
Rio de Janeiro: Barcelona have reportedly made a final offer of 23 million euros to sign Brazil international striker Neymar during the European summer transfer window.
The Catalan club's football director Raul Sanllehi returned to Spain Thursday after a week of negotiations with Neymar's club Santos and his representatives, Estado de S.Paulo newspaper reported.
The Brazilian outfit has reportedly rejected successive bids of 18 million euros and 20 million euros in the past six days.
Neymar is contracted to Santos until the 2014 World Cup with a buyout clause of 65 million euros....
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03:54 PM, May 24, 2013

Rio de Janeiro: Santos have rejected a 20 million-euro offer from Barcelona for Brazil star Neymar. The Brazilian outfit, which last week turned down Barcelona's initial 18 million-euro bid for the striker, made the decision after a meeting of the club's board on Wednesday night, reports Xinhua. "Santos has analysed the the proposal and it doesn't meet our requirements," Santos vice-president Odilio Rodrigues told O Globo. "He (Neymar) remains a...

02:03 PM, May 23, 2013

Madrid: Barcelona utility player Adriano Correia has agreed a four-year contract extension until 2017, the La Liga champions said in a statement on Wednesday. The Brazilian, who was signed from Sevilla in 2010, has a buy-out clause of 90 million euros. "He's become known as one of the most versatile players on Barcelona's roster," Barca said. "He's performed well in the centre back position, as well as the right and...

11:33 PM, May 22, 2013

Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian striker Neymar has agreed in principle to join Barcelona, July 1. The 21-year-old striker is understood to have signed a deal last week to join the Spanish giants following the Confederations Cup in Brazil, reports Xinhua. Neymar's current club Santos could ratify the deal on Wednesday. As anticipation surrounding the move intensified, Barcelona star Lionel Messi said Neymar would be a "wonderful signing" for the Catalan...

02:39 PM, May 22, 2013

Barcelona: Newly crowned Spanish champion Barcelona celebrated winning the league title in front of their home fans by easing to a 2-1 victory over Valladolid on Sunday. While rain and dropping temperatures threatened to dampen the party in the stands, Barcelona had little trouble keeping alive its bid to equal Real Madrid's 2012 record haul of 100 points even without the injured Lionel Messi. The weather cleared up in time...

08:26 AM, May 20, 2013

Madrid: Barcelona have confirmed that striker Leo Messi will miss the rest of the season as a result of the muscle injury which forced him out of his side's 2-1 win away over Atletico Madrid. The fact that Messi's injury is a relapse of the hamstring problem, which he originally suffered in the quarter-final of the Champions League April 2 and which has troubled him ever since, is a key...

01:16 PM, May 14, 2013

Berlin: Bayern Munich crushed European heavyweights Barcelona and Juventus en route to the Champions League final but they should not expect the same to happen against Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said on Monday. Bayern face their Bundesliga rivals in the first all-German Champions League final in London's Wembley stadium on May 25. The Bavarians beat former European champions Juventus 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals before exploding past...

06:42 PM, May 13, 2013

Madrid: Not even an injury to Lionel Messi in the 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday could dampen Barcelona's celebrations at winning their 22nd Spanish league title. Messi started his first match in six rounds because of a recurring right hamstring injury, but he left the field in the 68th minute with Barcelona trailing 1-0 to Radamel Falcao's 52-minute goal and having made all three substitutions. However, Alexis Sanchez...

08:04 AM, May 13, 2013

Barcelona: Barcelona will be without goalkeeper Victor Valdes and defender Eric Abidal for Sunday's match at Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club said that Valdes has not recovered from a left-foot injury that kept him out of last weekend's game also. Abidal will be sidelined after hurting a muscle in his left leg during Friday's training session. Abidal recently returned from a liver transplant. Barcelona can clinch the Spanish league title...

05:18 PM, May 11, 2013

London: Lionel Messi's life story is set to hit the movie screens in time for the 2014 World Cup. Epic Pictures Group says it is financing and developing a Rocky-style film after buying the rights to dramatize a biography about the Barcelona soccer star. The Beverly Hills-based company says the biopic will chart Messi's rise from a modest background in Argentina and how he "overcame his physical shortcomings to become...

06:48 PM, May 10, 2013

Madrid: Real Madrid have stubbornly refused to capitulate in recent weeks but La Liga leaders Barcelona finally have their fate in their own hands and can secure a 22nd La Liga crown with victory at Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Barca need two points from their remaining four matches to wrest the title back from their arch rivals, who have played a game more and need to win at Espanyol on...

10:21 AM, May 10, 2013

Madrid: Coach Tito Vilanova could miss the title celebrations if Barcelona are crowned La Liga champions on Wednesday as he will be in New York having a medical check up. Barca's 4-2 victory at home to Real Betis on Sunday left the Catalans 11 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid with four games left to play, and requiring only two more points to make first place unassailable. Real host Malaga...

09:38 AM, May 06, 2013

Barcelona: Lionel Messi netted two goals within 15 minutes of coming on as a substitute to give Barcelona a 4-2 comeback win over Real Betis on Sunday and push his team to the brink of the Spanish league title. After his teammates had rallied back twice to level at 2-2, Messi went on in the 56th and four minutes later curled in a free kick to extend his record scoring...

08:03 AM, May 06, 2013

Barcelona: Cesc Fabregas's 26th birthday celebrations on Saturday may have been more subdued than usual after Barcelona's Champions League exit to Bayern Munich on Wednesday, the latest in a series of key matches in which he has failed to impress. The former Arsenal captain has struggled to live up to sky-high expectations since returning to his boyhood club in the summer of 2011, even prompting media speculation he may move...

10:02 AM, May 05, 2013

Barcelona: Cristiano Ronaldo headed in two goals to help Real Madrid beat Valladolid 4-3 in the Spanish league on Saturday, but the entertaining win was overshadowed by growing dissatisfaction with coach Jose Mourinho for criticizing the club. Madrid's ninth straight home win in league play denied Barcelona the chance to clinch the league title this weekend. Madrid reduced Barcelona's lead to eight points, meaning the Catalan side can't seal the...

08:40 AM, May 05, 2013

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi missed training on Friday as he battles to regain fitness for the La Liga leaders' final few matches of the campaign. "The Argentine forward ... did physiotherapy work" apart from the rest of his team mates, Barca said in a statement on their website. Messi damaged a hamstring just over a month ago and although he had been given the all-clear by medical staff he was...

08:06 AM, May 04, 2013

Barcelona: Dethroned as Europe's dominant team, Barcelona can begin rebuilding their reputation by clinching the Spanish league title this weekend. Barcelona can secure their 22nd domestic title and their fourth in five years if they beat Real Betis at Camp Nou on Sunday and second-place Real Madrid drops points at home against Valladolid the day before. Barcelona and Madrid were both eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals this week. Yet...

06:47 PM, May 03, 2013