Barca confirm Valencia talks over Alba; Moratti claims Inter need to sell

Barca confirm Valencia talks over Alba

Barcelona have confirmed they are in talks with Valencia to sign full-back Jordi Alba.

The Spain international has long been linked with a summer move to Camp Nou, but neither the player nor the Catalans wanted to confirm the negotiations were in progress.

However, Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has now moved to confirm that Alba is close to joining the Catalans.

“I don’t like these negotiations being made public, but they have been,” Rosell said at a press conference.

“How much we pay for Alba will depend on the negotiations. Everything is worth what you are willing to pay or how much you are willing to sell for.”

Jordi Alba is regarded as one of the best full-backs in world football and he further proved his worth with some scintillating displays for Spain at the European Championship.

The 23-year-old started all four games for La Furia Roja at the Euro 2012 and produced an assist for Xabi Alonso’s first goal against France.

Moratti claims Inter need to sell

Inter president Massimo Moratti has explained that the club first need to sell some of the fringe players before they can start bringing summer reinforcements.

The club owner earlier said that the Neroazzurri squad would be in for a major overhaul in the summer, with several high-profile players expected to leave Giuseppe Meazza.

The Italian giants were recently linked with Samir Handanovic, Mathieu Debuchy, Matias Silvestre and Mattia Destro, but Moratti is adamant there will be no new signings until the club have lost some dead weight.

“There is absolutely nothing to talk about with regards to the transfer market,” Moratti told La Repubblica last evening.

“Do we have to sell first? Certainly…”

Rodrigo Palacio has already arrived from Genoa and Philippe Coutinho returned to the club after his loan spell at Espanyol ended, but there have been no major departures yet.

Players with lucrative contracts such as Diego Forlan, Lucio and Douglas Maicon are all expected to leave this summer.

Gladbach sign Alvaro Dominguez

Borussia Moenchengladbach have announced on their official website that they have signed defender Alvaro Dominguez from Atletico Madrid.

The 23-year-old centre-back signed a five-year contract with die Fohlen after passing a medical earlier today.

Dominguez arrives to Moenchengladbach as a replacement for Brazilian defender Dante, who left the club to join Bayern Munich.

“Alvaro Dominguez was our preferred candidate for the position of left central defender, for which we had been looking a new man since the departure of Dante to Bayern Munich,” sporting director Max Eberl told club’s official website.

“He was a first team regular at Atletico Madrid, won the Europa League titles in 2010 and 2012 and recently managed to earn a call-up to the national team. We are proud that he opted for Borussia.”

The highly rated defender started his professional career at Atletico Madrid in 2009 and has since amassed 76 La Liga appearances for los Colchoneros.

Last season he scored 3 goals in 28 La Liga games, while adding one goal in 12 Europa League fixtures.

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