The Fans Football Blog3

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona is still looking to sign a midfielder this summer.

With Liverpool player Mascherano (25) and Arsenal player Cesc (22) probably being too expensive, Barcelona would now be working on plan B and would try to sign a midfielder for around 10 million euro°.

Because Barcelona manager Guardiola is considering to change the position of Yaya Touré (read more here), the club is looking for a defensive midfielder who could be a starter. The player, who shouldn't be from the Americas (because of the international games) or from Africa (because of the Africa Cup), would have to be tall (over 1 metre 90), strong, with good heading, tactical and passing skills.

Barcelona would have drawn up a list of three candidates: Ajax player and Belgian international Jan Vertonghen (22 - picture), Galatasaray player and Turkish international Mehmet Topal (23) and AZ player David Mendes da Silva (26). If those options aren't possible, Barcelona could consider promoting Barcelona Atlètic defensive midfielder and Spanish youth international Oriol Romeu (17).

Read more:
Thiago and Romeu at U-19 European Championship
Mascherano wants to join Barcelona
Position of Toure could change


Watch a video of Vertonghen:



Watch a video of Topal:



Watch a video of Mendes da Silva:

Catalan sports papers El Mundo Deportivo and Sport both claim that Barcelona forward and Spanish youth international Bojan Krkic (18) will not leave on loan in the summer.

With the permission of Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola and according to the wish of the player (read more here), the club would have decided on Wednesday that Bojan will stay with the team next season. Barcelona would have informed the player's agent Ramón Sostres about the decision during a meeting yesterday.

Sport claims that Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar would have been the last club to have asked for the player, with new AZ manager Ronald Koeman having discussed a possible loan with Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain.

El Mundo Deportivo claimed earlier this week that Deportivo had given up on Bojan (read more here) but that Barcelona was considering to include the loan of Bojan in an offer for Atlético Madrid striker Forlán.

Almería sports director Alberto Benito said two days ago in an interview with local televisión channel Interalmería Televisión that Almería would give a loan another try (read more here): "Our president is very interested in Bojan. We know it will be very difficult but the president has a great relationship with Joan Laporta and I can assure you that we will try to sign him."

But the sports director gave up on the player in an interview with Madrid sports tabloid As today: "Our interest in Bojan was real. It's a young and motivated player who could have fit in in the team. But if Barça doesn't want him to leave, we cannot do a lot about that. It's a shame, also because it's very hard to find born strikers."

Read more:
Bojan has received almost twenty loan offers
Chelsea considering Bojan transfer
Zaragoza and Shakhtar interested in Bojan

Dutch club AZ Alkmaar has earlier this week officially announced the appointment of former Barcelona player Ronald Koeman (46) as their new manager.

Koeman signed a two-year deal with the Dutch champions. Former Barcelona assistant coach Tony Bruins Slot also joins the technical staff of AZ. In april of last year, Koeman had been dismissed as manager of Valencia (read more here).

Ronald Koeman played six seasons for Barcelona, arriving in 1989 from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven and leaving in the summer of 1995 for Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam. From the summer of 1998 until the year 2000, he was the assistant coach of Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal.

With Barcelona, Koeman won four consecutive Spanish league titles from 1991 to 1994, a Spanish cup in 1990, three Spanish Super Cups in 1991, 1992 and 1994, one European Super Cup in 1992 and one Champions Leauge in 1992, when he became a Barcelona legend scoring the winning free kick goal that gave Barcelona it's first European Champions Cup. As assistant, he won one league title in 1999.

Read more:
Ex-Barça: Van Gaal to Bayern Munich
Ex-Barça: Giovani to Ipswich Town on loan
Ex-Barça: Stoichkov to Abu Moslem

German club Bayern Munich has yesterday officially announced the appointment of former Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal (57) as their new manager.

Van Gaal has signed a two-year deal with Bayern Munich and leaves AZ Alkmaar after four years and after winning this season's Dutch league title.

Louis van Gaal joined Barcelona in the summer of 1997, arriving from Ajax Amsterdam and replacing Sir Bobby Robson. After three season he left the club but he returned in the summer of 2002. In January of the followng year, he was dismissed and replaced by Radomir Antic.

With Barcelona, Van Gaal won two Spanish leagues in 1998 and 1999, one Spanish cup in 1998 and one European super cup in 1997.

Read more:
Ex-Barça: Celades to New York Red Bulls
Ex-Barça: Neeskens to Holland B
Ex-Barça: Antic to Serbia

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona is looking for a player who could replace Barcelona left back defender Sylvinho (35), whose contract expires at the end of this season and who will most probably leave this summer.

Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain would be especially monitoring the Dutch market in search for a substitute. Four left wing players who are playing in the Dutch league would be being followed:

Urby Emanuelson (Ajax, 22, Holland - picture)
Niklas Moisander (AZ Alkmaar, 22, Finland)
Sébastien Pocognoli (AZ Alkmaar, 21, Belgium)
Edson Braafheid (Twente, 26, Holland)

Read more:
Barcelona is an option for Ajax forward Suarez
Sylvinho wants to play for two more years
Barcelona preparing bid for AZ striker El Hamdaoui


Watch a video of Emanuelson here:




Watch a video of Moisander here:




Watch a video of Pocognoli here:

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf claims, based on unconfirmed Spanish sources, that Barcelona is still interested in AZ Alkmaar forward Mounir El Hamdaoui (24) (read more here).

The interest could soon become concrete with Barcelona preparing a bid of 20 million euro° for the Dutch-Moroccan striker, who is at this moment the leading goal scorer in the Dutch league with 14 goals out of 14 games.

Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad claims that Barcelona scouts are closely following El Hamdaoui and that there were again Spanish scouts present on Saturday to watch the player in the game against Feyenoord. AZ would have accepted that they won't be able to keep the striker if a serious offer comes in during the January tansfer window.

Asked about the rumours linking him to Barcelona, El Hamdaoui seemed to suggest in an interview with Dutch television channel Eredivisie Live that there has been contact: "I heard about the interest of Barcelona, yes. Although I won't tell here how or when I heard it. We'll see what will happen."

In an interview with Dutch television channel NOS, the striker said that he's now focusing on finishing the year with his club: "I'm only thinking about AZ at this moment. We still have two games to play before the winter break. That's what I'm focusing on."

Read more:
Barcelona is following AZ striker Dembele
PSV's Afellay is on the list
Barcelona following Dutch topscorer El Hamdaoui

Dutch television channel NOS claims that Barcelona is interested in AZ Alkmaar forward Mounir El Hamdaoui (24).

AZ president Dirk Scheringa confirmed yesterday that Barcelona was amongst the twenty clubs that have sent a scout to see the league game against Twente on Saturday, but didn't want to specify the name of the player Barcelona has been watching this weekend.

El Hamdaoui is at this moment the leading goal scorer in the Dutch league. The Dutch-Moroccan striker scored this season 13 goals in 10 games.

Read more:
Barcelona is following AZ striker Dembele
PSV's Afellay is on the list
Ex-Barça: Patrick Kluivert to AZ Alkmaar


Watch this video of El Hamdaoui:

Former Barcelona forward Patrick Kluivert (32) started last week a one-year internship (as part of a coaching course) with Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, where he will assist AZ manager Louis van Gaal as striker's coach.

Kluivert played last season for French club Lille but didn't get a renewal due to injury problems. In an interview with Dutch news agency ANP, Kluivert says that he still didn't really decided to retire as a player:

"I give myself another month to find a new club. I still feel like I am a player. But if there are not decent options anymore, I'll be glad going on with the coaching course. With mister Van Gaal, who I already know my whole life, I cannot imagine myself a better teacher."

Van Gaal said he might consider to sign Kluivert as a player: "We're still looking for a centre forward, so if Patrick would be totally fit, I wouldn't have to look any further. At the moment he's here as a trainee, but I don't exclude anything. As a striker's coach he'll sure be valuable for us next season."

Arriving in the summer of 1998 from AC Milan, Patrick Kluivert played six seasons for Barcelona. In 2004 he left for English Premier League club Newcastle. With Barcelona, Kluivert won one Spanish league title in 1999.

Read more:
Ex-Barça: Mark Hughes to Manchester City
Ex-Barça: Fernando Navarro
Ex-Barça: Ronald de Boer