The Fans Football Blog3

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola has been proposed by the club a short list, including videos, of candidates to strenghten the right back positon.

It's now up to the coach to inidicate his priority so Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain and Barcelona director of football Raúl Sanllehí can then start to move for the player.

Barcelona would be looking for a quality player, with good technical skills, an attacking way of playing, who's physically strong and agressive.

The names on the short list would include the following eight players:

César Azpilicueta (19 - Osasuna)
Cicinho (29 - Roma)
Emmanuel Eboué (26 - Arsenal)
Zdenek Grygera (29 - Juventus)
Jonás Gutiérrez (26 - Newcastle)
Andoni Iraola (27 - Athletic)
Rafinha (23 - Schalke)
Darijo Srna (27 - Shakhtar)

Read more:
Decisive day for transfer Eboue
Looking for a right back defender
Cicinho and Grygera also options for right back

Asked about the rumours linking AS Roma right back defender Cicinho (29) with a move to Barcelona (read more here), Roma technical director Bruno Conti told journalists that the Italian club didn't yet hear anything from Barcelona:

"I've read about all this in the newspapers, but Roma didn't receive any offer from Barcelona. Cicinho is at this moment injured, he's recovering. We hope to have him with us soon because he's an important player and we count on him for the coming season."

Read more:
Cicinho open to offer from Barcelona
Barcelona sounds out AS Roma striker Vucinic
Cicinho and Grygera also options for right back

This is the final result of this blog's What is your preferred option for the right back? poll:


42% Eboue (Arsenal)
22% We don't need another right back
16% Another player
12% Cicinho (Roma)
4% Don't know
3% Grygera (Juventus)



Read more:
Cicinho and Grygera also options for right back
Brazilian right back Mattioni has been offered
Transfer of Arsenal right back Eboue close

Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona (read more here), AS Roma right back defender Cicinho (29) has said in an interview with Italian sports paper Il Corriere dello Sport that he would listen to a concrete offer despite being happy at Roma:

"The first thing that I want to clarify is that I have never expressed to anyone, let alone to Roma, my desire to return to Brazil. I'm feeling very well in Rome, I'm happy with how things are going, certain problems I had in the past have been solved, so at this moment everything is ok. Even for my family. My son is now enrolled in a school here in Rome.

So I don't understand where some rumours are coming from. I have now spent five years in Europe and I don't have any problems at all. I just said that my dream is to return to Brazil in the future and to end my career there. Right now I'm totally focused on recovering from my injury and returning to the pitch in a Roma shirt. The recovery is going well, I am ahead of initial schedule. I am putting everything in to be available for the squad for the second league game against Juventus.

I have never heard anything from Barcelona, I know about it from reading the papers. Of course, I would be a hypocrite if I said, if this was all true, that interest from the club that won the last Champions League would not make me happy, but for now there is nothing. If this would become more concrete and Roma wants to sell me, then we can talk about it again, but, I repeat that I am happy with Roma."

Read more:
Transfer Cicinho could be closed in coming days
Looking for a right back defender
Cicinho prefers to return to Brazil

Asked about the rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona (read more here), AS Roma right back defender Cicinho (29) has said in an interview with Brazilian sport site Globo Esporte that he actually would prefer to return to Brazil although he didn't exclude a transfer:

"I learned about Barcelona's interest through the press. I didn't hear anything official. I am happy to know that an important club like Barça is interested in me. But my true desire is to return to Brazil. I am not happy in Europe and I have been thinking about this for two years. I even had several talks with São Paulo president Juvenal but Roma doesn't want to release me.

As I said, I didn't hear anything and I continue working hard and giving everything for Roma. I do not have an agent, but Ricardo Sarti, a friend, is taking care of these things. I have not yet talked to him. But if Barcelona's offer is good for all parties, that would be fine for me. I am now in the final stage of the recovery from my right knee injury. I think that within twenty days to one month, I will be playing normally."

Read more:
Transfer Cicinho could be closed in coming days
Eboue tops right back target list
Cicinho and Grygera also options for right back


Watch this video of Cicinho:

Italian television channel Sky Sport 24 claims that the transfer of AS Roma right back defender Cicinho (29) to Barcelona could be closed in the coming days (read more here).

Barcelona would have shown concrete interest in the Brazilian player, with Roma reportedly asking a transfer fee between 8 and 10 million euros° for Cicinho.

Read more:
Eboue tops right back target list
Cicinho and Grygera also options for right back

Catalan radio station Catalunya Ràdio claims that Barcelona is interested in AS Roma right back defender Cicinho (29 - picture) and Juventus right back defender and Czech international Zdeněk Grygera (29).

Together with Arsenal right back defender and Ivory Coast international Emmanuel Eboué (26) (read more here), the two players are reportedly on a three-names short list managed by the technical department of the club.

Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola would now have to decide which of those three players is his first option, after which Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain will start negotiations with the player's club.




Read more:
Transfer of Arsenal right back Eboue close
Looking for a right back defender
Brazilian right back Mattioni has been offered