Barcelona Transfer News and Rumours Tracker: Week of March 17
Barcelona start another week with the status quo in La Liga as it was, and the Champions League first knockout stage having been safely negotiated.
It's a big week for the Catalans.
On Friday the draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League take place, and on Sunday Barca visit the Santiago Bernabeu for a virtual winner take all El Clasico clash against arch-rivals Real Madrid.
At such a crucial period of the season Tata Martino needs a balanced and settled squad, but rumours still surround certain members of staff.
Let's take a look at who has been linked in and out of the club in the last days, and keep checking back for updates throughout the week as usual.
โLast updated: Friday March 21โ
Sergio Aguero
1 of 8
According to Antony Kastrinakis of The Sun (subscription required), Manchester City's Sergio Aguero is Barcelona's top summer target.
A fee upwards of ยฃ40 million is mooted with arch-rivals Real Madrid also thought to be interested in bringing the player back to La Liga.
The player's well-documented friendship with Lionel Messi is likely to make Barca front-runners for Aguero's signature if they can prise him away from the Premier League side.
Lee Seung Woo
2 of 8One of Barcelona's most highly-prized youngsters is set to disappoint a host of Premier League clubs by signing a new deal at La Masia.
According to Oriol Domonech of Mundo Deportivo (Spanish), h/t Matthew Nash of HereIsTheCity, despite being offered quadruple his salary at Chelsea and Liverpool, Lee Seung Woo plans to sign a pre-contract arrangement with Barca.
The 16-year-old who has been dubbed the "Korean Messi" will sign on Monday, the day when his family will permanently relocate to Catalonia.
The nature of the deal means he will not be able to make his first team debut until 18 years of age, but will play friendly matches in the meantime.
Victor Valdes
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Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes will play in the English Premier League next season.
That is the view of L'Equipe, h/t Carmen Torres of Marca, who notes that the player's destination will be Manchester City after the two parties moved closer to a deal in the last few days.
Valdes had already agreed a deal to sign for AS Monaco, but importantly it came with a clause that allowed him to accept other offers if they were forthcoming and of interest.
That now seems to have been the case.
Marc Bartra
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In some good news ahead of El Clasico, Barcelona have confirmed that defender Marc Bartra has put pen to paper on a contract extension, tying him to the club until 2017.
According to the Irish Independent, the youngster has now had his buyout clause set at โฌ25 million.
Mehdi Benatia
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Barcelona's need for a central defensive replacement for Carles Puyol is the most pressing transfer concern for the Blaugrana.
Despite only signing for Roma from Udinese last summer, according to Mundo Deportivo, h/t Adam Shergold of the Daily Mail, Mehdi Benatia could be on his way to Camp Nou.
The 26-year-old is good in the air and is a dominant physical presence, both qualities that Barca are sorely lacking in their back line at the moment.
Adriano Correia
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Barcelona left-back Adriano Correia has become a target for Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool according to Metro.
The left-back position has become a real problem for the Reds manager during this campaign after Jose Enrique was injured in the early stages of the season.
The Spaniard is now in America seeking treatment whilst his on-loan replacement from Valencia, Aly Cissokho, has been poor.
So poor in fact, that right-backs Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan have filled in there on occasion.
It has been suggested that a ยฃ6 million fee will be enough to secure the Brazilian, who is said to be unhappy at the lack of first-team football at Camp Nou.
Arturo Vidal
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Juventus' midfield engine Arturo Vidal could be available for sale, if interested parties are willing to part with โฌ50 million.
According to Tomas Andreu of Sport (Spanish), h/t Brendan Simpson of GiveMeSport, both Manchester United and Real Madrid are interested in the player.
However, if any sale was to be sanctioned, Vidal's preferred destination is Barcelona.
The report suggests that Vidal and his agent were thinking about a move in the summer of 2013 but decided to wait another season to see what sort of offers would come his way.
Dani Alves
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Reliable right-back Dani Alves could finally be on his way out of Barcelona.
According to Spanish daily AS, h/t Georges Sessions of Sambafoot.com, the Brazilian has upset his team-mates with the antics he got involved in after scoring against Manchester City.
The report suggests that the Alves was criticised in the dressing room after the game for the dance he did and for calling on the fans to give the team more support.
T. Andreu of Sport (Spanish) reports that Alves himself wants to explore new options given that this will be the last big contract of his career.
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