Reports this week in MundoDeportivo and Marca have asserted that La Masia product Thiago Alcántara is considering an exit from the squad, with both Manchester clubs being possible destinations. Alcántara was formally promoted to the senior team last season but saw limited playing time this year despite injuries and decline in the Barcelona midfield. Both Premiership outfits are said to be studying the fine print in Alcántara’s contract in order to sign the player without having to negotiate with Barcelona management. The contract, which carries a 90 million euro buyout clause, apparently has language which reduces the buyout threshold to only 18 million euros if the player fails to play a minimum number of minutes in the previous season.

Tell us what you think: can Barcelona afford to lose Thiago?

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Both Sport and Mundo Deportivo are reporting on Tuesday that want-away goalkeeper Víctor Valdés has agreed in principle to a summer departure. This means that the club can try to sell the player before his contract expires in 2014; he is currently valued at 10-15 million euros. Óscar Zárate, writing in Mundo Deportivo, speculated that Valdés already had an offer from another team, and thought that Arsenal or Monaco were likely destinations.

It seems certain that Valdés will leave; where would you like to see him end up?

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Mundo Deportivo published several articles today about possible transfers for next season. Read our overview of all the transfer rumours after the jump.

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He’s been a fixture at the heart of the Manchester City defence, showing coolness under pressure and being a shining example to some of his more inconsistent teammates. Vincent Kompany has been the reigning Premier League champions’ best performer over the past couple of years, but could he be ready for a change of scenery this summer?

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International breaks are always accompanied by two things: boredom and transfer rumors. Mundo Deportivo perpetuated the trend with an article outlining our choices for defensive reinforcement next season. And since we are all bored given the lack of Liga action, maybe we can indulge in a little transfer fantasy. Continue reading »

Following the news of Víctor Valdés’s decision to not renew, there has been speculation over who should fill the void once his contract expires. Madrid-based paper Marca has reported that Barcelona has reached a pre-agreement with German international and Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper, Marc-André ter Stegen (20).

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Rumours of Santos forward and Brazilian superstar Neymar (20) arriving in Barcelona this summer are growing more persistent. Catalan daily Sport reported recently that an FC Barcelona director and one of Neymar’s sponsors have both confirmed a deal in place for the 2013-14 season. The young Brazilian could arrive as early as July 2013, after the Confederations Cup has finished. for a transfer fee rumored to be between 30 and 40 million Euros. Read more about Barcelona’s potential next big signing after the break.

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Rumors are swirling in Spain about the likelihood that Pep Guardiola will accept a job next season managing a top Premiership team. And while no concrete declarations have emerged from Pep’s camp, some signs point to the man’s impatience to return to the limelight.

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FC Barcelona winger Isaac Cuenca is close to a loan deal with Valencia that would see him wear white for the remainder of the season, according to a report in Sport. The player is finally recovering his fitness after tearing his meniscus way back in May, but it is unclear that there is room for him in the current Barcelona attack. The Valencia deal would give him valuable playing time, and help Los Che fill out their own strikeforce which will be depleted when Sofiane Feghouli leaves to play with Algeria in the African Cup of Nations in early 2013.

So tB readers, what say you: is there any chance we would need a player like Cuenca later this season? Would you favor a permanent sale to Valencia or only a loan? Sound off in the comments!

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The representative of the Barcelona Dutchman concedes that he is holding talks with various clubs to agree a loan move for the player.

Ibrahim Afellay (26) has been linked many times with a move away from Barcelona, not least of which has been this summer.

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FC Barcelona starlet Marc Muniesa is on the verge of making a shock move to Holland champions Ajax, according to reports Friday in El Mundo Deportivo, although the player’s willingness to move away from Barcelona is still in question. Ajax have been pushing hard for the transfer, based apparently on the recommendation of Johan Cruyff, in a bid to replace Jan Vertonghen who was sold to Tottenham earlier this summer. Ajax Sporting Director Marc Overmars, himself a former blaugrana, confirmed the interest in the young defender: “The interest in Muniesa is correct, but nothing is yet decided.”

Whatever happens, it seems clear that FC Barcelona is not giving up their stake in the player and will likely configure the deal to be either a loan, or a sale with a guaranteed buyback option.

In a transaction that surely indicates a changing balance of financial power in European football, Milan president Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday confirmed the sale of former FC Barcelona striker  Zlatan Ibrahimovic and FCB transfer target Thiago Silva to French club PSG. The deal, said to be worth about 65 million Euros, has yet to be officially documented on either club site. But Berlusconi has been quoted in La Gazzetta as saying that “yes, we sold Zlatan and Thiago to PSG. We’ve generated 150 million in two years.”

Image: Reuters

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell held his customary end-of-season press conference this morning at the Camp Nou, to do an overview of the previous season. Rosell discussed various matters related to the club like Pep, Tito, Abidal, the economic situation, Camp Nou remodeling, the Mourinho-Tito punishment and the season ticket pricing. After discussing the balance of the season, the president was then subjected to questions from journalists on some portentous topics related to the club.

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With the yellow submarine [Villarreal] sinking into the second division next season, the club is expected to stage a fire-sale of its players. And although the vultures from many clubs are already circling, the possibility of landing an inexpensive utility player has attracted attention from FC Barcelona. Their target: Nilmar Honorato da Silva. The Brazilian attacker formed a lethal striking partnership with  Giuseppe Rossi  in the 2010-11 campaign before injuries derailed both men’s careers. But Nilmar must remain an attractive option to shore up the Barcelona attack. The price and pedigree are appealing, although the player’s age [28] and recent propensity for injury might be reasons for caution.

Commenters: what say you?

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Rumors started by an article in German publication Bild have intensified speculation that Tito Vilanova is in the market for an all-out striker to give the team more options in attack. One name floated more and more in recent days is that of German veteran Miroslav Klose, currently under contract with Italian outfit Lazio. Klose fits the profile of the ultimate impact-sub: tall, great with his head, willing to be consigned to a substitute role, inexpensive. In fact, in some ways, Klose could be described as the poor man’s Llorente.

All speculation at this point, but an interesting prospect. What do you think: could Klose be the new Larsson?

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Rumors emerging today on the website of Guillem Balague [and confirmed in Tuesday's Revisita de la Liga broadcast] suggest that FC Barcelona may have been busy behind the scenes at the Club World Cup. Balague reports that Neymar has agreed to personal terms with Barcelona and that money has already changed hands in the deal. Sandro Rosell has allegedly paid 10 million Euros to Santos in order to secure the services of Neymar sometime before 2014. If the details of the deal are to be believed, Santos will owe Barcelona 20 million Euros if they decide to send the player elsewhere. The total operation, likely to be finalized after the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, will be worth 60 million Euros.

Independent of the merits of Neymar and how he would fit into the culture of Barcelona, this signing would be a coup for Rosell as the player is highly coveted by Florentino Pérez at Real Madrid. Despite having signed a “pre-contract” with the team from the Capitol, some of Neymar’s recent declarations in the press indicate that his heart may be in favor of a move to Catalonia where he would be reunited with his good friend Dani Alves. Indeed, As.com is reporting on Tuesday that Neymar personally asked Pep Guardiola to “take me to Barcelona” in the aftermath of the CWC final.

Spanish daily Sport reported yesterday that French club Paris Saint-Germain could be interested in the services of FC Barcelona left-back defender Maxwell (30) while in another report in AS, FC Barcelona have showed interest in Sporting Lisbon right-back Joao Pereira, who is being followed by several European clubs.

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The latest transfer rumours suggest that FC Barcelona is scouting Internacional of Porto Allegre striker Leandro Damião (22) and Benfica attacking midfielder Nicolas Gaitán (23).

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British daily The People suggested in their Sunday edition that if Liverpool finishes in the top 4 this season, FC Barcelona striker David Villa (29) would be the red’s top transfer target for the summer.

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Spanish daily Sport claims that FC Barcelona have Valencia left wing full-back Jordi Alba at the top of the list of defensive reinforcements that might be brought  in during the winter transfer market. Alba has put in great performances with Valencia in this and the previous season and his efforts have earned him his Spain national team debut in September 2011.

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Barcelona B striker Jonathan Soriano, whose contract expires at the end of the season, recently told Portuguese radio station TSF that Benfica is an option for him in the winter market and he will speak with FC Barcelona to evaluate the ‘best option’.

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According to Spanish daily Sport, cash-rich French club Paris Saint-Germain are looking to sign FC Barcelona’s left back Eric Abidal, whose contract negotiations are still in the works.

The newspaper ascertains that Abidal’s future is not clear because of the long-drawn negotiations to sign a new contract with the Catalan club. Although Abidal has mentioned on more than one occasion that he intends to end his career at the club and stay and live in Barcelona, there is a possibility that PSG has a very strong commitment to secure his services.

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According to The Guardian, who failed to name a source, FC Barcelona could be preparing a bid for Bolton centre half Gary Cahill(25). Read more after the jump.

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Reports in the English press, and tweets by well-connected football pundits, indicate that a Barcelona deal for Cesc Fabregas may well be imminent, and that the player will complete the transfer before the weekend.

Arsenal rejected the last offer from Barcelona’s chief negotiator, Vice-President Josep Maria Bartomeu, because it relied too heavily on incentives. But the new plan from Bartomeu, tabled a few days ago, softens the incentives and increases the core cash offer. Details on the final transfer details have yet to be made public, but rumors point to a transfer fee of £30 million pounds, with a further 5 million in incentives.

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Sport reported on Friday that Barcelona B midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos may be close to a move to Primera outfit Zaragoza. His transfer fee would be about 1 million euros and would be tied to a buy-back option. More details about a potential deal are still to be revealed, but totalBarça will update the site as new information emerges.

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It is the most persistent rumour of all, and has been for multiple transfer windows. Cesc Fabregas and FC Barcelona, is this the summer the blaugrana will secure the services of their former youth player? After examining how the fans of both Arsenal and Barça view the potential signing, we’ve decided an internal debate is in order here at totalBarça. Therefore, we present the third part of our summer series, ‘The Debate’, with today’s edition focusing on Spanish international and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas. Anyone reading this already knows the background and the unending rumours, so let’s delve into the views of two writers taking opposite sides.

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The midfield of FC Barcelona is arguably the best midfield in today’s football world. We have the dynamic duo of Xavi and Iniesta (sometimes referred to as XavIniesta) who are the most adept controllers of play and keep the ball like their life depends on it. We have Sergio Busquets, who shows composure and the ability to read the game way beyond his years. We have the Argentina national team’s Captain, Javier Mascherano, marshaling the defensive midfield. Apart from them, we have Seydou Keita and Afellay who would both be automatic starters in most of the top teams in Europe.

The promotion of Thiago Alacantara into the first team will instill exuberance and a spark into this already powerful midfield. A deal with Arsenal FC over Cesc Fabregas is suggested to be imminent by many, but Do you think FC Barcelona needs to strengthen the midfield further?

Cast your vote after the jump.

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Stories linking Barcelona to Argentine attacker Kun Agüero continue to pile up on Thursday, with both Sport and El Mundo Deportivo reporting movement towards a potential summer transfer. Agüero declared somewhat suddenly last week his desire to leave Atlético, with Real Madrid heading the list of suitors. When it became clear that the board at Atlético was going to make a Real Madrid move very difficult, Agüero’s entourage began shopping him around to other Liga teams, including Barcelona. Sport is even reporting on a clandestine meeting today between Barcelona officials and José Luis Pérez Caminero, the new Sporting Director at Atlético.

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All major sporting media in Spain are reporting on Sunday Barcelona’s imminent signing of Sporting Gijon left back José Ángel on a four year deal. Negotiations are reportedly in their final phase, with a final announcement due as early as Monday. Barcelona will pay Gijon approximately four million Euros, and may send a Barça B defender to Sporting on loan as part of the arrangement. Marc Bartra, Marc Muniesa and Andreu Fontàs are all being named as potential loanees.

At 22, Ángel has been one of the bright lights in Gijon this season. After his debut with the first team in 2009, he has been a solid presence in the Sporting defense. He also plays for the Spanish U-21 national squad.

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