Monday, June 22, 2009

Barcelona look at Mascherano Alternate


The Roman gladiator is the latest midfielder to be linked with a move to the Camp Nou…

Barcelona are stepping up their desperate chase to sign another world class central midfielder.

The Blaugrana have long been tied to Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano but with the Reds declaring that the Argentine is not for sale, and with Real Madrid threatening to enter the race, the Catalans are now prepared to turn their attention to Roma favourite Daniele De Rossi.

According to El Mundo Deportivo, Barca technical director Txiki Begiristain has added the 25-year-old to his shopping list once again this summer. The midfielder has already been tracked by Barca over the past few seasons and they almost landed him two years ago in what was Frank Rijkaard’s final campaign. Instead, it was Toure Yaya who ended up at the Camp Nou.

Current Barcelona trainer Pep Guardiola also requested the services of De Rossi last summer and he has once again expressed his interest this year. But like arch rivals Real Madrid, who are also reportedly keeping tabs on De Rossi, the Catalans are aware that the player has pledged his future to the Giallorossi and he will not leave the Eternal City regardless of who comes calling.

The Spanish paper believes that Barca’s only hope is to convince Roma, who are in the midst of economic uncertainty, to part with their star midfielder in exchange for a healthy amount of cash.

So far this summer, Barcelona have always been the first club to be linked with countless megastars, including Franck Ribery, David Villa, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mascherano, but they appear to always drop out of the race for their signatures.

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