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German news site Spox claims that Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) underwent today medical tests at German club Stuttgart.

The one-year loan deal would be signed and officially announced tomorrow (read more here).

Asked about the situation of Hleb, Oliver Mintzlaff, a representative of the player's agency, told the site that Hleb has rejected to join Inter Milan but that he won't stay with Barcelona next season: "Alexander Hleb has yesterday decided, together with his agents Uli Ferber and Niki Spilevski, that he won't play at Inter Milan during the 2009-2010 season. Before the end of the week a decision will be made on where Alex will play, but he will definitely not play at Barcelona next season."

Baden-Württemberg regional newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten claims that Barcelona and Stuttgart have already reached an agreement on the loan and that only the signatures would still be missing. Hleb, who would accept a pay cut from 7,5 to 4 million euro, could start training with his former club in the coming days.

Mintzlaff nevertheless told German newsagency Dpa that other clubs are interested too: "Based upon the information I have now, it looks like he will play in the Bundesliga next season. There are nevertheless several interested clubs." German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung claims that Bayern Munich is also interested.

The player's agent Uli Ferber is quoted by the paper as saying that there are indeed two Bundesliga options: "I am surprised that in the case of Alex Hleb there are already reports confirming his arrival at Stuttgart. That is at this moment definitely not the case. A decision will be made within the next 48 hours.

We have rejected the Inter Milan offer on Tuesday and now there are two options in the Bundesliga. Is Bayern Munich the second candidate? You shouldn't exclude anything in football, so I won't do that is this case either. As things stand now, it will be a pure loan option with no option to buy."

Read more:
Hleb has deal with Stuttgart
What is happening with Hleb?
Bayern preparing a bid for Hleb

Although Barcelona officially announced on Monday that Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) would move on loan to Inter Milan (with a buy option of 10+2 million euro) as part of the deal on the transfer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it is still not yet clear where Hleb will play next season.

Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that one of the player's agents Maurizio Gaudino travelled to Spain yesterday trying to close a deal. He would nevertheless not have been able to find an agreement with Barcelona on last season's bonuses, nor to convince Hleb to join Inter. Inter would already be looking at other options.

German sports weekly Sport Bild reports that Hleb's agents Uli Ferber and Niki Spilevski travelled to Milan on Monday and Tuesday, but despite the pressure by Barcelona to leave, Hleb would want to stay at the club. Catalan sports papers Sport and El Mundo Deportivo meanwhile both claim that Hleb, who won't travel with the squad to the United States (read more here), could finally end up with his former club Stuttgart.

Read more:
Still no final deal with Hleb on Inter loan
Four youth players will travel to US
Hleb wants to stay at Barcelona

Asked about the rumours linking him with a loan move to Inter Milan (read more here), Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) has said in an interview with German sports weekly Sport Bild that he wants to stay at Barcelona:

"I have a contract with Barcelona, so I'm preparing myself for next season together with the team. It's my goal to break through and to have success with this club."

The player's agent Uli Ferber added when talking to the magazine that he still didn't hear anything about a possible loan: "Nobody has yet spoken to Alex, to my colleague Niki Spilevski or to me about a possible move of Alex to Inter Milan. So we're at least a little surprised about the latest press reports, that we are not able to confirm."

Mino Raiola, the agent of Inter Milan player Ibrahimovic, meanwhile told journalists in Milan that Hleb is not part of the transfer operation that involves Ibrahimovic and Eto'o, but that the Belarusian player is involved in the transfer of Brazilian left back defender Maxwell from Inter to Barcelona.

Read more:
Hleb didn't yet talk with Inter
Official players' pictures (part 2)
Hleb regrets Barcelona move

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) won't leave the club this summer (read more here).

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola has reportedly decided that Hleb will stay and will be given a second chance. Because of his excellent technique, Guardiola would believe that Hleb in the end will be able to adapt to Barcelona's way of playing.

The player's agent Uli Ferber is quoted by the paper as confirming the news: "The club knows about the offers we have received but Begiristain told me that Alexander has a place in next season's squad because of the decision of the coach."


Read more:
Hleb could be included in Ashley Young bid
Guardiola holding on to Hleb
Four English clubs interested in Hleb

Madrid sports tabloid As claims that Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola is opposed to the exit of Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28).

Hleb would have been a pesonal transfer of Guardiola and the coach still believes in the player despite tha fact that he didn't convince last season.

Uli Ferber, the agent of the Belarusian, is quoted as saying that Hleb doesn't want to leave either: "We have four or five offers from important English and German clubs but we didn't inform Barcelona about it because Alexander isn't planning to leave the club."

Read more:
Four English clubs interested in Hleb
Hleb valued differently in England and Barcelona
Hleb will stay next season

Asked about the rumour that Barcelona tried to include Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) in the transfer deal on Inter Milan player Ibrahimovic (read more here), the player's agent Uli Ferber has said in an interview with Italian football site Tuttomercatoweb that the player doesn't intend to leave:

"I have not been informed about this possibility, not by Inter and not by Barcelona. The wish of my client is anyhow to respect his contract with his current club."

Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain is meanwhile quoted by Baden-Württemberg regional newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung as saying that Hleb will certainly stay: "We did not fight so hard to sign him last year just for that."

Read more:
Hleb does not want to leave
Meeting with Inter on Ibrahimovic: A reconstruction
Stuttgart cannot afford to sign Hleb

Although Barcelona sports papers Sport and El Mundo Deportivo claim that Barcelona wants to sell Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28) this summer, representatives of the player have said this week that Hleb wants to continue next season.

Asked about the transfer rumours, Hleb's agent Uli Ferber said in an interview with British sports site Sky Sports that the player is not thinking of leaving: "Even though he is not playing regularly he is not thinking about changing teams. He wants to stay at Barcelona and fight for his place."

Oliver Mintzlaff, a collaborator of Ferber, had earlier said the same in an interview with Catalan sports paper Sport: "Hleb isn't satisfied with the chances he has got... He wanted to play more, but he's convinced that he can prove to Guardiola that he's a quality player. With Barça, he has found a club where he can win trophies and his only option is to continue. Despite that, I can confirm that several very important English and German club have asked for him."

British tabloid The Daily Star claims that Aston Villa is interested in bringing Hleb back to the English Premier League. Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is believed to be interested in buying Hleb as a striker or wide midfielder, while Barcelona would be prepared to let the player go for a transfer fee of around 11,5 million euro°.

Ferber nevertheless denied the interest to Sky Sports: "We don't know anything about any requests from Aston Villa." And El Mundo Deportivo claims that Bayern Munich is no longer interested in Hleb after Louis van Gaal was appointed as the new coach of the German club.

Italian sports paper La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Barcelona president Joan Laporta tried to include Hleb in a deal on Inter Milan striker Ibrahimovic (read more here). Olympique Lyon sports director Bernard Lacombe meanwhile confirmed in an interview with his club's official television channel that the French club is following Hleb: "Hleb is a good player, we'll see what we can do."

Read more:
Lyon interested in Hleb
Hleb will leave if asked by Barcelona
Possible pre-agreement between Hleb and Bayern

Asked about the rumours saying that Stuttgart officials travelled to Barelona on Monday to talk about a transfer of Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alewender Hleb (28) (read more here), Stuttgart sports director Horst Heldt confirmed the trip in an interview with Baden-Württemberg regional newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten but said it had nothing to do with Hleb:

"We did not have an appointment with FC Barcelona about Hleb. I can understand where the story is coming from but it's not true.

The thing is: Uli Ferber (Hleb's agent) needed to go to Barcelona urgently and we had important issues to discuss with him. Because otherwise we had to postpone our meeting, we decided to accompany him to Barcelona in order to be able to talk about some things in a calm way. So we did not meet with Alexander Hleb, I have not seen him, and we didn't have an invitation of FC Barcelona to talk about Hleb. I don't want to disappoint our fans but I don't want to give them false hope either."

Asked about the rumours, Stuttgart manager Markus Babbel nevertheless confirmed the interest in an interview with German tabloid Bild: "With this trip, we wanted to give Alex the feeling that we would want him very, very much to join us. But we're not the only club that is interested in him. It will be very difficult. Alex plays with the best club in the world."

Baden-Württemberg regional newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung claims that Stuttgart will only be able to sign Hleb if they qualify for next season's Champions league or if they sell striker Mario Gómez. Barcelona would ask a transfer fee of around 12 million euro° and Hleb wants a salary of 3,5 million euro and wouldn’t be very tempted to move if Stuttgart only plays in the Uefa cup. Hleb would nevertheless still have many friends in Stuttgart, where he felt more comfortable than in London and Barcelona, and has always kept in touch with the club since he left for Arsenal in the summer of 2008.

Asked about a return to Stuttgart, Hleb meanwhile unconfirmedly said in an interview with german sports weekly paper Kicker that he doesn't plan to leave Barcelona at the end of the season: "Me back to Stuttgart? That is crazy. Barça is a world topclub and I'm not giving up. I want to learn the language and do everything that is needed to break through."

Read more:
Hleb still believes in Barcelona future
Bayern Munich and Stuttgart want Hleb
Barcelona following Stuttgart striker Gomez

German tabloid Bild claims that Bayern Munich and Stuttgart are interested in Barcelona attacker and Belarusian international Alexander Hleb (28).

Both German clubs want to bring Hleb, whose contract with Barcelona expires in 2012, back to the Bundesliga this summer. Bayern is considering to sign Hleb, whom Barcelona could have offered in the transfer deal for Bayern Munich player Ribéry (read more here).

Aware of the interest of Bayern, Stuttgart sports director Horst Heldt and Stuttgart financial director Jochen Schneider would have flown to Barcelona yesterday morning at 9:55 am with a Germanwings flight. They were accompanied by Hleb's agent Uli Ferber and are expected back in Germany today after having held talks with Barcelona on a possible deal.

Read more:
Bayern preparing a bid for Hleb
Total deal on Ribery transfer
Hleb still believes in Barcelona future

German weekly sports paper Sport Bild claims that Barcelona is still interested in Stuttgart forward and German international Mario Gómez (23) (read more here).

Barcelona would be one of the European top clubs that have been scouting the striker during the season. Gómez could leave the German club this summer for a buyout fee of 35 million euro°.

Stuttgart has confirmed that Barcelona scouts have at least been watching two games of the club and the player's agent Uli Ferber has admited recent contacts with Barcelona, although it would only have been a first sounding out. Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Gómez, who has a contract with Stuttgart until 2012, could this summer be available for a transfer price around 23 million euro°.


Watch a video of Gomez:




Read more:
Contact with German international Gomez
Last summer's search for a striker
Looking for a central defender

Asked about the rumours linking Barcelona attacker and Belarus international Alexander Hleb (27) with a summer exit (read more here), the player's agent Uli Ferber and his partner Maurizio Gaudino have said in an interview with Italian football site Calcio Mercato that he's not aware of such an operation:

"We didn't receive any sign from the club, we don't know anything about this. The player also didn't talk to me about leaving. He is feeling very good in Barcelona. He likes everything, from the team to the city.

Barcelona has no intention of losing a player like that. He's only there for six months. Barcelona is convinced of his quality and will give him time to show it. So, for the moment there's not a chance he'll leave. We will see what will happen in the next two months, in football, as in life, never say never.

Of course the player is not very happy because he is not playing a lot, but he wants to give everything and fight for a spot in the team. We shouldn't forget we're talking about the best team in the world, with many quality players. Alexander has great respect for his team-mates and the whole squad. He doesn't have any problem with the coach. Guardiola has a good relationship with him, as with the other players.

It's just about adapting to Spanish football. Barcelona practices a different style of football than the one of Arsenal. And above that, the Spanish football as a whole is very different from the English league. I think that the process of adaptation is well underway and that we already could see the real Alex in the next matches."

Read more:
Guardiola denies Van Persie-Hleb swap offer
Hleb: "I'm speaking Russian with Toure"
Barcelona considers selling Hleb