Barcelona attacker and Belarus international Alexander Hleb (27) has said in an interview with German sports weekly paper Sport Bild that he welcomes the interest but that he is now only thinking about succeeding at Barcelona:

"When a club like Bayern is interested in you, that's of course great. It's one of the top clubs in the world and I know from my time at Stuttgart that Bayern is a very special club. That's why I'm pleased and honoured with the interest.

It's true that Bayern also wanted me last summer and that a deal was close. But I'm in Barcelona now and you don't win anything by speculating about the past. I'm now fully concentrating on Barcelona and I'm working hard on training to make progress. I'm playing with Barcelona and that has always been a child's dream for me, which now has been fulfilled.

Of course I want to play and I've come to Barcelona to win my spot. I want to show here what I can. On the left, on the right, in the centre, that doesn't matter. I believe in myself and I know I can be part of this team. On the other hand, I'm at the perfect football age now. And I don't want to lose those best years by sitting on a bench. When I was 20 years ols, I had time. But I'm almost 28 years old now and I think I've already proven something in my career."

Asked by Sport Bild about the Hleb rumours, Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge didn't really want to enter the issue: "I don't want to comment on it, because if I say that it's an interesting player, then it would seem as if we've signed him already. We didn't speak with anyone at this moment. It's true that we held talks last summer. In the end the transfer didn't went through because of some minor details."

Belarus national team coach Bernd Stange meanwhile said in an interview with British tabloid News of the World that Hleb wants to leave Barcelona: "In London he was a hero. If I went to a restaurant with him, there in a matter of seconds about 20 people would surround him asking for an autograph.

Now he is at a mega-club. They have 25 world-class players. Only eleven of them can go on to the pitch. Seven sit on the bench and seven more watch games from the stands. It makes me nervous, too, when I see the captain of my team coming on as a sub for five or ten minutes or not playing at all. But he needs to make a fight of it."

Read more:
Hleb could be part of Ribery deal
Guardiola denies Van Persie-Hleb swap offer
Hleb agent denies exit rumours