Barcelona and Inter Milan have reached an agreement in principle to swap Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Barca forward Samuel Eto'o plus cash.
Reports suggest Barca will pay about £35m plus 28-year-old Eto'o in return for Ibrahimovic, 27.
In addition, Alex Hleb will spend a season on loan at the Italian club.
"The signing depends on Ibrahimovic, on Eto'o and all parties," said Barca president Joan Laporta, who is also keen to sign Valencia's David Villa.
"David Villa as an option is not finished. We haven't discarded any possibilities, " Laporta said on Friday.
Eto'o came close to agreeing a move to Manchester City, before the Eastlands side ended their pursuit on 10 July.
The Cameroon international has scored more than 100 goals in five seasons at the Nou Camp but has been regularly linked with moves away from the club and is out of contract next summer.
Since signing for Inter from Juventus following the Turin side's demotion to Serie B in 2006, Ibrahimovic has become one of the most prized strikers in Europe.
The Swede was top scorer in Serie A last season and has reportedly attracted attention from Real Madrid and Manchester United as well as European champions Barca.
Inter and Barcelona have done business once already this summer with Brazilian left-back Maxwell moving to Spain in a £3.9m deal.
Barcelona and Inter Milan have reached an agreement in principle to swap Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Barca forward Samuel Eto'o plus cash.
Reports suggest Barca will pay about £35m plus 28-year-old Eto'o in return for Ibrahimovic, 27.
In addition, Alex Hleb will spend a season on loan at the Italian club.
"The signing depends on Ibrahimovic, on Eto'o and all parties," said Barca president Joan Laporta, who is also keen to sign Valencia's David Villa.
"David Villa as an option is not finished. We haven't discarded any possibilities, " Laporta said on Friday.
Eto'o came close to agreeing a move to Manchester City, before the Eastlands side ended their pursuit on 10 July.
The Cameroon international has scored more than 100 goals in five seasons at the Nou Camp but has been regularly linked with moves away from the club and is out of contract next summer.
Since signing for Inter from Juventus following the Turin side's demotion to Serie B in 2006, Ibrahimovic has become one of the most prized strikers in Europe.
The Swede was top scorer in Serie A last season and has reportedly attracted attention from Real Madrid and Manchester United as well as European champions Barca.
Inter and Barcelona have done business once already this summer with Brazilian left-back Maxwell moving to Spain in a £3.9m deal.
...Eto'o's better...besiiiiiiiides "it won't work" "too many stars" Ibrahimovic "is a little whiney b***h who only plays for himself", Ibrahimovic and Messi "will never pass to each other" "they're not compatible" "they'll never get along" Ibrahimovic "will be the most expensive flop of all time" and just out of curiosity I suppose the combined total of 87.5 million euros is a good signing by Barca, pretty cheap too haha.
Shoot forward to a week from now where the signing has been totally finalised and you'll have Platini saying how Barca has saved the transfer market from overinflated prices and Laporta saying that 94 million was too expensive for the best player in the world but 87.5 million for a lazy, all be it top goalscoring striker (not that Eto'o wasn't that anyway) was the bargain of the century.
Barcelona and Inter Milan have reached an agreement in principle to swap Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Barca forward Samuel Eto'o plus cash.
Reports suggest Barca will pay about £35m plus 28-year-old Eto'o in return for Ibrahimovic, 27.
In addition, Alex Hleb will spend a season on loan at the Italian club.
"The signing depends on Ibrahimovic, on Eto'o and all parties," said Barca president Joan Laporta, who is also keen to sign Valencia's David Villa.
"David Villa as an option is not finished. We haven't discarded any possibilities, " Laporta said on Friday.
Eto'o came close to agreeing a move to Manchester City, before the Eastlands side ended their pursuit on 10 July.
The Cameroon international has scored more than 100 goals in five seasons at the Nou Camp but has been regularly linked with moves away from the club and is out of contract next summer.
Since signing for Inter from Juventus following the Turin side's demotion to Serie B in 2006, Ibrahimovic has become one of the most prized strikers in Europe.
The Swede was top scorer in Serie A last season and has reportedly attracted attention from Real Madrid and Manchester United as well as European champions Barca.
Inter and Barcelona have done business once already this summer with Brazilian left-back Maxwell moving to Spain in a £3.9m deal.
...Eto'o's better...besiiiiiiiides "it won't work" "too many stars" Ibrahimovic "is a little whiney b***h who only plays for himself", Ibrahimovic and Messi "will never pass to each other" "they're not compatible" "they'll never get along" Ibrahimovic "will be the most expensive flop of all time" and just out of curiosity I suppose the combined total of 87.5 million euros is a good signing by Barca, pretty cheap too haha.
Shoot forward to a week from now where the signing has been totally finalised and you'll have Platini saying how Barca has saved the transfer market from overinflated prices and Laporta saying that 94 million was too expensive for the best player in the world but 87.5 million for a lazy, all be it top goalscoring striker (not that Eto'o wasn't that anyway) was the bargain of the century.
Rossoneri 07 wrote:I dont know how you can say Eto'o is better.
Just look at his stats, also Eto'o can take players on, Ibrahimovic hasn't taken a player on since his Ajax days and even then they were few and far between, Eto'o is also faster and he's not going to cost Barca a combined total of 87.5 million in transfer fees alone.
The thing you forget is that the ENTIRE Barca team is the same with the addition of Ibra, we all know that Barca works well, so at very worst they'll have to play around Ibra.
Ibra is taller, and techincally more sound, i can see him adding another dimension to that team.
Don't really think they will fit at either club. Eto'o is good to finish off all the work the creative players do at Barca, while Ibra is the real creative link for Inter. If it were to happen Barca would be losing somebody to knock in those many chances they create will Inter will have Milito and Eto'o both wanting service up front and being too seperated from the midfield.
Rossoneri 07 wrote:I dont know how you can say Eto'o is better.
Just look at his stats, also Eto'o can take players on, Ibrahimovic hasn't taken a player on since his Ajax days and even then they were few and far between, Eto'o is also faster and he's not going to cost Barca a combined total of 87.5 million in transfer fees alone.
You don't watch much Serie A do you? And if you do, get your eyes checked...
the guy takes on players week in, week out... he leaves them for dead and scores goals...a lot of time as Juventino pointed out, he drills players and assists his team mates as the creative link...
don't worry he takes on players...just jump on youtube and have a look
fully sik 9 wrote:la liga may have "the stars", but Serie A is still better Football.
Loppermann wrote:I think you underestimate how small scousers' lives are... there's football and that's it, none of them have jobs or families or teeth
I love how a Madrid fan can sit there and say it won't work when we sign one new player while his side goes out and buys anyone & everyone. As someone else said I think we've signed two players this season & the rest of the squad is the same. I think Madrid's fans should worry about all their own ego's first before they worry about Barca's!
TEA TREE GULLY CITY 2007 DIV 2 RESERVES CHAMPIONS!
Ronnie#10 wrote:I love how a Madrid fan can sit there and say it won't work when we sign one new player while his side goes out and buys anyone & everyone. As someone else said I think we've signed two players this season & the rest of the squad is the same. I think Madrid's fans should worry about all their own ego's first before they worry about Barca's!
I find it funny how Barca fans and every other fan under the sun goes out and says it won't work blah blah blah etc, I didnt't say it wouldn't work at Barca. As for ego...yeh my ego is so huge that I don't expect to win any trophies this season.
Money muscle doesnt equate to dominance on the pitch - I guess time will tell, but if you dont win a trophy this year, prepare to get hammered on here.
Madrid fans can say whatever they like about Barca's spending in the off-season cos it's tiny compared to that of Madrid's. The fact is they we're shite last season & needed to do something, but the thing that I find the funniest is they sign 3 of the biggest attackers in the game when it's their defense that leaks goals & is costing them games.
I agree with Scudetto as well if you don't win something with all your talk you will get hammered on here by anyone & everyone.
TEA TREE GULLY CITY 2007 DIV 2 RESERVES CHAMPIONS!
