The Fans Football Blog3

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona was close to signing Genoa forward Rodrigo Palacio (27) last summer.

The Barcelona board reportedly wanted to pay a transfer fee of 20 million euro for the Argentinian striker, who then was playing for Boca Juniors and was recommeneded by former Barcelona player and manager Johan Cruijff (read more here). Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola would nevertheless have vetoed the transfer. Last month, Palacio joined Italian club Genoa for a transfer fee of 3,5 million euro.

Read more:
Pre-agreement on Palacio transfer put on hold
Five players on left wing short list
Boca president reveals contact with Palacio

Madrid sports tabloid Marca unconfirmedly claims that Barcelona is closely following two Argentian players: Boca Juniors central defender Juan Forlín (20 - picture) and Lanús midfielder Sebastián Blanco (21).

Forlín was last week for the first time called-up for the Argentinian national team. Blanco has a buyout clause of 7,5 million euro°.


Read more:
Barcelona scouted Argentinian talent Salvio
Talks on Boca Junior striker Noir
Barcelona interested in Lazio forward Zarate








Watch this video of Sebastián Blanco:




Watch this video of Juan Forlín:

Asked about the transfer of Lazio Roma forward and Argentinian youth international Mauro Zárate (21), player's agent José Alberti has said in an interview with Italian football site Novantesimo that Barcelona has been trying to sign the Al-Sadd loan-out:

"It was me who informed Lazio about him. I was in Argentina when Lazio was negotiating with Boca Juniors player Palacio, a deal that in the end didn't go through because the offer of Lazio wasn't accepted. When Boca played the semi-final of the Copa Libertadores against Fluminense in May, there were also scouts of Barcelona to watch Palacio.

That's when I talked to Lazio president Claudio Lotito telling him that he shouldn't spend more time on negotiations with Palacio. I suggested him to watch some youtube videos of the striker that Boca wanted to sign if Palacio would leave: Mauro Zárate. After half an hour, Lotito called me back being enthusiastic and convinced to try to sign the player.

I brought him in touch with the player's representative and after long and hard negotiations with Qatari club Al-Sadd a loan deal was closed. Lotito has tried to secure the player and no one else can sign him at this moment. Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona nevertheless asked for him.

But it's up to Lazio. They can finally get him in two years: at this moment he's on loan, next May they have an option to become the co-owner and in May 2010 they have the option to permanently buy him. Watching him play in the Italian league, I understand very well why Barcelona insisted so much in a transfer... Just imagine what a trio Zárate, Eto'o and Messi could have done!"

Read more:
Pre-agreement on Palacio transfer put on hold
Di Maria and Arshavin will be monitored
Diego Milito was again sounded out this summer


Watch a video of Zárate here:

Former Barcelona player Diego Maradona (48) has yesterday been officially presented as the new head coach of the Argentinian national team.

Maradona's last coaching experience dates back to 1995, when he was for a short while the manager of Argentinian first division club Racing Club.

Arriving from Argentinian club Boca Juniors in the summer of 1982, Diego Maradona played two seasons for Barcelona. After a dispute with Barcelona president Josep Lluís Nuñez, the attacker joined Italian club Napoli in 1984.

With Barcelona, Maradona won one Spanish cup in 1983, one Spanish super cup in 1983, one Spanish league cup in 1983 and one European super cup in 1982.

Read more:
1983: Maradona gets seriously injured
Ex-Barça: Antic to Serbia
Ex-Barça: Rivaldo to Bunyodkor

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona will be closely monitoring the situation of Benfica left winger and Argentinian international Angel Di María (20 - picture, on the right) and Zenit Saint-Petersburg forward and Russian international Andrei Arshavin (27).

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona is handling a five-name short list in their search for a left wing attacker.

(This post will be updated throughout the day.)


Barcelona will decide after the General Assembly on Sunday if they will get another player, Guardiola prefers to keep the squad as it is now (El Mundo Deportivo)
read more

Even if the transfer of Arshavin and Palacio cannot be closed this summer, Barcelona plans to give it another try during the January transfer window, when the leagues in Russia and Argentina will have come to an end (El Mundo Deportivo)
read more

Dennis Lachter, the agent of Arshavin, says that he expects that Zenit will offer the player a renewal soon (Sovietski Sport)

Zenit manager Advocaat says that, although his club doesn't need to sell, Arshavin will probably move to Tottenham (Bloomberg)
read more

Txiki and Rijkaard liked him, but Capel has never been on the list of Guardiola (Sport)
read more

Manchester City is working on the transfer of Thierry Henry (L'Equipe)
read more

Argentinian newspaper La Nación claims that Barcelona is interested in Boca Juniors forward Ricardo Noir (21).

After the Gamper tournament on Saturday, Boca Juniors president Pedro Pompilio would have stayed in Barcelona to hold talks with Barcelona officials on Noir, who made his debut with Boca's first team last May when he scored the winning goal against Racing.

Watch videos of Noir's goal in his debut match here and here

Argentinian newspaper La Nación claims that all parties involved signed a pre-agreement on the transfer of Boca Juniors forward and Argentinian international Rodrigo Palacio (26) to Barcelona on the 31st of January of this year.

With the contacts already having started in December 2006 and after negotiations with a lot of ups and downs, Barcelona representative Joan Patsy, Palacio's agent Roberto Depietri, Palacio's father José Ramón Palacio and Boca president Pedro Pompilio signed the official pre-agreement at the end of January, with Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain following the final negotiations by phone.

Palacio would sign a three-year contract with an option for an extra year. Barcelona will pay Boca Juniors a transfer fee of 11 million euro° with another possible 4 million euro° variables, three of which were depending on the participation of Boca in the Trofeo Joan Gamper pre-season match in August.

The deal furter explained the incentives Palacio would receive for his performances. It was also stated that Barcelona wouldn't allow the striker to join the Argentinian national team at other dates than the official FIFA dates and that he would be one of the Nike stars during the first three years of his contract.

Because of the institutional crisis Barcelona is going through and the need to bring in a more high profiled striker, the deal would nevertheless have been put on hold. The pre-agreement would be the reason why a 16 million euro offer for Palacio by Italian club Lazio Roma was rejected last month.

Read more:
Deal on Argentinian international Palacio close