The Fans Blog4

Asked about the rumours linking former Barcelona left back defender Sylvinho (35), whose contract with Barcelona expired this summer and wasn't renewed, with a return to Corinthians (read more here), Corinthians president Andrés Sanchez has confirmed in an interview with Brazilian sports paper Lance that talks have started:

"Sylvinho is a great player who has a history in this club. We had a non-official conversation with him, we still need to clear out some issues. We still didn't talk about the salary or the duration of the contract, nothing of that. We just made contact to see if there's interest from his side."

Read more:
Sylvinho looking for European club
Messi still missing Sylvinho
Corinthians and Zaragoza options for Sylvinho

Asked about the situation of Palmeiras forward Keirrison (20) (read more here), the player's agent Marcos Malaquias has confirmed in an interview with Brazilian sports paper Lance that the transfer has almost been completed:

"The contract is ready, but it will only be singed next Friday, after the medical exams that will take place next week. I am very happy for Keirrison that he will be able to join Barcelona and continue his career in Europe."

Read more:
Transfer of Keirrison to be closed in next hours
Official announcement Keirrison deal postponed
Barcelona could include Keirrison in Villa deal


Watch this video of Keirrison:

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Palmeiras forward Keirrison (20) will sign tomorrow a five-year contract with Barcelona.



(sources: rac 1, sport, tv3, as, el periódico, globo esporte, lance)

Last Thursday, Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain and Barcelona director of football Raúl Sanllehí met with André Cury, a representative of Brazilian player's agency Traffic that owns 80 per cent of the transfer rights of the player, the other 20 per cent being in the possession of Palmeiras. Traffic chairman Júlio Mariz also took part in the meeting.

The negotiations are then said to be well-advanced, a pre-agreement would have been reached. Cury says: "We're optimistic regarding a deal. As we are concerned, we now have a pre-agreement that we hope to finalize on Tuesday." Barcelona would already have had before agreed on an option on the player that expired on 30 June.

On Friday, Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain had a lunch with Marcos Malaquias, one of the player's agents Marcos Malaquias in a Barcelona restaurant to negotiate on the player's contract. In the afternoon, Malaquias and Mariz met with Barcelona officials at the club's offices.

Naor Malaquias, the other agent of Keirrison confirmed the talks: "My brother and a Traffic director are in Barcelona to take part in the negotiations. I don't know anything about possible fees yet." Marcos Malaquias said after the meeting that a deal was very close: "There are only a few details missing before it's official."

It was then decided that Keirrison wouldn't train or play anymore with Palmeiras. The Brazilian striker travelled the same day to his home-town Keirrison, where he was getting ready to fly to Barcelona. Palmeiras put out a statement confirming a formal offer by Barcelona, Keirrison did the same (read more here). Barcelona president Joan Laporta says the next day that they're on the verge of finalizing the deal.

Despite having more than four years left on his contract, Keirrison can leave Palmeiras without an extra fee. When he signed his contract earlier this year, a clause was inserted that allowed him to move at any moment to Barcelona, his favourite club since childhood (read more here). Sport claims that Keirrison also insisted that in his contract with Traffic a buyout clause would be included saying that he could leave to Barcelona for 15 million euro°. For other clubs, the buyout clause would be 50 million euro.

Other sources mention other figures regarding the agreed transfer fee: "13 million plus 3 million in incentives" (tv3), "around 14 million euro" (el periódico), "around 15 million euro" (globo esporte), "16 million euro" (lance). Keirrison, who also rejected an offer by Real Madrid in January, will most likely be included, on loan or permanently, in a transfer deal on Villa or (more unlikely) on Forlán or Bruno Alves.

Read more:
Deal on transfer of Keirrison
Keirrison dreams of Barcelona move
Barcelona prepares final offer for Villa

Catalan radio station RAC 1 claims that Barcelona could try to include Palmeiras forward Keirrison (20) in the transfer of Valencia forward and Spanish international David Villa (28).

Barcelona would have a first option on the Brazilian striker and would be considering to sign the player to include him afterwards in the deal on Villa. Valencia would nevertheless not be interested in the player.

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain met yesterday with André Cury, the head of sports marketing agency Traffic that owns the transfer rights of Keirrison. A transfer fee of between 10 and 15 million euro° would have been put forward.

Asked about the rumours, Palmeiras sports director Toninho Cecílio said in an interview with Brazilian sports paper Lance that a transfer is not an option at the moment: "We shouldn't be answering this type of questions the whole time. We know how to deal with this, we know that is normal because he's a very good player, but the club wants to win trophies and the sale of Keirrison isn't an issue for now. He has signed for four years and we plan to keep him. We will only sell when the club and his agency think it's a good deal. Our president Belluzzo has to sign too and that's not close to happen at this moment."

Read more:
Barcelona met with Keirrison last week
Barcelona makes new bid for Villa
Principal agreement with Keirrison

Brazilian sports site Globo Esporte claims that Brazilian first division club Coritiba has received 314 000 euro° for the transfer of Barcelona central defender Henrique (22).

Henrique joined Barcelona last summer from Palmeiras and was immediately loaned out to German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen (read more here).

In January of this year, Henrique left then second division club Coritiba for Palmeiras and the fee is a consequence of the FIFA solidarity mechanism.

FIFA rules state that a proportion (5%) of any compensation paid to the previous club will be distributed to the club or clubs that were involved in the training and education of the player. This distribution will be made in proportion to the number of years the player has been registered with the relevant clubs between the age of 12 and 23.

Brazilian sports paper Lance claims that Brazilian local club Colombo and Brazilian first division club Palmeiras will also receive a part of the five per cent.

Read more:
How is Henrique doing at Bayer leverkusen?
OFFICIAL: Henrique Adriano Buss
Henrique will be loaned out to Leverkusen

Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona is interested in Coritiba forward and Brazilian youth international Keirrison de Souza Carneiro (19) (read more here).

Barcelona's good relations with Brazilian sport marketing agency Traffic could bring the striker to Barcelona in the future.

The paper also claims that Keirrison is on a ten men short-list of former Barcelona sports vice president Sandro Rosell who will take part in the presidential elections of 2010. Keirrison would be one of the players Rosell will promise to bring to Barcelona if he's chosen as the new president.

Based on reports in Brazilian news paper Lance and Brazilian sports site Globo Esporte, the situation today is that sports marketing agency Mais Sports of the brothers Naor and Marcos Malaquias has yesterday sold 80 per cent of the transfer rights of Keirrison to sports marketing agency Traffic. Mais Sports keeps on representing Keirrison and will have a part of the future transfer fee.

The other 20 per cent are owned by Brazilian first division club Coritiba. Because Keirrison's contract with the club expires next April, Coritiba prefers to sell their share now. Traffic wants to buy the 20 per cent and then transfer the player to local fourth division club Desportivo Brasil, that is owned by Traffic.

Desportivo Brasil would then loan the player out to Brazilian first division club Palmeiras. Keirrison would join Palmeiras in January in order to gain more experience before he makes the move to Europe in the coming years.

Read more:
Possible deal on Brazilian striker Keirrison
Hernanes could come next summer
Barcelona following Brazilian striker Dentinho


Watch a video of Keirrison:

(This post will be updated throughout the day.)


Txiki Begiristain has said he doesn't exclude another signing now that Silva has renewed with Valencia

Barcelona is still wanting to bring in a left winger but will only sign a player if there's an interesting player available on the market (Sport)
read more

Arsenal manager Wenger doesn't believe Henry could join Manchester United and says if the player would return to England, something Wenger doubts, he would only join Arsenal (Arsenal official website)
read more

Fiorentina midfielder Felipe Melo (24), who played for Almería last season, says that Barcelona showed interest in him earlier this year but that he had already signed for Fiorentina in January (Lance)
read more

Asked about the rumours that Palmeiras central defender and Brazilian international Henrique Adriano Buss (21) is on the verge of becoming a Barcelona player (read more here), Barcelona sports director Txiki Begiristain has said at a press conference yesterday that the transfer is close but should still be finalized:

"We're working on it but Henrique isn't a done deal yet. The negotations are very well-advanced but it's not signed yet although we're very close to a final agreement. The plan is to transfer him and to loan him then out to another European club but nothing is sure yet."

Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo claims that the Brazilian defender is the next player on the transfer list and that the transfer and the loan deal should finally be closed in the coming days.

In a reaction to Brazilian sports paper Lance, Henrique says that he's preparing to travel to Barcelona this weekend. The paper claims that the official presentation of Henrique should take place next Monday.

Read more:
Last details of Henrique transfer being resolved
Talks with Ajax on Henrique and Oleguer
Henrique will sign on Monday

Asked about the statements made by São Paulo manager Muricy Ramalho that the recent poor performances of some of his player were caused by the speculation linking them with a summer move to Europe (read more here), São Paulo attacking midfielder and Brazilian international Hernanes (23) has said to journalists that he doesn't agree with that view:

"Nobody can know what is happening in our heads. Playing good or bad, that's just part of football, for that you don't have to make guesses about what's going in our heads. I had a problem with my ankle and then I went to the national team, so I couldn't train with the group for one month and that's it. That's why I went to talk with Muricy. I explained him everything and hope he understands. I don't care if the press is commenting things, but inside the club it should be different."

His coach nevertheless sticked to his point in an interview with Brazilian sports paper Lance and said that he wants Hernanes, who has earlier this week been named in the Brazilian Olympic squad to play at the Beijing Games next month, should focus on his game: "It's natural he says this but we all know that these things have an influence. And that 's normal, especially because the guys are so young. I have told him to get his concentration back and to stop talking about the proposals. Let the agents do the talking."

Read more:
Negotiations on Hernanes in last stage
Pique presented
Hernanes will ask his club for an exit