Barcelona Transfer News and Rumours Tracker: Week of Dec. 29

Barcelona come to the end of 2014 in relatively good health staff-wise.

It would be a huge bonus to them, however, if the transfer ban imposed by FIFA is lifted by the end of the week and the start of the January window.

It's likely that a few players may leave, but the Catalans don't want to leave themselves light in terms of squad depth.

Let's take a look at the rumours doing the rounds and remember to keep checking back throughout the week for updates.

—Last update: Thursday January 1—

Ezequiel Lavezzi

Remy de la Mauviniere/Associated Press

Ezequiel Lavezzi will not be joining Barcelona.

The upholding of FIFA's transfer ban on Barcelona by the Court of Arbitration for Sport has claimed it's first victim.

According to David Amoyal of Gianluca DiMarzio, Paris Saint-Germain's Ezequiel Lavezzi was looking toward Barca as a new destination, with Lionel Messi acting as intermediary:

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Lavezzi appears on his way out of PSG after failing to show up for the team's retreat in Morocco. The Argentine winger is looking for a new team during the January transfer window, one option however will not be Barcelona. 

The Spanish club had tried to secretly sign Lavezzi and they used Messi as the intermediary: the club's # 10 was pushing to sign his teammate on Argentina's national team, but then the TAS confirmed Barcelona's ban from making transfers.

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CAS Uphold FIFA Transfer Ban

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Josep Maria Bartomeu has inherited a problem from Sandro Rosell's time in the hot-seat.

Barcelona were dealt a huge blow on Tuesday when the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld FIFA's ban on incoming transfers at the club.

The Catalans had been convinced that they would be in a position to buy new players at the start of the January window, but this has now been denied them. It will be January 2016 at the earliest before Barca see any new faces and that seriously compromises their ability to be competitive in the biggest competitions.

The fallout from the same could be massive. And Barca themselves aren't happy. A statement on the official website read:

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FC Barcelona wishes to state, with all due respect for the sports authorities, that it totally disagrees with the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced today to confirm the sanction originally imposed by FIFA as a consequence of the alleged breach of regulations on the international transfer of minor footballers.

The Club has made it clear to the FIFA Disciplinary Commission, the FIFA Appeals Commission and the CAS itself that it understands and supports the policy on the protection of minors and the concern for the protection of their development and education.

This is confirmed by how they Club has acted throughout its history, setting an example around the world for the way its young footballers are schooled and educated, and the work that is done on their development. FC Barcelona’s youth structure has enabled hundreds of young players to achieve their dreams and receive a decent upbringing.

The errors that the Club might have committed, and which have been recognised and argued before the corresponding authorities are, in all cases, of an administrative nature and to a large extent have been caused by the existing conflict between the FIFA regulations and Spanish legislation, along with the Club’s conviction that it was acting correctly.

Therefore, FC Barcelona considers the sanction to be completely disproportionate as it supposes an excessive punishment for the Club, when considering its trajectory and the circumstances of this specific case.

In this regard, where the judicial grounds for the CAS decision are announced, the Club shall proceed by studying and evaluating the different legal options available, among others the possibility of appealing against the CAS arbitration to the Swiss Federal Courts.

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Kevin Strootman

Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

Kevin Strootman has put the cat amongst the pigeons with a recent statement.

AS Roma's Kevin Strootman has issued a veiled "come and get me" plea to Spain's top two, despite the Italian club insisting the player isn't for sale in light of reported interest from Manchester United.

Strootman told Voetbal International magazine via Ben Gladwell at ESPN:

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I absolutely do not see Roma as just an intermediate step in my career, but I do think a player who performs well here will get to the absolute top quicker.

Of course everybody wants to play for Barcelona or Real Madrid, but they don't come looking for you so quickly in the Eredivisie.

There are odd exceptions, but in general their scouts tend to look around at higher levels.

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Pedro Rodriguez

David Ramos/Getty Images

Pedro doesn't want to leave Barcelona.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are all set to lose out in their battle to sign Pedro Rodriguez.

According to Spanish sources via Jamie Anderson of the Daily Express, despite falling further down the pecking order at Barcelona, Pedro isn't looking to engineer a move out of the club.

Even if he were, it's doubtful Luis Enrique would sanction it, given Barca's current transfer ban and the inability to bring anyone else in to replace the Canary Islander.

Sergio Busquets

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

Sergio Busquets is unhappy with Luis Enrique.

The seeds of discontent in Luis Enrique's management style and vision have been well and truly sown.

According to Jamie Sanderson of Metro, Sergio Busquets is refusing to sign a new contract and is seeking a move away from Barca after becoming disillusioned with the manager.

Manchester United are keen but Chelsea are favourites to land the worlds' best defensive midfielder

Martin Montoya

Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Could Martin Montoya's move to Juventus be in jeopardy?

It's clear that Martin Montoya wants to leave Barcelona, and Juventus have been the team showing the most interest.

However, if a deal isn't in place for the beginning of the window, the move could be in jeopardy.

According to Inside Spanish Football, manager Massimiliano Allegri told a news conference:

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Montoya is a good defender and he’s technically sound, but he still plays for Barcelona and furthermore, we have other players we are targeting that we are considering.

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Could Luis Enrique be putting the brakes on any proposed move?

Lionel Messi

Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Is Lionel Messi off to the Premier League?

The rumours just won't go away.

According to Rob Shepherd of the Daily Mail, Manchester City continue to look for ways to sign Lionel Messi.

Despite a proposed £200 million transfer fee and a weekly wage in the region of £500,000 including endorsements, City's hierarchy are still mulling over how a deal might be constructed.

Tax implications in Spain might also be cause for Messi to do the unthinkable and leave.