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The Reds website said: “The Spanish club have now been given permission to speak to the Argentina midfielder.”

Liverpool were keen to recoup the £18m they paid three-and-a-half years ago, after Mascherano joined from West Ham.

And the Catalan giants confirmed: “The clubs have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Mascherano for the next four seasons.”

The statement on Barcelona’s website continued: “The deal was closed after intensive efforts made by the club in the final hours and through the player himself in the negotiations.
“Barcelona will report the details of the operation once the player passes the medical and the transfer is concluded.

“It is hoped Javier Mascherano will arrive in Barcelona this weekend.”

Liverpool had rejected an initial bid of £16m from Barcelona seven days ago but reports suggest the new offer is closer to the club’s £25m valuation of Mascherano. (continue reading…)

Speaking immediately after the draw for the Champions League group stage in Monaco, Andoni Zubizarreta called for “the maximum respect” for Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen and Rubin Kazan.

Zubizarreta attended today’s draw in Monaco to hand over the award for best goalkeeper. Afterwards he spoke to Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat to analyse the three teams Barça will now face in Group D.

“We can’t take anything for granted”

The former Barça and Spain goalkeeper, now head of professional football at the Club, warned: We can’t take anything for granted. Barça will have the maximum respect for our opponents. If they’re in the draw it’s because they’re earned the right to be there. I’m sure we’ll find they have their strong points”.

Turning to an assessment of each team individually, he described Panathinaikos as a “difficult team” while he highlighted that Copenhagen was a team not often seen in the Champions League. As for Russian champions, Rubin Kazan, who FC Barcelona also met last year in the group stage, Zubizarreta stressed the difficulties posed by the long trip to Russia. (continue reading…)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has closed in on a move to Milan after comments about his difficult position at Barcelona. The Swedish striker declared he has problems with Barca coach Josep Guardiola. He also mentioned he would like to play with Ronaldinho at Milan.

The former Internazionale star, who arrived at the Camp Nou last summer, revealed he hasn’t heard from Guardiola for six months.

“Guardiola has not spoken to me for six months,” he told Sky Italia television.

“He only did so twice. I would like to understand why, but he won’t tell me. I need to be happy. I’m fine in Barcelona, but I have problems with the coach.

“The directors tell me they don’t want me to go, but at the same time how can I continue here when the manager doesn’t speak to me?

“Milan? I don’t know at what stage the negotiations are, but I would like to play with Ronaldinho.”

The 29-year-old played for Barca in a friendly against Milan in Spain on Wednesday night, after which he told reporters that he had no relationship with his club coach, although he claimed he knew nothing about Milan’s reported interest. (continue reading…)

ARSENAL have told Barcelona: You can have Cesc Fabregas for £50million.

And Arsene Wenger has already held talks with Joe Cole over filling the gap left in the Gunners midfield.

Arsenal insisted skipper Fabregas, 23, was not for sale when they dismissed Barca’s opening bid last week.

But the Nou Camp’s top brass now claim Arsenal say they will sell… if Barca double their offer.

The Catalan giants are not prepared to do that but the fact Arsenal have named a price suggests there is now room for negotiation.

A Nou Camp source said: “This is the news the men in charge at Barca wanted.

“They now see the possibility of Arsenal cracking and are determined to get their man.

“They hope they can get an agreement at around the £35m mark.”

Chelsea star Cole met Gunners boss Wenger before jetting out to South Africa with England last week.

The former West Ham ace, 28, is out of contract and set to quit Stamford Bridge after seven years.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has not given up hope of keeping Cole.

Assistant boss Ray Wilkins admitted: “Carlo and myself would love Joe to stay. But it’s down now to the club to see what we can do.”

FC Barcelona have won the fourth trophy of an incredible season, and by beating Valladolid have set an all-time Liga record of 99 points.

This team was born to win. Guardiola has continued weaving his magic and 368 days after winning the cup in Mestalla, the celebrations continue. Barça won an unprecedented six titles in 2010, and it was exactly a year ago today on May 16 that their second League title was confirmed. They have now retained the title, while in the meantime, the Clubs World Cup, the Champions League and both Super Cups have also been conquered.

This team just can’t stop winning. It is often noted that after a very successful season, it is hard for a team to reproduce the same form the following year. Not so with Barça, who have continued to stun the world with their gourmet football, in which every pass, and every shot, is a delight to behold. The hallmark style of maintaining possession of the ball, wearing down the opposition and always playing to attack has always been present, even when the side was beaten in the two knockout competitions it has played in this year. In the League, the statistics speak for themselves, 99 points including the double over nearest rivals Real Madrid.

Guardiola’s side has been truly remarkable, and this League title is particularly valued considering how difficult the campaign has been this year. Barça have been astounding, but Real Madrid have been putting together a similarly brilliant record, and it all came down to the very last day. FC Barcelona have had to break records to get here. Nobody has ever gained 99 points in one of the major European leagues, and they have once again had to win no fewer than 13 games on the road, and just draw five games and lose one. With top scorer Messi and top goalkeeper Valdés on the park, they have gone unbeaten at the Camp Nou – it’s been a season to remember for so many wonderful reasons.
It is also especially pleasing to know that all of this has been achieved with so much homemade talent.

The team that has had the most overall possession and shot the most times at goal has done so with 10 of 21 players that have appeared being products of the club’s own youth system based at La Masia. Guardiola, the incomparable leader of the team, has managed to blend the talent of imported stars with local players in stunning fashion, with everybody learning to combine and respect the club’s philosophy that does so much to reflect what is so good about football. We can now salute a champion in every sense of the word.

Chelsea  and Manchester City are being offered the chance to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a deal that would create a new British transfer record.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is keen to offload the Sweden striker and has reportedly recruited agent and close friend Pini Zahavi to find a buyer willing to pay in excess of £40million.
Chelsea and City have been targeted as the likeliest takers in England and are about to be sounded out, following a clear signal both clubs are looking to strengthen up front.

Chelsea are still concentrating their efforts on trying to prise £70m-rated Fernando Torres away from Liverpool and will wait to discover their prospects of landing the World Cup-bound Spain striker before considering the merits of Ibrahimovic.

City have the funds to meet Barcelona’s asking price but will carefully weigh up whether the 28-year old’s occasionally sullen demeanour and fitful flair meets their requirements.

The £32.5m City paid Real Madrid for Robinho remains the record fee by a British club, but Barcelona will hold out for significantly more than that for a player they signed from Inter Milan for £40m plus Samuel Eto’o.

New Juventus president Andrea Agnelli wants to take Ibrahimovic back to Turin but is reluctant to pay more than £35m, prompting Laporta to try and guage interest levels elsewhere in Europe. (continue reading…)

Barcelona felt aggrieved not to have won a penalty, but Mourinho pointed to last year’s semi-final when Chelsea had several appeals rejected against Barca.

“It’s a pity. A year ago Chelsea were crying and Barca were laughing with the referee,” said ex-Blues boss Mourinho.

“They laughed because he denied my Chelsea boys their rightful place.”

Barca full-back Daniel Alves found himself booked for diving in the second half after going down under a Wesley Sneijder challenge inside the box.

But Mourinho, who left Chelsea as manager in September 2007, had no sympathy for the club where he once worked as an interpreter for Sir Bobby Robson.
Instead, he invoked memories of last season’s semi-final between Barca and Chelsea when Andres Iniesta’s spectacular injury-time strike denied the Blues a place in the final after referee Tom Ovrebo had turned down a string of penalty appeals.

“Barca went on to the final (last year) and went on to win everything,” said Mourinho. “The league, the Champions League, Super Cups, the Club World Cup, six trophies in total.

“I don’t feel that the referee influenced the outcome of this game, no. It’s a pity he gave an offside against [Inter's] Diego Milito at the start when he was onside, but that’s all.”

Mourinho, whose team beat Chelsea earlier in the tournament, praised his side’s fighting spirit after they recovered from an early Pedro goal to stun the holders and make themselves favourites to reach the final in the Bernabeu in May.
(continue reading…)

Inter Milan sent reigning Champions League champions Barcelona to the brink of elimination following their victory in the first leg of their semi-final at the San Siro tonight.

It was the game billed as an early final, and if the eventual final in Madrid can live up to what this had to offer, then the 90,000 fans inside the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu will be in for a treat on May 22.

Pedro put Barcelona in front in the 19th minute, but Inter turned the game around thanks to goals from Wesley Sneijder on the half-hour mark, Maicon just three minutes into the second half and Diego Milito after an hour.

Inter will now travel to tSpain next week looking to wrap up their first ever Champions League final appearance.

Barca, who endured a 14-hour bus journey to Milan due to the volcanic ash, will have plenty of time to reflect on their display as they head back to Catalonia knowing they will need at least two goals to progress. (continue reading…)

All the background facts and figures surrounding Tuesday evening’s Champions League semi-final first leg between Inter Milan and FC Barcelona.

- Barca has never lost an away match to Inter Milan, winning once and drawing three times.

- The last two visits – both of them in the group stage of the Champions league - have ended in goalless draws.

- Inter Milan are unbeaten at home in the Champions League this season. They have won three matches (Rubin Kazan, Chelsea and CSKA Moscow) and drawn two (Barca and Dynamo Kiev).

-However, Barca have done well on their travels this season in the Champions League, winning one (Dynamo Kiev) and drawing four (Inter, Rubin Kazan, Stuttgart and Arsenal).

- Barca have played seven games in the city of Milan, winning two, drawing three and losing two.
- The last time Barca played a European semi-final in Milan they beat AC Milan 0-1 in the 2005-06 season. The goal was scored by French winger Giuly.

- This is Inter’s eighth semi-final in European club football’s top competition. They went through four times and were eliminated three times.

- Barca on the other hand have reached this stage ten times previously, going through to the final five times and losing out five times. (continue reading…)