Having been named in the list of players set to leave along with Deco and Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o looks set to stay at Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola has apparently made a complete turnaround in his view of the Cameroon international due to performances in the pre-season, where Eto'o finished top scorer in the team with 5 goals. As a result Pep is likely to name him in the Champions League qualifier against Wisla Krakow, thus securing his place in the squad.

Despite this news Eto'o is apparently unhappy with the situation and wants answers regarding his treatment over the summer. Hopefully the air is cleared and everything gets sorted out regarding this situation.

I have to say at the beginning of the transfer season when Pep made the announcement that Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto'o were no longer needed at the club, I was hoping that at least one of the three stayed. I'm happy to know that my wish looks likely to come through due to Eto'o still being at the club.

According to reports Manchester United will pay Media Sports Investment, the Kia Joorabchian firm that owns Tevez's rights a record fee of around 32 million euros to gain full ownership of the player.

Tevez along with Javier Mascherano were both brought to West Ham by the firm in a third-party move. West Ham was subsequently fined by the Premier League 5.5 million euros for not disclosing the details of the players' contracts. The Premier League FA has also stated that this will be the last time that a player is allowed to join a Premier League club under a third-party agreement.

Tevez moved to Manchester United on a two-year loan deal which runs out next summer. Manchester had the option of closing a permanent deal for the player, but has opted to wait despite the player's appeal for a permanent deal.

Now that talks have reopened with MSI, a fee has been agreed that will surpass that of the 30.6 million euros that Chelsea payed Milan in 2006 to bring Shevchenko to Stanford Bridge, making Tevez the most expensive player in English history.

I believe the fee is correct because Tevez is easily the best player in the Premier League currently. I strongly believe that if he wasn't being used so sparingly by Sir Alex that he would have easily surpassed Ronaldo's goal tally. Tevez scored 19 goals while starting the majority of his games on the bench, scoring more than Wayne Rooney who started, justifying my reason why he should be starting.

It is yet to be seen if Manchester will pay the fee this summer or when Tevez's loan deal runs out.

Samuel Eto'o having been told that he is not in new coach, Pep Guardiola's plans is finding it difficult to exit from the Nou Camp.

Due to Eto'o's high wage demands to interested parties, said to be in the region 8.5 to 10 million euros, and Barca's valuation of the star of about 30 million euros, Eto'o is finding it very difficult to move on.

Questions have been arising about how serious Barca really is about letting the Cameroon international go, because of their high asking price for the player.

Eto'o has made it no secret that his preference is to stay at the Catalan club, and really is making no effort to leave for any club which he has no interest in joining.

Pep too has also recently said that finding a new striker is not an urgent matter because of the options available too him, including Eto'o.

Now Real Madrid, who Eto'o played for during his youth years is being once again linked with the versatile striker. Madrid coach Bernd Schuster, is said to be keen on brining Eto'o to the capital as a backup should Van Nistelroy or Raul get injured.

However due to Eto'o being very pro-Barca, and his high profile as a striker I personally don't see him playing as backup to anyone, therefore I deem this move as highly unlikely.

I, like many Barca fans, am clinging on to hope, and praying for an Eto'o stay.

Barcelona are apparently ready to step up their chase for Didier Drogba, and are set to offer Chelsea 25 million euros for the powerful Ivorian.

Drogba is said to be unsettled at the Bridge and keen on a move ever since the departure of Jose Mourinho from Chelsea. Reports yesterday suggested that Drogba had agreed to personal terms with Barca, on a contract that would bring him to the Nou Camp for 3 years.

Of course money is not an issue for Chelsea and they can offer Drogba an improved contract to see him stay at the club, but at 30, Drogba's ambition is most likely to try his trade in either Spain or Italy.

Due to Pep Guardiola's interest in the star, the player's heart seems set on a move to La Liga. Luiz Felipe Scolari has publicly stated that he would like Drogba to stay at Chelsea, but it is rumored that if a suitable replacement is found he will let the striker leave.

With Eto'o out of favor at Barca, if I were Chelsea I would accept a swap deal. Eto'o is younger and even better than Drogba, a deal with both players going opposite directions in my opinion is as good as it gets for Chelsea.

If Drogba does leave, he will follow Claude Makelele through the exit door as Paris St Germain reached a deal for the retired French International yesterday.

With Deco now at Chelsea and Ronaldinho having justed signed for AC Milan, should Eto'o follow his former teammates through the exit door? Or should he stay and fight for his place, even though being told he's not wanted by Barcelona.

For a player of Eto'o's caliber, there are many top clubs across Europe to choose from, however due to his high wage demands a move is proving difficult. The latest news on the Cameroon international is that he was offered a deal worth around 40 million euros from an Uzbekistan club, to play in the Asian Champions League for 3 to 6 months.

Eto'o has been reported to have done nothing to push himself away from the Catalan club , even after having been told by Pep Guardiola that he, Deco and Ronaldinho were no longer wanted.

I don't know what are your views are, but Eto'o is one of the best strikers in the world, and I think Barca are making a big mistake by forcing him out of the club. Suitable replacements have been mentioned, the most interesting to me is that of Dimitar Berbatov, but even though Berbatov is an excellent replacement, Eto'o is the better of the two.

So what do you think should Eto'o pack his bags?

This rumor is particularly nothing new, it has been said that Madrid are willing to include Robinho in the deal to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.
My view on this rumor, is that Real Madrid is stupid for wanting to bring Ronaldo to the La Liga in the first place. Although they can make a great deal of money from the player, Ronaldo in my opinion is not a good player. I apologize to all you Ronaldo fans out there but this guy is all lip and no action.
Ronaldo has been boastful, making stupid comments like "I'm the best", and even though he had a great season at Manchester, in which he scored a total of 31 league goals, he still fails to show up in big matches, and the Champions League semi-final and final where he missed penalties in both games is proof enough.
If Madrid were to swap Robinho for Ronaldo it would be a great lost to them. Robinho is a better player than Ronaldo, Yes! I said it. When Robinho first started playing at Madrid he was a lot like Ronaldo, selfish! He liked to keep the ball too much and not pass to open teammates which in tern hurt his team, just like Ronaldo with Portugal at Euro 2008. Robinho however changed his game using his speed and skill to find space for his teammates and of course he bangs in his chances when they come. Robinho is one of the main reasons Madrid are current La Liga champions, especially for his performances in the first half of the season.
I guess my biggest problem with Cristiano Ronaldo, is that he's not a team player, his selfishness hurts his team, and the style of play in Spain entails critical passes and technical finishing, the likes of which I haven't seen Ronaldo do. How often have you seen Ronaldo pass a ball that splits the defense in two?
Robinho wants to remain at Mardid, but he has stated that if the club wants to include him in a swap deal, he will buy out the remainder of his contract and move elsewhere, possibly Chelsea. Believe me guys Robinho would be a bigger hit at Chelsea than Ronaldo would be at Madrid, I would put money on it. So with all this said, my opinion on the matter is, Madrid should not swap Robinho for Ronaldo, as Robinho is the better player.

Many international stars are being denied permission by their various clubs to participate at this year's Olympic games. Ronaldinho(Barcelona), Diego(Werder Bremen), Babel(Liverpool)and Kaka(AC Milan), just to name a few, have all been told by their respective clubs, that they do not have permission to play at this year's Olympics.
This just brings me back to the question of how important international football is, when a club can deny a player from playing for his country.
Obviously playing for one's country is very important for these players, as many of them are gutted when not selected, they value it highly and see it as a great honor.
However clubs in my opinion do have an argument, they invested in these players and are hardly ever compensated when a player is injured on international duty.
So what do you think? Is it wrong for clubs to deny players from playing at the Olympics for their country? Does club come first? Or does country come first? What are your thoughts?

With both Ronaldinho and Eto'o out of Pep Guadiola's plans, they were said to be destined on their way out. However due to their high wage demands many clubs have lost or are loosing interest in both these players.
Eto'o is actually in no hurry to leave the Nou Camp and is said to be keen on staying, despite being practically told to find a new club. Eto'o is still currently on holiday, and is said to sit with the officials, to see what they have to say when he returns next week for pre-season training.
Ronaldinho on the other hand has drawn much attention from AC Milan. The club is having a long transfer saga with the player, and the latest news is that owner, Silvio Berlusconi has said that Barcelona is still asking too much for the player. Apparently anything in excess of 20 million euros is too much, as Milan is still trying to sign Adebayor from Arsenal, which is said to cost them around 30 million euros. This just makes me ponder. I wonder if they are trying to sign both Ronaldinho and Adebayor but I highly doubt it, especially after Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani ruled out a double swoop.
So what does this all mean? It just means that Barcelona fans could possibly get to see two of the best players in the team, stay at the club. I am not a fan of Pep's idea to sell Eto'o and Ronaldinho. He should and eventually will, sit with both players and see what are their ambitions. Eto'o without a doubt in my mind wants to stay, and Ronaldinho though said to be keen on a move to Milan, will only move if the right offer is made. As a fan of both these players, I'm still hopeful that at least one of them will stay. Given the chance, I'm confident that they will perform and win more titles for Barca.

Today, Barcelona's 118,528 members with voting rights will decide if current president, Joan Laporta and his board will continue their reign at the Nou Camp or step down.
Fans have mixed feeling on whether Laporta should step down or stay, as it is rumored that the futures of Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho will be determined by this vote. It is said that if Laporta maintains his position, Ronaldinho and Eto'o will leave, and if he is voted out, they will stay. AC Milan is hoping for a Laporta win, so they could possibly bring Ronaldinho to the San Siro.
For this motion of censure to take place it is required that 10% of the club's associates vote and that 2/3 of all votes are gathered. If the vote proves successful Laporta and his board will immediately resign and a temporary commision led by Xavier Sala i Martín will take over, until elections are held.
I was at first against this vote, but now that FCBarcelona has made all the necessary signings of the summer, Alves, Keita, Pique, and Martín Cáceres, I believe Laporta should be voted out. The intention of he and his board to sell our best attacking players, Ronaldinho and Eto'o, doesn't go well with me, as Barca does not need Adebayor or any other striker. For me the main issues with the team was a lack of discipline and their defense, and now that we have made defensive signings, new coach Pep Guardiola should just focus on gelling the team together.
Laporta has done well during his period as president, as the club has managed back to back league titles and the Champions League under his rule. Also the club has been profitable for the fifth consecutive year, massing a profit of 10.1 million last season. However much of his success is attributed to the man trying to take his position, Sandro Rosell. Rosell was vice president of the club during those successful seasons but departed due to differences with Laporta. After his departure the club's success has dropped dramatically, thus causing Rosell to jump at the opportunity and force the vote of no confidence against Laporta. Rosell is also said to be the man responsible for bringing Ronaldinho to Barcelona in the first place.

Andrei Arshavin, is still in the hunt for a new club after two spectacular performances at this year's Euro 2008, which has seen him receive interest from various clubs, including Barcelona, Arsenal and now Chelsea.
Arshavin is interested in a move to Barcelona, the club he has been a fan of since he was a boy, but new reports suggest that Chelsea have now entered the race for the player, and rightly so.
I stated in one of my earlier post that Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's owner, being Russian, should bring in at least one of the talented countrymen of his, who were on display at Euro 2008. Recent reports suggest that Abramovich has indicated to coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, that he must include at least one Russian player in his plans. So what are Scolari's options? Yuri Zhirkov(defender), Konstantin Zyryanov(midfielder),Roman Pavlyuchenko(striker),and Andrei Arshavin(striker), all of which have been named in the 23 man, Team of the Tournament at Euro 2008.
Zenit has clearly stated that they do not intend to sell Arshavin, and that they will sit with the player and his agent to determine his intentions. Maybe they think Arshavin wants more money, but genuinely I believe the player wants to show his talent abroad, he's stated it for weeks now.
Barcelona could very well loose Arshavin to Chelsea, as they are running out of time, with the vote of no confidence against Joan Laporta, current Barcelona club president, and his board taking place on July 6th. It is believed that Barca has made one last bid before this date in hopes of signing the player. If Laporta is voted out of office, new elections will be held, transfer activity will cease and Chelsea could very well get their man.