With Barcelona currently sitting out a transfer ban for what can loosely described as “shenanigans” regarding Fifa’s rules on the buying of players aged under 18, a cynic could be forgiven for thinking some players currently on the club’s payroll might consider milking the situation to their advantage. With his contract due to expire in June, galloping full-back Dani Alves intimated at the turn of the year that he was ready to begin searching for alternative employment because he hadn’t been offered a new deal and was free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club outside Spain, but now it seems now the situation has changed. The player’s ex-wife and Ms 15% Dinorah Santana has revealed that the Catalan club have finally offered Alves a new contract, but said there is much turkey to be talked before anything is agreed.
“On Monday, I had a meeting with [Barcelona suit] Javier Bordad,” she explained. “On Wednesday I have had the second meeting. I have already received an offer, although I can’t say if I am happy or not. There will be more meetings. They told me they will call me to arrange the next one.”
By what the Rumour Mill presumes to be a happy coincidence, assorted media outlets are today reminding their readers, not to mention various Barcelona suits, of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain’s ongoing interest in the 32-year-old Brazilian, who has been a loyal and rampaging servant to Barcelona since signing for them from Sevilla seven years ago. The Mirror reports that United will try to sign him this summer, despite their ongoing interest in Southampton’s Nathanial Clyne. It has been reported elsewhere that Alves has - depending on who you go to for your news - already signed for PSG, might sign for PSG or definitely won’t be signing for PSG. And to think some people say Rumour-mongering is an inexact science.
In other depressing news for Barcelona, metronomic midfield gnome Xavi looks likely to snub the club’s offer of a new deal to leave this summer in order to pursue his boyhood dream of lining up for Qatari club Al-Sadd, who claimed to have agreed a deal with the 35-year-old a fortnight ago.
Fresh from firing Liverpool into the FA Cup semi-finals with his goal against Blackburn Rovers at EWood Park last night, Philippe Coutinho will wake up to speculation linking him with Manchester City, who think £35m will be enough to crowbar him away from Anfield. City are also rumoured to be interested in retaining the services of Coutinho’s fellow Liverpool players Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson, but not so interested in retaining those of their current manager Manuel Pellegrini, chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain.
The agent of Marseille striker André-Pierre Gignac has said that, oput of respect for his current employers, his client is “waiting to know Marseille’s position in his regard before taking a position on his future”. Gignac’s contract expires this summer and the player looks likely to leave as the club he has supported since he was a boy has said they can’t afford to keep him unless he agrees to take a pay cut. West Brom are the latest club to make overtures to the 29-year-old, who has already been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, Milan and Dynamo Moscow. The Baggies hope a hefty signing on fee and £75,000 per week in wages might turn his head.
And finally, officials from Chelsea and Arsenal are set to go toe-to-toe and metaphorically duke it out in a pub car-park, with the winner getting to go home with Southampton’s French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin.
