Barcelona Transfer News and Rumours Tracker: Week of August 19

Only one week separates Barcelona from the end of the transfer window.

Gerardo Martino has already suggested that he doesn't need another defender, per John Drayton of the Daily Mail, but there is still time to get a deal done.

One of La Masia's finest could be on his way out of the club, and Barca are preparing to scupper a bid from a Premier League club for a young Portuguese talent.

Let's see what's been happening during the last 48 hours and remember to keep checking back throughout the week as we count down the days until the end of the window.

LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY AUGUST 24

Iker Casillas

Stefan Coerts of Goal.com is reporting on how ex-Real Madrid goalkeeping great Santiago Canizres has waded into the row over Iker Casillas which threatens to overshadow Carlo Ancelotti's

Canizares told Cadena Ser:

"

I don't see any problems if he were to leave Madrid for Barcelona.

At Barcelona - and anywhere else in the world - he would get the recognition he deserves.

What matters most is your job and if you can't do it at your current club, you will have to look elsewhere.

If I were Casillas, I would start thinking about leaving Madrid. This situation is not normal.

"

Although Casillas has a contract with Los Blancos until 2017, that didn't stop Canizares from going further:

"

The current situation at Madrid is very uncomfortable for both goalkeepers.

I have never thought that having two great shot-stoppers at one team was a good idea.

Casillas is always the centre of attention at the moment.

"

Tiago Ilori

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers could be about to lose out on another potential target.

Sporting Lisbon defender Tiago Ilori is said to be interesting Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino, according to Mundo Deportivo, h/t GiveMeSport.

The 20-year-old has been targeted by Rodgers to fill the void left by the injury to Sebastian Coates, ruled out for six months after sustaining cruciate ligament damage.

However, Barcelona's late interest could see the player ending up in Catalonia rather than England.

Antonio Sanabria

One of La Masia's most highly-rated youngsters, Antonio "Tonny" Sanabria, could be on his way out of Barcelona.

Serie A side AS Roma are interested in the player according to Tuttomercatoweb.com, h/t ForzaItalianFootball.

The 17-year-old made his full senior debut for the Paraguayan national side during the past week, coming on in late in the game against Germany.

Arsenal were also rumoured to be interested in the player (Tom Hopkinson, Mirror) during the early part of the summer, but Barca remain keen to keep him.

With Spanish law preventing any player under 18 from signing a professional contract, Barca may have little say in the matter.

Vicente Guaita

Valencia have admitted that goalkeeper Vicente Guaita could leave the club this summer, according to Jamie Sanderson of Metro.

The 26-year-old has become unsettled after slipping down the pecking order at the Mestalla and that has alerted Barcelona.

They do however face stiff competition from both Arsenal and Monaco for the players' signature.

Valencia president Amadeo Salva, said Guaiate could leave for the right price:

"

Guaita is a world class keeper and we have no need to sell, but we would study the price of any offers.

He is not happy with being a substitute sometimes, and his agents have reported that he could find a way out.

This does not sit well with the board—if you do not play every week, you have to make sure you keep respecting Valencia.

"

Although Guaita has a £25million buyout clause in his contract, he could leave for as little as £15million.

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen

If Stefan Uersfeld's report on ESPNFC is accurate, then Barcelona target Marc-Andre ter Stegen may well have just talked himself into a move to Camp Nou.

The player is in "no hurry" to extend his contract with Borussia Monchengladbach, which runs until 2015.

"

We still have a lot of time, I still have two years left on my contract and there is no hurry.

I am still with Borussia. I don’t feel like discussing my future all the time. I only think from year to year. 

Whatever happens after that, I do not think about. It is still a bit of time until 2015.

"

The German club's sporting director Max Eberl had wanted to tie down the stopper long-term because "he is one of the best German keepers and will maybe even become the best."

However, Ter Stegen's dallying infers that he potentially sees his future away from Borussia-Park.

Iker Casillas

Talks have begun at board level in Barcelona to explore the possibility of bringing Real Madrid's Iker Casillas to the Camp Nou.

According to Sport (h/t 101greatgoals), Sandro Rosell, Andoni Zubizarreta and Javier Faus have held an internal meeting concerning the Spain captains acquisition.

The trio are committed to bringing the player to Barcelona—a transfer that will be the most explosive since Luis Figo left Barca for Madrid back in 2000.

Eurosport however report that any such transfer is doomed to failure. Ignacio Ruiz of Eurosport Spain:

"

The city of Madrid and Real Madrid means everything to Casillas.

If he ever leaves, then he would never go to Barca.

Nobody thinks he will leave Real Madrid now because his partner Sara Carbonero is pregnant and the club is so special for him.

"

Ibrahim Afellay

Ibrhaim Afellay has suffered another injury which has put paid to any move away from Barcelona during this transfer window.

According to David Kent of the Daily Mail, the unlucky Dutchman will go under the knife on Thursday to have an operation on a "chronic muscle injury".

The player has had a stop-start career in Catalonia and Barcelona were looking to offload him this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur were rumoured to be a possible destination—per a report from Daniel Jones of Metro earlier in the year.

Any move will now be on hold until January at the earliest.

Denis Suarez

Exciting midfield prospect Denis Suarez has swapped the Etihad Stadium and Manchester City for the Miniestadi and Eusebio Sacristan's Barcelona B side.

B/R's very own Guillem Balague announced the news via his Twitter page with El Periodico confirming the deal for four years—the first with Barca B—at a bargain price of £1.5 million. 

It's a move that should suit all parties. 

Suarez was never really given a chance in Manchester, making just a handful of appearances and Barcelona have swooped to secure a player for whom they have high hopes in the future.

Mamadou Sakho

Paris St. Germain's Mamadou Sakho is holding out for a transfer to AC Milan, according to Charles Perrin's report for The Express.

The centre back had been on Barcelona's radar following the unsuccessful pursuits of Chelsea's David Luiz and Liverpool's Daniel Agger.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc has accepted that the player will leave during this window:

"

It is true that Mamadou expressed his desire to find a new club.

The position of the club is clear. Until September 2, the situation will evolve; there will be time to find a solution that suits both parties.

"

Should the player decide to ply his trade in Serie A rather than La Liga, it will be another blow to Barcelona's hopes of recruiting a central defender.

David De Gea

Manchester United's David De Gea could be winging his way to Catalonia if Ben Jefferson's report in The Express is to be believed.

According to Jefferson, Spain's number one Iker Casillas is considering his future at Real Madrid after being overlooked by new manager Carlo Ancelotti for the first La Liga fixture against Real Betis.

Chelsea and Arsenal have been linked with the keeper, however Punto Pelota suggest that Casillas favours a move to the red half of Manchester.

Should the deal go through, then Mundo Deportivo expect that Barcelona will move to bring De Gea back to Spain in a deal which would surely see him take over from Victor Valdes as Barca's number one come the end of this season.

David Luiz

Chelsea's David Luiz has now been withdrawn from Barcelona's list of transfer options.

Metro is reporting that Barcelona boss Martino has decided against hiring the Brazilian, preferring to utilise the players already at his disposal.

"We have Puyol, Pique, Mascherano, Bartra, even Adriano. If there’s an injury, January transfer window is only a few months away," said Martino. 

Blues manager Jose Mourinho is also ruling out a sale:

"

I understand that a big club like Barcelona wants the best and tried to get one of the best central defenders in the world.

But we are being very honest by saying there is no chance David Luiz is leaving.

"

Another one bites the dust it seems.

Nicolas Otamendi

According to Marca (h/t InsideFutbol), Barcelona have already sent a delegation to Portugal to run the rule over Nicolas Otamendi.

The 25-year-old has a contract at Porto until 2015 and was an integral part of the title winning side last season.

If he can be prised away from the Estadio do Dragao, Otamendi represents a valuable alternative to the number of targets Barcelona have been looking at this summer.

After three successful seasons in Portugal, the centre-back may decide that the best years of his football career should be played out in La Liga.

Daniel Agger

Barcelona have also finally admitted defeat in the chase for Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger.

Clubcall.com is reporting the player's desire to see out his contract at Anfield despite the interest from the La Liga champions.

Agger told reporters:

"

I am fully focused on what is going on here at Liverpool. I do not need to comment on it.

We have enough to do here. We're working very hard.

My heart is still for Liverpool. It always has been. It always will be.

"

Jonathan Dos Santos

Jonathan Dos Santos is nothing if not persistent.

It certainly seems to have paid off for him with new Barcelona manager Martino preparing to start with a clean slate for all players.

Tom Conn of Inside Spanish Football reports that Dos Santos is happy to continue his footballing education at Camp Nou.

"

Tata Martino didn’t know anything about my future. I’d received some major offers, like the one from Real Sociedad, but after he spoke to me I decided to stay here.

I hope to play and to be able to show what I can do as a player. Last season I didn’t get that chance.

Every player has to take his own decisions. I always dreamed about being successful at Barcelona.

You need to get through the tough times to mature as a footballer. Last year wasn’t a wasted year, not at all, I learnt a lot from it.

I’m very excited. The change of coach is good for me. Tata Martino believes in me; now I don’t want to let him down.

I know I can be successful at Barca.

"