When do Barca come knocking for Robin Van Persie?

Deinite sell for anything over 30 mill.

Nearly 29 and having an injury plagued career probably won't get much more out of him.

they dont need van persie madrid or city

he certainly deserves to win something before he retires.

As a barça fan, i would insist on the fact that Barça could do with a straight forward, no-nonsense, old fashioned goalscorer. Yes Messi is great, and so is Alexis and Villa. But Messi is probably just as good at assisting as he is scoring, he needs someone like Van Persie upfront to assist. 3-1-2-1-3 (or 3-1-2-3-1 depending on how you look at it).

-------- Valdes --------
Alves--- Pique ---Abidal
------ Mascherano ------
--Xavi --------- Iniesta
-------- Messi ---------
Alexis -- RvP --- Villa

#MasturbationTime!

moe that is 1 tasty lineup

Ibraknobovic said he left Barca because Messi demanded to be the centre forward and Pep let him have his way.

I can't see Lionel taking a backseat to RvP can you?

Ibra said a lot of things, some maybe true, some maybe not true. Not a reliable opinion imo. He says one thing Barça say the opposite.
Messi has often started on the right with this season with Cesc playing "his" role.

I think for the benefit of the team, yes, messi would accept a CF role. Like I say, he is equally good (and gets equal praise) at scoring as he is assisting. Plus there is no reason he wont get his fair share of goals anyway.
The top goalscorer in Madrid for the last few seasons has been Ronaldo and by a long way. Benzema played 80% of games last season and only got half the amount of goals "Crissy" got.

Barça need a goalscorer, end of. Its not up to Messi. They've been playing beautiful and effective football for the last 3-4 years, but now they've been found out. They need a new modus operandi. The pissing about around the 18yd box is no good anymore, opponents just put their whole team in the box and defend.

And yes, I am the biggest Barça fan on this forum.

HansUlrichApfelStrudel

Deinite sell for anything over 30 mill.
Nearly 29 and having an injury plagued career probably won't get much more out of him.


On the contrary, Van Persie could well have another three very good seasons. I see him remaining at Arsenal for that time, I think people underestimate his love of and loyalty to the club. But still, perhaps he might leave if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

Despite, or perhaps because of, his injuries, he is not as worn out as some 29 year olds who have been playing solidly for 10 years. I wouldnt be surprised if he doesnt perform this well for another 3 years. His game is not about pace (although he is fairly nippy)

He has matured brilliantly in the last few years, always was a good striker but he has increased his accuracy and improved his now excellent creative forward play to make him world class

He will leave as he will want to make the most of his final years and win things. No chance of that happening with the Gooners,so if a big club comes calling he will be gone like a shot

Most footballers are all about the £££. If he can go somewhere and earn 200k a week then he probably will. With his contract running down, Arsenal will have to take what they can get and I would guess that it'd be around the £20m mark.

The serious footballers, older ones like RvP, probably realise that money is not important in comparison to winning trophies (when you are already very rich, that is)

Well yes and no.
United, City, Barça, Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Munich: All teams that offer him a better chance of lifting a title, and in most cases would include better salary.

Yeah, it's win-win for the top players. More money mostly means more chance of the big prizes (with exceptions like that crazy Russian team who Eto'o plays for).

And Barca, having just lost their la Liga title to Jose & Real are really going to sign a 29 year old striker!!!

I bet their fans will be sobre la luna   

Exactly, 29, not 39. He's at his peak, exactly the sort of player a side as good as them would sign, i.e. one that would make an immediate difference.

...and Villa was 28 when they signed him.

Villa had a proven La Liga track record and he also had an excellent fitness record.

Barca will not be buying any old damaged goods this year.

Barca would take Van Persie in a second if they got him at a decent price, regardless of the fact he will be 29.

I will bookmark this thread and TTT it in August.

Why does it mean so much to you Nobby? There are a few clubs who he could go to, it doesn't mean Barca would not be interested.

I'll be glad if he leaves Arsenal, personally.

I think the big Spanish clubs are more likely to splash their cash on that Welsh lad with big lugs, than RVP.

RVP has himself in a great position and will end up at City, imo.

I'm sure they will be interested in Bale. I don't think Spurs will sell just yet though. Like Modric, he has plenty of years on his contract. Unlike RvP.

City would probably take him and out Dzeko, imo.

The press in Spain have already been reporting this week that Barca are going for Bale.

Supposedly watched him 7/8 times and have been in touch with his agent and Bale is open to the move.

Yep, agree with that dza re Dzeko.
He's not a C/L player him, imo.

Bale might well be open to it, as Modric was open to a move to Chelsea when they bid £40m. But if we don't want to sell, his contract runs until 2015. Which would guarantee us at least 1 more season, I'd have thought.

You hope.

Harry wants £150m for Bale. No idea what Spurs want for him

Yeah dza I would agree with that and dont think Spurs would sell him anyway.

The only way it would happen is if Bale forced it through but he doesnt seem that type of player.

I do hope!

I think we will keep Bale for one more season at least. Modric, I'm not sure.

They will apparently be offered new deals in the summer. Though contracts tend to only ensure the selling club gets a good price, rather than make players stay.

But the way the club handled the Chelsea bids for Modric make me think that they will rebuff any attempts on Bale, in the short-term.

Agree with your point on contracts mate - always pays to have them tied down on a long one.  He did very well to keep Modric. 

I don't know about what kids you have coming through, but I think Spurs are going to need to spend a bit of money within the next 18 months.  By my reckoning, they'll need to replace Freidel, King and Parker (although that maybe a deputy for Sandro).  They also need another Forward imo, to really kick on.  Selling one of the big two might allow that.

For King, we also have Gallas and this Nelson fella on a short-term contract, so the combined age is about 298. I'd expect us to sign a centre-half in the summer. We do have a young lad Caulker who is on loan at Swansea, he looks pretty good from what I have seen. I think he will come back and do a job. And Kyle Naughton will come back from Norwich and take Corluka's place in the squad.

You're right about Sandro...to be honest, I think he is a better player than Parker, but Parker has been great for us and it probably does us good to have his experience in the team for now. Then again, I'd play them both and line up like we did against Norwich away...

A new keeper is a must, coz Gomes will be gone and Friedel and Cudicini are both ancient. We are apparently after your 'keeper, Krul, though I'm sure he's being linked with tons of clubs and would cost a lot.

According to someone on a forum who called the Saha and Nelson signings before the media, in the summer we are after Remy, Krul and Vertonghen. That would take care of what we need, but cost a fair bit. Although we are in the process of shifting out deadwood, hence the loans out this transfer window.

for free sure, but they dont need him:)

Modric will go in the summer otherwise why would you not sign a double your money contract last september

Ibrahima Sonko
04 Feb 12 15:23
he certainly deserves to win something before he retires.

------------------------------

Bit pedantic I know, but I believe he won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord.

Man U, Newcastle, Spurs and Arsenal are all credited with a real interest in Vertonghen.  I haven't seen the lad play, but know he's highly rated.  Belgium have produced some excellent players of late, with Kompany, Vermallen, Hazard etc. 

Regarding Krul, he makes all the right noises about wanting to stay but I think he only has two years left after this one (might be wrong).  The fat lad will pull the pants down of any buyer no doubt, and if De Gea went for £18m I don't see him settling for any less......

Bale would also be more than welcome in Barça. To be honest there arent really any other players atm i would like to see in barça. I would certainly prefer RvP to Neymar. You can say what you like, but we have got enough "joga bonito" atm, we need someone to nail in the goals week in week out.
Nani also worthy of a spot in Barça but very similiar role as alexis, villa, pedro or isaac cuenca.

Villa is not exactly great, come to think of it i would prefer Pedro to him in an ideal Barça lineup. The guy doesnt know the offside rule ffs!!

Ozzie -- the factor that has changed since then is that we are currently above Chelsea in the league. They bid for Modric as a title challenging club, but now they are at a level of trying for a top 4 place, just like Spurs are. So the player might have a re-think about a prospective Chelsea move.

That doesn't mean he won't be sold, it just might mean it's to a different club. If we finish in the top 3 and offer him a big payrise again, then perhaps it'd be more appealing and he'd take it.

I do know that the players don't really owe the club anything. We take them from clubs worse off than us, and the clubs higher in the food chain will do the same to us. So I enjoy having a decent team while it lasts!

Even if Arsene did decide to get his wallet out the complete lack of silverware would put off every quality player he went for.

A truly shocking record imho

Nothing to do with where Chelsea or spurs finish in league will earn 50K a week more at chelsea or Man Utd

Yeah, Solano, I would guess at somewhere between £16-20m for Krul. Whether Spurs have that will probably depend on how much we get for Pienaar, Bassong and Corluka (and maybe one or two others).

At the moment, we appear to be trying to shift squad players who are on a high wage so that we can pay the likes of Modric, Bale and (potentially) Adebayor the money they are after. Though I don't think we'll be able to keep Ade, I see PSG in his future.

Perhaps, although PSG are eyeing Ba.

Krul is only a boy and needs to do it consistently over a couple of years for me.  Fortunately, Man U set a ridiculous benchmark.

There'll be more emphasis on clubs to be self-sufficient in the future so selling players and investing it wisely will be important I reckon.  It hurts at the time and you doubt the strategy (Carroll), but looking at Spurs as an example selling Carrick and Berba haven't done you any harm in the long run.  All about getting maximum value.

The key is spending that money in the right place. Selling Carrick and buying Zokora set us back quite a way. Now if we'd have kept Carrick, then added Berbatov + Modric...

Newcastle seem to have got hold of some good scouts. Showing the way forward for clubs without mega-money.

You get what I mean though mate (unless you can raise the £50m or so another way).  If you sell Modric for example, and get a top class keeper, centre half, and central midfielder it's job done.  It will be interesting to see how this financial fair play thing pans out.

There is certainly talent out there.  I like the way we are operating under the radar, but we're due a clanger.

ozzie, i doubt modric would be queueing to sign for chelsea if they finish 5th.

should we finish 3rd and get automatic CL qualification he'll offered £100K. he'll look like a bit of a shallow berk if then wants to sign for chelsea who are in bit of a mess with all their best players being ancient now.

Chelsea don't have the cash or pulling power to attract young yet established talent. They will be competing for older stars.

Within 5 years Roman will have moved on.

NobbyClarke 04 Feb 12 22:55 
Chelsea don't have the cash or pulling power to attract young yet established talent



Don't Sturridge, Mata and Luiz fall into this category? And most of Europe's top clubs were after Lukaku as well.

in the summer for €8m if he remains fit.

Nobby the only clubs that have really had any pulling power in the last few seasons have been Barca, Madrid and Man City.

The best players have been wanting to move to the big two in Spain and if not they have been going for the money at Manchester City.

The only clubs with real pulling power are Barca & Madrid. Obviously the thought of playing alongside Messiis a massive pull and Madrid's history will be a huge draw for any football fanatic.

United are in the same league as the Spanish giants but they are very definately 3rd at the moment.

City, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, Bayern, Ajax, PSG, etc etc etc it is down to money. Chelsea etc etc etc can not begin to compete with City.

Clubs with the power are the ones with the money. United are bolllixed on that front. Fair play rules will help them.

real madrid will still be bale to spend a lot on transfers because they have a big income

He's 29 in August, no real sell on value for Barca once they've got the best of his last few years, he's going nowhere, he's the main man at Arsenal now.

Ol' Red nose fergie will be gone in 3 seasons, once that happens cue a rapid decline. Big players no longer want to go there Even Sneijder turned them down.

Nobby - quite obviously in the past couple of years, players joining City have been doing so for the money, but in addition to that players will now go there to:

a) challenge for trophies
b) play alongside the likes of Silva, Aguero and Toure

messi will leave barca in the summer

swap deal with djibril cisse

How much did you lose today Fortuna1 ?

Clubs with the power are the ones with the money. United are bolllixed on that front. Fair play rules will help them.

United have more debt than Madrid but the interest according to their accounts is much less. Barca's debt is unclear which should worry their supporters.

The problem United supporters have is the club can be hugely profitable for its owners without really excelling in Europe.

City, Chelsea, Arsenal & Spurs simply can not compete.

madrid havent got any debt have they?

bergkamp i lost ten pounds, u?

Bad start to the Day...But I Strained and turned over a profit in the End

Ten pounds not to bad...So what Market do bet on the most Fortuna ?

i usually do in play

laid arsenal when 6-1 up

its only a tenner though

Yeah In-Play trading is the best...Never place a bet before a Game imo

You laid a team that was 6-1 up...

He will not go to Barca, look whats happening to David Villa, look what happened to the big Swede. Its all about Messi, any striker signed becomes his lackie. RVP is a sensible chap, better to be in the starring role than in the chorus line. He will not go to Real because of the experiences of Wesley and Rafael who went there with big reputations and left shattered and disillusioned. He stays and signs his big five year contract before the Euros.

Nobby - What do you mean 'Barca's debt is unclear'?

Barcelona have the lowest debt of themselves Man Utd and Real Madrid.

All three of these club are fine and the FFP rules will suit them.

messi down the middle

alexis down the wing

Why buy an old RvP when new Barça cadets, a la Xavi, Piqué, Messi, Cesc... are showing they'll be terrific players in a few years?

Dominance goes in cycles, United had their turn at the top, now it's coming to an end, a club that's in hundreds of millions of 'manageable' debt.

RVP is currently the best player in the Premiership in a side that is one of Arsenal's weaker of the last decade and half, you'd have to pay 70million for him, barca wouldn't, end of thread.

But in the summer he enters the final year of his contract. Nasri adopted a strategy of procrastination, this reduced his transfer fee  by 25 per cent. Its not over.

van persie is a big fish in a small pond.
he'll go awol at a big club.

Feb 5, 2012 -- 1:16AM, mesmerised wrote:

Dominance goes in cycles, United had their turn at the top, now it's coming to an end, a club that's in hundreds of millions of 'manageable' debt.RVP is currently the best player in the Premiership in a side that is one of Arsenal's weaker of the last decade and half, you'd have to pay 70million for him, barca wouldn't, end of thread.

Absolute nonsense.   £70m for a 29 year old injury prone player that's almost out of contract. Never.    He's a great player but you are dreaming here.

Does he love barca? This discussion is based on the flawed theory that everyone would love to play for Barca if they could. They wouldn't be my first choice club if I was a pro, other factors the same. We're not all frapping barca fanboys. The Dutch may for example like Arsenal better than playing one of the only two big joke teams in the joke league. Why for example didn't Bergkamp leave? He would've improved any club he walked into, theres no doubt about that. RVP might just like London, and actually like his life, why not? It's also basically a short commute home, he could probably be home quicker than a train ride to Bristol. Barca isn't that great a city. Better than Bristol, perhaps, but basically : hot and pickpockety. whoop de do.

You are correct, what was I thinking, I meant £80 million, on a par with Ronaldo.