FC BARCELONA 3 ARSENAL FC 1 | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

FC Barcelona defeated 3 - 1 Arsenal FC to take the UEFA Champions League tie with an 5 - 3 aggregate. Barça joins the other two Spanish Football Clubs, At Madrid & Real Madrid in the Quarter-final phase.

The match can be simply summed up by saying the three Barça forwards did their magic along with Barça goalie Ter Stegen who made some outstanding saves. Arsenal played well but missed their opportunities & hit the bar. 

However, Barça grinds their opponents the full 90 mins & manages to find the moments & spaces needed to score. Here are the goals:

• Neymar 18th min, 1 - 0
• Elneny 51st min, 1 - 1
• Suarez 65th min, 2 - 1
• Messi 89th min, 3 - 1

Another highlight was the "scissor-kick" goal from Luis Suarez. Outstanding.

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FC BARCELONA WINS 0 - 2 ARSENAL | 1º ST LEG CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Spanish Football team FC Barcelona played English Club Arsenal away at London in their 1º st leg match-up of Champions League. Final result 0 - 2 which puts Barça in a comfortable position to wrap the tie up in the upcoming return 2º leg game at home & move on in the competition.

Good game & very entertaining with both teams creating plenty of goal chances. Barça stuck to their possession football style while Arsenal was more defensive & played the counter-attack card. Lots of goal chances created with both goalkeepers - Cech & Stegen - having to make a few very important saves each. 

In the end it was the team which was more effective & took the opportunities to create goals. FC Barcelona scored first in the 71st min after a lightening counter-attack involving Neymar-Suarez-Neymar- Messi who scored. The execution was perfect!

The second goal came from a penalty in the 84th min which Messi converted to grab his second in tonight's match.

Another highlight was the post hit by Luis Suarez.

FC Barcelona was tonight the better team, while Arsenal lacked finishing abilities & paid dearly for not defining. 

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HECTOR MORENO CHOICE IS ARSENAL FC

According to local Spanish Sports press RCD Espanyol Mexican defender Hector Moreno will be heading off to the English Premier League next season. There are two English Football Clubs competing for the services of Hector Moreno, Tottenham Hotspurs & Arsenal FC.  

The Mexican player has made up is mind & has chosen Arsenal FC as his next destination & Club. Arsenal has been following the defender for months & is willing to offer the Spanish Football Club Espanyol 20M€ in transfer fee. Offer hard to refuse.

Stay tuned!

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ATLETICO DE MADRID TARGET CAZORLA & JUAN MATA

Spanish Soccer Club Atletico de Madrid is planning their squad for next season. According to Spanish Sports media their main target is 30 year old Spanish International & Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla. Atletico de Madrid Coach Diego Simeone wants to incorporate a class creative play-maker in the centre & has solicited Cazorla.

News locally indicates that Atletico de Madrid representatives have already met up with Cazorla´s "inner circle" to postulate their desires & the player has responded favourable to the possibility of coming back to Spanish Football & concretely Atletico de Madrid next season.

The hurdle now is to convince Arsenal & manager Wenger, a difficult task as the Spaniard is a "favourite" at the English Club both with the technical team & the fan-base. If the story is true negotiations maybe long, & perhaps,  Arsenal will ask for a young Atletico promise in return along with an economic fee.

Another name sounding heavily in UK press as an Atletico de Madrid target is Spanish International & Manchester United player Juan Mata. 

Stay tuned!

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ARSENAL FC TO TARGET PEDRO FROM FC BARCELONA

News out of England, concretely "Daily Mirror", suggests that Premier League Club Arsenal FC is preparing a move on Spanish International & FC Barcelona 27 year old winger Pedro Rodriguez. Not surprising as rumours were hot this last summer that the winger was studying offers from elsewhere, Arsenal FC included.

The news further cites that Arsenal is preparing a 30M€ offer that perhaps may appear as early as the New Year, in the upcoming "Winter Transfer Market". The idea is to hook up again Pedro with ex-Barça tam-mate Alexis Sanchez to make up a formidable attacking pair over in London.

A viable option as the Barça player is not participating as much as desired this season. Young sensation Munir has taken up a more active role over Pedro on the field, while the return from sanction of Luis Suarez virtually keeps Pedro in a more complementary role. Pedro (& FC Barcelona) will obviously have the last say, the player may also want to listen to other offers locally & from around Europe.

Stay tuned!

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SPANISH FOOTBALL RUMOURS | MUNIR & SAMI KHEDIRA

Interesting news coming out of Spain in reference to possible signing interests for players from Spain s two biggest Football Clubs, FC Barcelona & Real Madrid.

The first news piece comes from France - "Le10Sport1" - picked up locally by Spanish Sports media. According to the French source Paris St Germain & Bayern Munich have set their aim & target on young Barça sensation Muñir. Apparently the players Club value is around the 12M€ mark thus making the Footballer a bargain. Obviously FC Barcelona has the option of bettering the players contract & economic conditions which would make it harder for interested third parties to swoop away the youngster. In fact, the news piece could be a "planned strategy" from within the Munir "inner circle" to force FC Barcelona to negotiate & better the conditions of the player. Stay tuned!

The other news piece comes from England. The unofficial statement is that Arsenal FC has reached agreement with Real Madrid to transfer German International midfielder Sami Khedira in the "Winter Market". The transfer fee being said is 14M€ & its an expressed petition from Arsenal Coach Wenger. Stay tuned!

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SAMI KHEDIRA STUDYING ARSENAL FC - CHELSEA FC OPTIONS

German International & Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has one year left of his contract with the Spanish Football Club. The player refuses to renew (extend) his stay & thinks in staying put the remaining season. This way as of the 1st of January 2015 he becomes a free agent & can go to any Club he wishes without a transfer fee but with a very succulent salary package. Real Madrid naturally wishes to avoid this & wants to fill their bank account this transfer window & at least get a transfer fee that otherwise would not be an option. 

The World Champion has a market demand & Real Madrid has let known to Khedira that perhaps his best option is leave now & accept a transfer because with so much midfield competition the German cannot be guaranteed playing time & may face a long season sitting on the bench than playing on the field. 

Latest news from England suggests that Khedira has decided to look for alternatives & is currently speaking with Premier League Clubs Arsenal FC & Chelsea FC. The transfer price would be a bargain, around 15M€ which could stimulate said Clubs to make the Investment.

There is another Club interested & that is Bayern Munich which has seen Khedira as a viable option to cover the loss of Javi Martinez after his recent knee injury. However, news from the players inner circle suggests that Khedira has a preference for Chelsea FC which has Coach Jose Mourinho who has always had faith for the German midfielder. 

Stay tuned!

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FC BARCELONA TIES VERMAELEN FROM ARSENAL FC

FC Barcelona continue signing players & securing up their defence for the upcoming season. The Spanish Football Club has come to an agreement with English Premier League Club Arsenal FC to transfer Belgium defender Tomas Vermaelen.

Local media sources comment that the player could be arriving over to Barcelona in the next hours, while other media sources say that Barça still has to shut terms with the actual player before any official announcement or move.

Already some have questioned the signing of the 28 year old defender. Tomas Vermaelen suffered a serious Achilles Heel injury seasons back which has halt his progression. The player has spent more time out injured than playing, in fact at Arsenal the defender played a secondary role. The Barça medical team will have to look closely at the players injured area & be sure that it wont cause head-aches in the future. 

The pressure on Barça to sign a competent defender & the "shortage" of Central Defenders available on the Football market has made Barcelona sign perhaps "impulsively". In any rate the Belgium International will need some time to adapt to the Barça way of playing Football & to the language, thus the "defensive solution" may take time.

Stay tuned for an official announcement soon. 

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SAMI KHEDIRA OVER TO ARSENAL FC ?

The following news piece comes out of Barcelona based media, concretely "Sport" which advances that German International midfielder & Real Madrid player Sami Khedira will go over to English Premier League Club Arsenal FC next season.

Its news well worth noting, firstly from its absence from Madrid based papers & secondly, because Sami Khedira has not wanted to extend his contract with Real Madrid. The German believes he is not "appreciated" as he would desire at the Spanish Club & looks for new adventures. The truth is that the Real Madrid midfield area is a very competitive affair with World Class players on all fronts. Plus the new addition of Toni Kroos will lift further the competition.

The Barcelona based Sports daily goes on to say the Real Madrid & Arsenal FC, along with player, have agreement to culminate the transfer. The offer from Arsenal is a 4 seasons contract while the transfer fee is said to be around 30M€. Real Madrid Coach Carlo Ancelotti has attempted to convince the German in staying but Khedira has apparently already taken his decision. 

The news may become formal in the next days. Stay tuned!

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ARSENAL FC SIGNS ALEXIS SANCHEZ FROM FC BARCELONA

The news just in & doing the Spanish Sports online editions is that FC BARCELONA & Chilean International ALEXIS SANCHEZ will be transferred to English Premier League Club ARSENAL FC. The numbers are 34,6M€ in transfer fee plus an extra 3M€ according to reached "objectives". The news says that both Football Clubs have total agreement barring the paperwork.

This move is important for FC Barcelona because the received money from the Alexis Sanchez transfer will serve as the first down payment to Liverpool FC to finally shut officially the LUIS SUAREZ transfer move to Barça. If everything goes according to plan, Barcelona & Arsenal FC will shut the Alexis deal in the coming hours & make it official tomorrow. While immediately after Liverpool FC & Barcelona will shut the Luis Suarez transfer & this will also be announced soon. 

The Chilean International had serious offers from Juventus FC & Milan but Alexis has made his choice & Arsenal FC appears to be his next & soon to be destination. 

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FC BARCELONA | CESC FABREGAS BACK TO ENGLAND?

The news coming out of the city of Barcelona is not new. According to Spanish Sports daily "Sport" English Premier League giant Manchester United is preparing a 45M€ offer for FC Barcelona & Spanish International midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Most observers agree that the best years for Fabragas was with Arsenal FC & playing in English Football. The midfielder has not fully been accepted at FC Barcelona since his arrival being questioned more than praised. Manchester United is considering  hiring Van Gaal as new Coach for next season after a disastrous year where the squad had midfield limitations & may have been the main cause for not finishing in Champions League. Van Gaal apparently considers Cesc Fabregas a priority, along with Toni Kross ( Bayern Munich) & Marco Reus ( Dortmund ). However, ex Club, Arsenal FC is also beginning to sound as a possible future destination for next season.

The last word will be with Cesc Fabregas & the possible new Coach at FC Barcelona next season, as it is strongly rumoured the current Coach Gerardo Martino has his days counted. Stay tuned!

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REAL MADRID | ARSENAL FC - TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS EYE ALVARO MORATA | LOAN

It was posted here weeks back, English Premier League Clubs Arsenal FC & Tottenham Hotspurs have Real Madrid young U-21 Spanish International forward Alvaro Morata on their list of "Winter Market 2014" incorporations. The Spanish Football Club via the voice of its Coach Carlo Ancelotti has let known that the player will stay, however Arsenal through Manager/Coach Arsene Wenger has been heavily insisting especially after Arsenal forward Walcott injured himself seriously & has solicited the loan of the player.

According the news coming out of England - "International Business Times" - today the representative of Morata ( Juanma Lopez ) is in London to sit down with Directives of Tottenham & Arsenal to hear their views. The idea is to then fly back to Madrid & put on the table the loan offers & see if the player decides to take on the "English Adventure".

The truth is that Alvaro Morata has been recently eclipsed by another youngster & Spanish U-21 International in Jese, who has found the confidence of his Coach & technical staff & is getting playing time. The player has taken advantage of his opportunities & is assisting with goals & with his own, the latest yesterday in the Spanish Cup match against Osasuna.

With starting forward Karim Benzema  & Jese in front of Morata,  a loan to another Club that gives the youngster playing time maybe the best option to keep the player evolving & growing. However Coach Ancelotti may be hesitant to let the young player go in case Benzema suffers an injury or suspension which will leave the "Striker" position thin.  Plus, in today´s Press Conference Coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed that Morata himself has asked Real Madrid to stay.

True or not, the issue will be hot in coming weeks & the player ( & Club ) will have to make difficult decisions. No one doubts that a Football Player - especially a young promise - needs to play in order to develop & grow. Morata under that current conditions & circumstances is being "blocked" out & will keep the bench warm.
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MANCHESTER CITY - ARSENAL FC SOUND OUT IKER CASILLAS

News locally & from overseas is mounting speculating about the future of Spanish International & Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The situation of the player with his Club is that the "regular" goalkeeper for Real Madrid is Diego Lopez who has been chosen by Coach Ancelotti to be the starting keeper in Spanish Liga. Iker Casillas has been given the keeper role in Champions League & the Spanish Cup, however these competitions are not regular as the weekly Spanish Football League competition.

This unusual situation for Iker Casillas has lead the Spanish International to consider perhaps moving on to find that regular playing position that a player of his stature looks for & needs to maintain himself at the elite level. Also the upcoming World Cup Finals in Brazil lurks in the forefront of the mind of Iker Casillas as his starting place with the Spanish Football National Team is also being questioned & not guaranteed.

Iker Casillas himself has let known in an indirect fashion & sometimes in a encrypted  manner, that leaving Real Madrid could be an option & the "rumour mill" locally sounds on a weekly basis. 

News out of England, concretely English paper "Daily Mirror" , has informed that intermediaries from Manchester City & Arsenal FC have began sounding out & have contacted the Real Madrid goalkeeper for a possible move. Manchester City has a "goalkeeper problem" with its regular keeper Hart sat on the bench after some terrible performances. Man City Coach Pellegrini ( ex Coach of Real Madrid ) knows well Casillas & considers that incorporating the Spanish International would give the keeper spot guarantees & security to tackle the rest of the season.

In both case, both Clubs would desire a fast incorporation, that is a transfer in the Winter Market window that opens the 1 st of  January 2014. The price would be high, no one has published the possible transfer fee but below 45-50M€ is not an option I believe.

I personally think that Iker Casillas will NOT move from Real Madrid this "Winter Market". Plus Iker Casillas would not be eligible to play Champions League for either Manchester City or Arsenal as he has already played Champions with Real Madrid. What I do believe is that if Casillas keeps playing "second fiddle" to Diego Lopez at the end of the season he may consider a summer transfer move, this is a possibility. Until then we will all be staying tuned & alert for further developments. 

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REAL MADRID OZIL SIGNS FOR ARSENAL FC FOR 50M€

With hours left before the closing of the transfer window the news from Real Madrid & local Spanish Sports media is that German International midfielder Mesut Ozil has come to an agreement with English Premier League Club Arsenal FC. The Real Madrid player will receive 7M€ per year, that is,  double of what he was receiving from Real Madrid.

The Clubs have shut the transfer deal at 47M€ plus 3M€ in variables which summed up is 50M€. There is as yet no official Club announcement from either but all Football observers say its a matter of hours. Today German newspaper "Bild" announced that Ozil was passing his medical check in Munich for Arsenal FC. 

The Real Madrid player reluctantly leaves, but has come to the realization that the signing of Gareth Bale means that he would be destined to play less than wished with the World Cup coming up next year. Plus the player was soliciting a pay rise these couple of months from Real Madrid that the Spanish Club was reluctant to offer. In the end , Real Madrid accepted the Arsenal FC offer but left the final decision in the hands of Ozil who has apparently decided to take up the English offer.

Real Madrid loses a huge Football talent, but Ozil has perhaps paid the price for his irregular performances. The player is a marvel but suffers ups & downs which effects his regularity. Real Madrid is the Club most Football players dream about one day playing, but the expectations , demands & pressure are so high that some Footballers end up leaving without showing all their true potential. Real Madrid simply has no time to wait in their hungry & obsessive quest for Football objectives & success.

From here we wish Ozil all the luck in the World with his new adventure, barring last minute changes which are always possible in Football.

LATEST: Ozil signs for 5 years with Arsenal at 8.5M€ / season (read in Spanish)

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ARSENAL MAKES A 30M€ OFFER TO REAL MADRID FOR DI MARIA ?

The imminent arrival of current Tottenham Hotspurs player Gareth Bale to Real Madrid will force changes at the Spanish Football Club. There is currently a midfield "overbooking" situation where not everyone can play & most big European Clubs know it. 

English Premier League Club Arsenal FC is said to already have made its move. First it was a speculated offer for forward Karim Benzema which was rejected by representative comments this weekend. Now the news from Spanish Sports papers is a 30M€ initial offer for Argentine International Angel Di Maria.

Weeks back the talk around town was that Di Maria saw himself more in than out at Real Madrid. However, Real Madrid is said to be looking at the Arsenal FC offer with positive eyes & that it is a viable option. The only difficulty is the player, Angel Di Maria, who has just one week to think about it as the transfer window shuts the 2nd of September. Plus few players really desire to leave a Club like Real Madrid & finally leave after a dose of "reality shock" that sometime takes longer than a week to occur.

Staying at Real Madrid another midfielder who anticipates that Gareth Bale arrival will have a negative impact on his playing chances is German International Mesut Ozil who is said to be thinking seriously a move. Some local Football observers claim that he could be soliciting that the Club facilitate his exit. A rumour is currently doing the rounds that Manchester United could be in the shadows. Stay tuned!

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THE DIEGO COSTA - LUIS SUAREZ - CAZORLA TRANSFER OPERATION THEORY

This next piece is very interesting & worth a post. Very speculative & will need to be seen, but not impossible. According to Spanish Sports newspapers - "Sport" & "El Confidencial" a 3 band transfer move could be brewing between Atletico de Madrid Diego Costa, Liverpool FC Luis Suarez & Arsenal FC player Santi Cazorla.

Here is the theory:

• A 25M€ move by Atletico de Madrid player Diego Costa to Liverpool FC
• With the fresh 25M€, Atletico de Madrid would bid for Arsenal player Santi Cazorla
• Arsenal with the 25M€ would return to make a better offer for Liverpool FC forward Luis Suarez

The only unknown here is Diego Costa of Atletico de Madrid which beforehand wants to stay at Atletico. However, 25M€ is very tempting for the Club & the player would receive a salary 4 times greater than he wins now at Atletico de Madrid. The Spanish Club needs a "creative midfielder" as it is a "strategic position" for the Club & sacrificing Costa for Cazorla could occur even though the Club has officially announced that they count with Diego Costa,

Interesting speculation & days ahead. Stay tuned!

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REAL MADRID NEWS | THE CURRENT GONZALO HIGUAIN SITUATION

Italian Club Napoles - Napoli - has come to an agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of Argentine International forward Gonzalo Higuain. The deal is 37M€ plus 3M€ more if certain objectives are achieved, the only thing needed is the OK & signature from the player.

However, the player has become "prisoner" of his unilateral negotiations. Higuain prefers to go to English Premier League Club Arsenal FC where he has a more succulent personal offer. But Arsenal only will pay 28M€ & Higuain has been attempting these past days to convince Arsenal to lift their offer & match Napoles. Arsenal FC is not willing to lift 12M€ & has Rooney & Luis Suarez as alternatives. 

Napoles Directives are currently in Madrid attempting to convince Higuain that their project is attractive for the player & that a move to Italy will be beneficial for the forward where he will join ex-team mates Jose Callejon & Raul Albiol. 

Real Madrid Coach Ancelotti spoke to the Argentine last week & let him known that he is welcomed to stay at the Club, but the player is determined to exit the Club as expressed publicly. The only door open for Higuain is Napoles, Real Madrid will only sell their player for 40M€, price that Napoles is willing to pay, the only Club.
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ATLETICO DE MADRID TIES ARSENAL FC MIDFIELDER SANTI CAZORLA ?

Atletico de Madrid is having difficulties trying to get back over Brazilian midfielder Diego Ribas from German Club Wolfsburg. The Brazilian is a top priority for Atletico Coach Simeone but the possibilities vanish day by day.

According to Spanish radio two days ago there is an alternative: Spanish International & Arsenal FC midfielder Santi Cazorla.

According to the story, Atletico de Madrid owner Gil Marin meet up with the player & has come to an agreement with the 28 year old Cazorla to make the "jump" back to Spain. The only thing that is needed is that Atletico de Madrid & Arsenal FC come to an economic agreement. It is said that the player has not adapted well to English life & looks at positively in the chance of returning back to Spain. 

No one can confirm this story. Atletico de Madrid President Cerezo denied the news yesterday during an interview, but he did deny the signing of David Villa earlier this month as well.

Stay tuned!

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REAL MADRID GONZALO HIGUAIN TO ARSENAL FC FOR 27M€ ?

According to news out of South American media ( Fox Sports Latin ) Real Madrid Argentine International forward Gonzalo Higuain has an agreement with English Premier League Club Arsenal FC for the next three seasons. The news source goes further publishing that Higuain will fly into London tomorrow to pass the medical check & sign his new contract.

The father of the player ( & representative ) comments that he has permission from Real Madrid to negotiate with Arsenal. The transfer figure is said to be around 27M€ & will make Higuain one of the better paid players within the Arsenal squad.

However, there is no official statement from Real Madrid & personally it seems strange that the negotiations are being said to be handled by the father of Higuain. Plus the 27M€ seems low for the calibre of player in question.

Said this, I would advise caution with this news piece & wait until tomorrow or the coming days to get the official confirmation from both Clubs. Lets not forget that the player also had an apparent agreement with Italian Club Juventus.
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REAL MADRID | HIGUAIN REACHES AN AGREEMENT WITH ARSENAL FC

The report comes from English Paper "Daily Mirror" & it has been picked up locally by nearly all the Spanish Sports media. Real Madrid Argentine International forward Gonzalo Higuain has come to an agreement with English Premier League Club Arsenal FC for a year salary of 7,2M€ per year. The only thing that needs to be formalized is an agreement between Clubs. It is reported that Arsenal FC is willing to offer Real Madrid 25M€ for the transfer.

This news contrasts with information a couple of days back, that Higuain had an agreement with Italian Club Juventus. Here the problem was the price Juventus was offering Real Madrid a figure around 22M€. The Spanish Football Club has priced their player around the 30-35M€ mark.

If the news out of England is correct, I suspect that Real Madrid will be asking for more than 25M€ from Arsenal. The English Club may now be ahead of Juventus in offer but until Arsenal lifts substantially their figure Real Madrid won´t be letting go. They have all summer to stimulate the Clubs interested in Huguain to reach the asked for transfer figure.

Stay tuned!

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