Barcelona battle Real for Villa

Barcelona on Sunday went head-to-head with bitter rivals Real Madrid in the battle to sign Spanish international striker David Villa from Valencia.

“Negotiations to sign David Villa have been opened. There are a lot of players who want to come here. That’s great and it’s something that people should know,” Rafael Yuste, vice-president of Barcelona, told local radio.

The Mundo Deportivo newspaper on Sunday reported that the champions had tabled a 35-million-euro bid for Villa.

Real Madrid, who have already bought superstars Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo this month, had been chasing Villa but were reported to have been put off by a 42-million-euro asking price.