With the transfer season winding down Barca are set to complete Pep Guardiola's squad with one last signing. A left-sided striker as a direct replacement for Ronaldinho.

The three names shortlisted are Robin Van Persie of Arsenal, Andrei Arshavin of Zenit St. Petersburg and Rodrigo Palacio of Boca Juniors.

Of the three Palacio's name has been mentioned quite often in the last couple of seasons even before Ronaldinho left the club. In the case of Arshavin, Tottenham Hotspur has left the race to sign him, as a deal collapsed due to Zenit's high price tag. Barca could now swoop for the talented Russian but it will cost them. Robin Van Persie is the least likely to arrive at the Nou Camp as he is one of Arsene Wenger's key players.

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In other reports Robinho has made his intentions clear about where he wants to play this coming season.

In an interview with EFE news agency, Robinho said,

"I dream of playing in the Premier League. Chelsea have a great squad, a great team, and they've made an offer that's great for both me and Real Madrid.

"I have nothing against my current team, to whom I'm very grateful, but at this point my goal is to leave here and I hope that everything will be resolved as soon as possible."

I have to say, I really don't blame Robinho for his comments, I know he said he has nothing against his current club but really and truly I believe he wants to leave due to Madrid's treatment of him over the summer, with the whole Cristino Ronaldo saga.

I don't understand how Real Madrid could not have their key player on the top of their priority list. Any wise team would secure the services of their best and then seek to sign others, but Madrid is a club who constantly makes stupid mistakes and they will pay for it this season, especially if Robinho leaves Madrid.

With all this said I tip Barca to win the Liga due to Madrid's incompetence over the summer and also because of Barca's wonderful overhaul. FORCA BARCA!!!!

If Robinho does go to Chelsea, I predict Chelsea to win the Premier League title, HANDS DOWN!!!

Russian club Zenit St Petersburg has dropped the price of their talisman Andrei Arshavin.

Zenit were initially asking around 26 million euros for the player, but after both Barca and Tottenham dropped interest because of the high price tag, the club has now decided to drop the price. However the price is thought to be dropped primarily because of Arshavin going on strike and Zenit's poor performance in the league thus far.

Zenit has played 17 league games this season and sits in seventh place, 11 points behind league leaders Rubin Kazin. Club coach Dick Advocaat has indicated that Arshavin's case is affecting the performances of the team.

Arshavin himself expects everything to be settled this week and has stated that where he will move depends on one million dollars.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has stated that Arshavin is just one of the options considered as a replacement for Ronaldinho on the left side of attack, while Tottenham Hotspur coach, Juande Ramos, has been interested in the player throughout the transfer season and sees the player as the replacement for Robbie Keane who recently transfered to Liverpool.

Where will Arshavin go? Only time will tell.

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.

Okay guys, negotiations between David Silva and Valencia over a new contract have apparently stalled and Barca are said to be keeping tabs on the situation, with the possibility of launching a bid when they return from their pre-season in the United States.

The bid could be made as early as Monday, with a figure of 25 million euros plus bonuses being quoted.

Valencia could very well entertain the offer given the current financial issues at the club, but one must wonder if they are willing to sell to one of their rivals.

I know many Barca fans would love to see Silva in our ranks and I share the same view, however I kind of want him to stay at Valencia to maintain some balance throughout the league, but regardless of what happens he indeed would be a good signing for the Blaugrana and a decent replacement for Ronaldinho on the left side of the midfield.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Brazilian superstar Robinho has made his feelings know to Real Madrid president, Roman Calderon and coach Bernd Schuster during negotiations.

Robinho apparently is disappointed with the club's delaying tactics over a new contract, and also the offer which is well below the 6 million euros on offer at Chelsea. Madrid are said to have only offered the player 4 million euros per year.

Marca quotes Robinho as saying "Let me go to Chelsea," "I want to go to Chelsea in the same wat that Ronaldo wants to come to Madrid. It is the same thing."

Madrid coach Bernd Schuster has openly expressed his desire to keep the former Santos player, having said that Robinho is a key part of his plans.

I understand Robinho's feelings and if I were him I would do the same. Robinho has been a key part of Madrid's success in winning the the La Liga title in the last two season and deserves more. His thinking is probably, if they are going to pay Cristiano Ronaldo that much, why can't they pay me the same. He is far more important to Madrid than Ronlado will be as he is a better player. Madrid in my opinion needs stop stalling and pay up because if they loose Robinho they will regret it, even if they get Cristiano Ronaldo. Like I said before Robinho will be a bigger hit at Chelsea than Ronaldo at Madrid.

The longest transfer saga of the summer is apparently in its closing stages.

Crisitiano Ronaldo has blatantly said that he is going to join Real Madrid this summer. Spainish newspaper 'AS' has quoted Ronaldo as saying, "Everything is fine. Next week I will return to England and tell them [Manchester United] that my only desire is to play for Real Madrid and that I will not negotiate."

Ronaldo is currently recuperating in Portugal after having undergone a surgery.

According to reports the talented winger will hold a meeting with Sir Alex and the owners of Manchester United next Tuesday, to tell them he wants out.

Should he arrive at the Bernabéu, it will be interesting to see how he will be received, it is said that the players are tired of rumors of his arrival. Some players like Gago and Higuain have reportedly said they have no problem with Ronaldo's arrival, while others like Sneijder aren't really too keen.

So what do you think? Will Ronaldo be a help or a hindrance to Madrid? I personally am of the opinion that he is by far more important to Manchester United than he will be for Real Madrid.

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.

Finally! Oleguer Presas has been sold. To me his sale has been long overdue due to the many defensive arrivals this summer and Oleguer's clumsy tendencies. Oleguer never looked to me like a defender who was up to Barca's standards and I'm glad to see him go.

According to reports Ajax and Barcelona have agreed to a transfer fee of 3 million euros for the player, and if the Amsterdam club qualifies for the Champions League in one of the next three seasons, an extra 2.25 million will be paid. Oleguer is the Dutch club's fourth singing of the summer.

In other news Eto'o is being linked with a move to Lyon that includes Benzema coming to Barca in a swap deal. Lyon president, Jean Michel Aulas is apparently very keen on bringing the Cameroon international to France, as the club is looking to strengthen their attacking options ahead of the Champions League. However this sounds like just another rumor, as Benzema is a prized possession at Lyon, but who knows, Eto'o is more prolific than the Algerian-Kabyle descendant, and Lyon as well as Barca could be tempted.

To cap off my post, I just want to give some hope to the Barca fans out there like myself, who want to see Eto'o stay at the Nou Camp. After Barca's thrashing of yet another Scottish side, this time running out victorious over Dundee United 5-1 in their second preseaon match, where Messi scored a hat-trick, President Joan Laporta was full of praise for Eto'o, commending him for his attitude and for just being a great player. When asked by the media if Eto'o would stay, the president sunned the question and raced away in a hurry according to reports. Seems like Laporta might be having second thoughts about offloading Eto'o, but only time will tell what the future holds.

Atletico Madrid midfielder Maniche, who was told by the club that his services were no longer needed, due to disagreements with coach Javier Aguirre and a few of his teammates, has now publicly apologized for his behavior and expressed his desire to stay at the club.

Maniche was loaned out to Inter during the January transfer window because of his conduct but didn't really impress at the San Siro.

Now back at Atletico Madrid the player has admitted his mistakes and wishes to fight hard for his place at the club.

Atletico Madrid took the last Champions League spot in Spain, and will be challenging for top honors in both La Liga and Europe.

I myself was wondering why Maniche was loaned out to Inter because he played relatively well in the team. Now that he has admitted his mistakes, I believe he will be a valuable player to Atletico, as he will bring much needed experience as he has won the Champions League before with Porto back in 2004.

Adrian Mutu who's future has been quite uncertain over the duration of this summer transfer window, was linked this week with a move to Roma.

Roma made a bid for the player in the region of 20 million euros, and Fiorentina sporting director Pantaleo Corvino had publicly stated that his club might be open to the move, due to the money at hand and Mutu's age.

However Fiorentina has made an official announcement today on acffiorentina.it. stating: "President of ACF Fiorentina Andrea Della Valle communicates that, referring to the offer made by AS Roma, Adrian Mutu is and will remain a Fiorentina player."

This comes as a surprise to many as people thought Mutu was destined to a Roma move. It is believed that coach Cesare Prandelli is behind the motion to keep the player, as they both know each other well and Mutu is a key part of his current squad.