PAPER TALK: A look at the transfer rumours, news and gossip making the headlines in the Spanish Football press: Barcelona agree a deal with David Villa but face competition from Chelsea; Eto`o goes to war; Real Madrid may or may not have signed Benzema; Juventus enter race to sign Xabi Alonso; Tottenham sweating on Maxi while Sevilla haggle over Zokora...
Kicking off with the big four Spanish sports dailies and, according to Barcelona based SPORT and el Mundo Deportivo, it is claimed that David Villa has reached an agreement with FC Barcelona to join the Champions this summer - all that remains to be agreed is the small matter of a transfer with his current club, Valencia, and for the player to publicly declare his intentions. SPORT reports that Villa has informed his agent, Jose Luis Tamargo, that the only club he will consider leaving the Mestalla for is Barcelona; while Mundo Deportivo claim that terms with the player were agreed at a meeting between player and senior Barcelona figures in Asturias yesterday - and that Villa has been told by Barca sporting director Txiki Begiristain that the Catalans will pull out all the stops to sign him, including paying Valencia as much as €45 million for his services.
However, SPORT suggests that Chelsea may yet intervene and that, despite Villa`s reluctance to play in England, the Premiership club`s latest bid of €47 million complicates Barcelona`s chances of agreeing a fee with Valencia. According to SPORT, the higher bids from England are the primary reason why Villa has not yet been sold to a Spanish club - while also reporting that the top man at the Mestalla, Manuel LLorente, continues to insist that there have been no new offers for Villa, that there is no need to sell him and that, as far as he is concerned, "David Villa is a Valencia player."
Understandably the Samuel Eto`o saga rumbles on in both the big Barcelona sports dailies: with Mundo Deportivo talking about "All out war" between the player and the Barcelona board - who were yesterday accused by the player`s agent of duplicity in their desire to force the player out. Naturally, the Madrid based papers are reveling at any sign of a dust up at the Camp Nou and - never wanting to miss an opportunity to put the boot into their old mucker Joan Laporta - MARCA reports that Eto`o`s agent has labeled the Barcelona president a `liar` - and the Madrid paper believes that the Cameroon striker has had enough of his `shameful` treatment at the hands of the Catalan club.
However, the big story for both Madrid based papers involves yesterdays "Hollywood style" presentation of Kaka in front of an “ecstatic 50,000 fans" at the Bernabeu yesterday. "It looked just like the Maracana" said Alfredo di Stefano as Real Madrid`s new Brazillian number 8 was paraded around in front of the punters, sorry, supporters who - writes SPORT - will now need to chip in and buy 6.7 million replica shirts over the next couple of months to pay the new Galactico`s wages.
MARCA also reports that Real Madrid have reached an agreement with Lyon for the transfer of Karim Benzema for €35 million - only at the time of going to print they don`t seem all that sure and despite insisting that the deal has been finalised on the paper`s website, SPORT have since reported that the French club have told L`Equipe that no such deal has been agreed.
In terms of Premiership interest in La Liga: Mundo Deportivo are reporting that Atletico Madrid are putting pressure on Maxi Rodriguez to accept Tottenham Hotspur`s offer to join them after the Premier league club offered cash strapped Atleti €12 million for the Argentine attacking midfielder.
According top the Barcelona based paper, Atletico would love to get their hands on Tottenham`s money in order to fund their own €12 million move for Salvio - a promising Argentine starlet who currently plays for Lanus back in South America. According to MD, Salvio is "lightning quick, technically accomplished, knows where the goal is and can play anywhere across the forward line, including behind the strikers as a number 10." Unfortunately for Atleti, however, it is claimed that the 28 year old Maxi Rodriguez is reluctant to leave the Vicente Calderon with just one year left on his contract. A quick look at the Atletico forums and the fans are just as keen for Maxi to leave as the club is - backing up this particular hack`s suspicion that ten million quid is an awful lot of money for a 28 year old with no sell on value who is happy to sit it out and wait for a Bosman.
AS are patting themselves on the back after Gazzetta dello Sport have apparently backed up the Spanish paper`s prior claims that Juventus have entered the race to sign Xabi Alonso from Liverpool. According to the Italian paper, the Serie A club are willing to play €25 million plus Christian Poulsen in exchange for Alonso. AS believes that Rafa Benitez would be keen on Poulsen - who has struggled in Italy since leaving Sevilla - and that the Liverpool boss could be tempted, particularly if Mascherano were to leave Anfield as well (the Barcelona based papers still believe that Mascherano moving to the Camp Nou remains a distinct possibility).
AS also believes that the transfer of several Sevilla players - including Mosquera and De Sanctis - will free up the funds to enable the Spanish side to move closer to Tottenham`s €12 million evaluation of Didier Zokora. According to the Spanish paper, the London club are bargaining hard and will not reduce their transfer fee for the Ivory Coast midfielder, but the Sevilla president believes that with a bit more cash in his pocket from sales, plus a renewed attempt at negotiating with Spurs, he can push the deal through.
Elsewhere, in the regional Spanish press, the Zokora transfer is also making headlines: with the "Diario de Sevilla" claiming that, if Sevilla ultimately fail in their attempts to sign the Spurs player, then they will focus their efforts on signing Apono from Malaga - as well as making a move for Sergio Sanchez from Espanyol.
"El Comercio Digital" are reporting that Malaga`s financial situation has prevented them from agreeing deals with Lazio and Tottenham for Makinwa and Adel Taarabt respectively.
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Lee Watson
