Liverpool are not expecting any fresh interest from Barcelona in Javier Mascherano in January.
Weekend reports suggested the midfielder's advisers had already negotiated personal terms with the Catalans in advance of a transfer fee being agreed with the Reds.
However, there has been no contact between the clubs since the summer when Barca were informed Mascherano was not for sale. Click to continue reading...

This is the picture that was promised to the Oranje fans in 1990 and 1994... Obviously, with a naranjita jersey, but hey... It's 2009 now... 19 years onwards and the Catalans are loved more by the Football Gods than the Dutch... A great day for them, a sad day for us :-). And Click to continue reading...

Latest rumours in the press are that that the Liverpool owners want to replace struggling Benitez with Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill, it is believed Hicks & Gillette are impressed buy the way the Irishman has built a strong squad on limited funds from Randy Learner and is riding high in the Premier League. Click to continue reading...

Russian champions Rubin Kazan ensured that they remain unbeaten against UEFA Champions League holders FC Barcelona over the two games played on opposite ends of the continent.

A goalless draw in overcast conditions in Central Stadium Kazan ensured that Rubin remain tied on points with the Catalans.

Click to continue reading...

Sometimes it is very easy to tell merely a couple of months into the season whether or not the current league leader will run away with the title come the business end of the season. However, as fans of the sport, we often hope that a title race is full of twists and turns all the way till it reaches a dramatic finale.

Click to continue reading...

I have always wondered how come everyone is so fascinated by Van Gaal. We all remember Ajax from the mid90s but that story lasted briefly and they had the system to thank for the fame not the coach. As soon as big clubs got the idea to buy everyone that was worth something in that team, things fell into place.

Click to continue reading...

Catalan paper Sport has recently featured secrets from inside Barca's dressing room, where Pep continually strives to instill team unity between the players and blend all their personalities and egos into harmony.
From the more withdrawn players like Abidal and Keita to pranksters Pique and Dani Alves, the players get along great and there's always a friendly atmosphere in the locker room. Click to continue reading...

What a shocking couple of weeks it had been for the Catalans.

They have torn through all and sundry in La Liga up until their hosting of Almeria at the Camp Nou on October 4th.� They may have come away with the result but it's a sign of the times that ONLY a 1-0 win for Barcelona is considered a bad performance.

Click to continue reading...

What words do we need to describe the genius that is Cesc Fabregas and for the first time on Saturday, he seemed to be enjoying his football, and I do believe him now when he says that he wants to stay. Why? well the lure of the catalans is great, but at Barcelona, he would be one addition to the rank of mega personas that the Spanish giants feel necessary to accumulate.

Click to continue reading...

What words do we need to describe the genius that is Cesc Fabregas and for the first time on Saturday, he seemed to be enjoying his football, and I do believe him now when he says that he wants to stay. Why? well the lure of the catalans is great, but at Barcelona, he would be one addition to the rank of mega personas that the Spanish giants feel necessary to accumulate.

Click to continue reading...

Chester Stadium currently under construction. (Photo via Philadelphia Union)

Editor's Note: Geoff Reid appears on WVHooligan each week. Today he is back to discuss something that is very close to home, the soon to be expansion Philadelphia Union. Geoff lives just 15 minutes away from the new club.

Click to continue reading...

Although it is early, the league is already tight up top and no one will catch Real Madrid and Barcelona. Both sides were once again convincing as the Catalans gave a clinic in Santander, while the Merengues deep sixed the Yellow Submarine in Castellón.

Lionel Messi earned a brace while Cristiano Ronaldo led the pace of his team and neither were able to be stopped.

Click to continue reading...

A moment of brilliance from Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka's first competitive goal for his new club secured Real Madrid a 2-0 win at Villarreal in the Primera Liga on Wednesday evening.

Ronaldo struck early after a brilliant turn on the halfway line saw the Portugal international escape the attentions of his marker before he raced towards the penalty area, stepped inside two defenders and drilled a low 20-yard shot past Diego Lopez.

Click to continue reading...

With the upcoming opening round of Champions League fixtures imminent, perhaps the most mouth watering tie will see Inter Milan face the current Champions Barcelona. An intriguing contest on so many levels, not least to assess how the contrasting styles of both teams will fare, nor how the cross Mourinho seems to carry from his days with Chelsea will manifest itself when it comes to facing the Catalans once again in European Competition.

Click to continue reading...

Inter striker Mario Balotelli could have been playing for the opposition in next week's clash against Barcelona, according to� El Mundo Deportivo.

The Spanish paper claims 'Super Mario' was on the verge of joining the Blaugrana three years ago, when he was playing for Serie C side Lumezzane in 2006.

Click to continue reading...

Sir Alex showed much interest in the young striker three years ago.

Inter striker Mario Balotelli could have been playing for the opposition in next week's clash against Barcelona, according to El Mundo Deportivo.

The Spanish paper claims 'Super Mario' was on the verge of joining the Blaugrana three years ago, when he was playing for Serie C side Lumezzane in 2006.

Click to continue reading...

Zlatan on the scoresheet for the Catalans. Click to continue reading...

With both teams fielding weakened sides for the annual Joan Gamper pre-season friendly in Barcelona. Man City pulled off a shock by beating Barca 1-0 with Martin Petrov scoring the only goal of the game.
Despite being roared on by 90,000 Catalans and with the debut of Zlatan Ibrahimacvic, Barcelona were kept out by a superb display by Shay Given. Click to continue reading...

European champions Barcelona ended their dominant pre-season with a frustrating 1-0 defeat at the hands of a defiant Manchester City side in front of around 90,000 fans at Catalonia's huge Camp Nou Stadium. While I will stay consistent with one of my previous articles by conceding that pre-season results carry little materiality, tonight's game should go a long way in demonstrating just how foolish it is to write off Mark Hughes' flamboyant, new-look Sky Blues.

Click to continue reading...

That noise you can hear Mr. Hleb is the sound of the smallest Violin playing a song, just for you!

Alexander Hleb admits he made a mistake in leaving Arsenal last summer.

The Belarus midfielder has returned to Stuttgart, four years after he left the Bundesliga side, on a year-long loan deal after a difficult season at Barcelona.

Click to continue reading...

Is it possible to have TOO much money?

Manchester City are ready to pay £150m for Lionel Messi, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The world record bid would eclipse efforts to sign Kaka and Samuel Eto'o earlier this year and follows reports at the weekend that City were trying to guarantee a first refusal should the Catalans ever decide to sell the Argentina superstar.

Click to continue reading...

Why wasn't Samuel Eto'o extended the same lifetime/long term commitment from Barcelona that was given to Xavi & Puyol? Its true that Xavi & Puyol are Catalans and products of La Masia and Eto'o isn't. However, production on the field should trump that and the Cameroonian's goal scoring prowess is unsurpassed. Click to continue reading...

In a summer that has already seen Real Madrid spend close to £150 million on just two players and Manchester City offer crazy wages to the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, it would be hard to believe things could get anymore ridiculous. But then this past weekend the summer spending hit another level on the silly richter scale as two of Europe's top clubs traded their top strikers.

Click to continue reading...

We all know Zlatan Ibrahimovic's ego is as big as a mountain and that is why most of the people were surprised to hear that mighty Barca, the team characterized by great team spirit above all, were interested in Inter forward. After finally making a switch to Camp Nou, Zlatan angered Inter fans by saying that Barcelona was his dream club, which is the same he had been saying about Inter when coming to Milano from Juventus.

Click to continue reading...

If it wasn't for Florentino Perez and his early transfer window ‘shock and awe' superstar shopping spree, a shopping spree which has seen the triple trophy winning exploits of Joan Laporta's men at the Camp Nou quickly forgotten by anyone not from Catalunya, then what must be regarded as the summer's most ludicrous deal to date would surely never have come to fruition.

Click to continue reading...

Every pre-season tournament feels that their event is that bit special, no-one likes to think that their prestigious event is simply a glorified training session interrupted by masses of substitutions to take away from the little meaning that the games actually carry.

Getting the balance and mix right for your event is no easy task with a multitude of glamour friendlies going on in throughout the football world each hoping that theirs has some sort of competitive edge.

Click to continue reading...

Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle with Internazionale's Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the striker to sign for the European champions.

"There are agreements in principle with the player and with Inter and the documents are being drawn up," Barcelona's sporting directo Begiristain told Barca TV.

Click to continue reading...

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has defended the club's attempts to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic and insisted the money involved is not comparable to that splashed out by Real Madrid this summer.

Madrid have spent over 200million euros bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol while so far it has been much quieter at the Nou Camp where they have only signed Maxwell.

Click to continue reading...

Even though David Villa was on the verge of joining Barcelona, the Catalans seem to have been fed up with Valencia's demands and they have rekindled their interest in Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Barca now offer €35 million plus Eto'o and Hleb, and Inter president Moratti believes a deal can be done.

Click to continue reading...

Spanish giants Barcelona have signed Inter full-back Maxwell, who thus become Barca's first signing this summer. The Catalans managed to snatch the Brazilian defender for just €4.5 million, although the fee can rise for another €500,000. Maxwell will sign a three-year contract worth €3.

Click to continue reading...

After seeing their fierce rivals clinch deals for Kaka, Ronaldo and Benzema, Barcelona were forced to act accordingly and they are thought to be keen on signing Valencia duo Villa and Mata. The Catalans have already agreed a deal with David Villa and they are expected to finalize the transfer very soon since Valencia are in big financial problems.

Click to continue reading...

After winning the historic treble last season, Barcelona will try to repeat the feat this term and they have already started looking for ways to further reinforce the team. One player who definitely won't be at Camp Nou is Eidur Gudjohnsen, who has been made available by Barca, with asking price thought to be in the region of €5 million.

Click to continue reading...

Liverpool's expected signing of Glen Johnson is likely to increase the pressure from Javier Mascherano for a substantial wage increase as Barcelona hope to exploit the player's unhappiness at Anfield.
Mascherano, despite his importance to Rafa Benitez's side, currently remains one of the lowest paid first team players on Liverpool's books on £25,000 a week and the player is demanding closer parity to other high earners at the club such as Fernando Torres, who is paid over three times that amount. Click to continue reading...

Barcelona are set to push Rafa Benitez's patience to the limit by launching a bid for Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
The European champions have already been met with resistance in a move for Anfield midfielder Javier Mascherano - but Lionel Messi has stepped up the pursuit by inviting his friend to the Nou Camp. Click to continue reading...

Following Ronaldo's record-breaking transfer to Real Madrid, David Villa will not be the most expensive signing this summer, but he has already become the most wanted one. After Real, Manchester and Chelsea, Barcelona are the latest club who joined the race to sign Valencia striker.

Barcelona officials seems to be ‘seriously worried' for Real's budget after Los Blancos signed Kaka and Ronaldo, and attempted to lure David Villa into the fold.

Click to continue reading...