Just Barcelona News

There is certainly no love lost between FC Barcelona and Jose Mourinho, and there never has been. After getting away with all sorts of terrible behaviour in his first two seasons, the people at Real Madrid and the Spanish media have also woken up to his antics and he is now set to leave under a cloud in the summer.

His reputation as the `special one`, which he started himself, has taken a serious knock during his time at the Bernabeu. At the same time, he has caused significant damage to the reputation of Real Madrid and Spanish football in general. So much so that Carlos Vilarrubi, the vice-president of Barcelona, felt the need to comment.   .....Read more here.......

It is clear from this season that Barcelona have some work to do strengthening the squad. The defensive side, especially, is in need of an overhaul, with Puyol now 34-years old and Abidal set to retire or move into coaching. There are young defenders like Bartra, while Alex Song and Adriano can play in central defence if necessary, but one or two top class defenders are needed to strengthen the spine of the team and avoid any repeat of the Champions League debacle against Bayern Munich.   .....Read more here.......

There were stories in the Spanish press today suggesting that Tito Vilanova may be about to resign as the manager of FC Barcelona. There has been nothing said by the club of the man himself about this, but it is the interpretation of events and Tito’s manner at the Nou Camp last night that have caused the stories.

After Barcelona beat Valladolid on a rain drenched night in Catalunya, they were presented with their 22nd La Liga trophy, which Vilanova and Abidal were handed by the club captain Carles Puyol to raise aloft. Puyol gave a little speech saying that the health of those two was more important than the trophy and Vilanova then said the line that has caused a stir of conjecture.   .....Read more here.......

It has been a long, hard season for FC Barcelona, with injuries hitting the squad hard throughout. La Liga is wrapped up and, although there is a chance to equal the 100 points record set by Real Madrid last season, Tito Vilanova is not too concerned with the result against Valladolid tonight.

The Camp Nou will be a place of celebration and Vilanova has hinted that he will rest a few of the players who are tired and give games to some of the second string whose chances have been limited. Valdes is expected to return in goal and Mascherano has recovered from injury and could play, but there may be starting places for the likes of Bartra, Montoya, Thiago and others.   .....Read more here.......

It is becoming clear that the transfer of Neymar to Barcelona is going to be far from simple. Representatives from the Nou Camp are in Brazil to meet with representatives of the striker and his club Santos, but their initial terms have been rejected, according to the Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues.

“There is no agreement for Neymar, there are talks. I met Rosell and Raul Snhelli last week,” Rodrigues explained on Radio A Xarxa.

“We had a very frank conversation. Talks need to continue because the offer was not good enough.

“We know Real Madrid will make an offer too.   .....Read more here.......

Apart from the true stalwarts at Barcelona, every player will have a little concern over his future at the Nou Camp. The media are full of stories about the team being rebuilt and there are rumours of mass transfers in and out of the club.

One of the big names mentioned as coming into Barca is the Brazilian striker Neymar, so that means the other strikers, except Messi of course, may feel a little vulnerable. With just five league goals all season, the Spanish international Pedro must know that he could be one of the players at risk, but he insists that he is determined to fight for his place. His game time in La Liga has been limited to just 20 starts, because there are Alexis and Tello to consider as well.   .....Read more here.......

As the transfer market draws ever closer, the number of stories, rumours and downright speculation will continue to grow. There are rebuilding plans at a number of big clubs around Europe, including Real Madrid from La Liga, PSG and Monaco in France and Chelsea, Manchester United and City in the English Premier League.

Barcelona are believed to be on the lookout for some new talent, but there will be some old faces on their way out of the Nou Camp as well. Three mentioned in the papers today are the striker David Villa, the keeper Victor Valdes and the right back Dani Alves.   .....Read more here.......

It was reported in the Spanish media last week that the Brazilian striker Neymar’s move to FC Barcelona could be in jeopardy. It is thought that an agreement has been in place between the Spanish champions, Neymar and his current club Santos for some time, but representatives of Real Madrid went to Brazil offering ridiculous sums of money to try to hijack the transfer.

This appears to have sparked officials at Barca into action, according to Mundo Deportivo. They have apparently decided to push the transfer forward rather than wait until next summer and are already in Brazil to negotiate this, the paper reports.   .....Read more here.......