They will definitely sign Villa. Fabregas - maybe, depends how his talks with Wenger go, obviously. I don't think they'll go for Torres, I think Citeh will chuck stupid money about an get him. Hopefully.

If they did get all 3, their team would be absolutely f-cking unbelievably incredible.

Hasn't exactly said he's leaving though has he, Balague said Fabregas has flown in to London to speak to Wenger and say he wants to join Barca. Long way to go before he actually leaves, mind.

There was suppost to be a ? after Fabregas leaving Arsenal.

MY APOLOGIES.

Err, yes. That's still not the point I was making if you read my post again I wasn't talking about where you said Fabregas is leaving it was the last bit where you said Balague said he's leaving, he didn't say that.

Will Fabregas get into the Barca team? Is he any better than Iniesta or Xavi? I've only seen Barca play in the CL this season so I can't comment about their team too much but the impression I've been given is the Iniesta and Xavi are a class above.

They are a class above, maybe not a class above Fabregas but a class above everyone else. If anything though it would mean they can rotate the three. They may even choose to play them all together in the midfield 3.

I thought they play 3 in midfield Xavi Toure Busquets with Iniesta Zlatan Messi upfront. I may be wrong but i think they play that team. So id guess he'd come in for Toure.

[size=150Villa has a four-year contract with Barça and will be unveiled on Friday afternoon. The transfer fee is thought to be around €50 million.[/size

Valdes
Alves-Puyol-Pique-Maxwell
Xavi-Iniesta-Busquets/Keita
Pedro-Messi-Ibrahmiovic

Iniesta will go on the left I think, with Fabregas moving into midfield with just the one anchor man there. I think in the long term Fabregas is seen as Xavi's sucessor. I don't quite see how they'll work in the same team unless he moves Cesc further forward, which is what I think will happen. Cesc will fill in Iniesta's role, with Iniesta filling the left. But with Pep's rotation, that will just be a 'big game' formation.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 691007.stm Unbelievable!!! We will be battling to finish in the top four next season I fear.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 691007.stm Unbelievable!!! We will be battling to finish in the top four next season I fear.

If the rumours are true about Villa and Fabregas going to Barca, then I would have thought that Barca would be selling a few players too. I sincerely hope we don't end up with that overrated, prancing tart who plays upfront for them.

I have a feeling that Barca's alleged transfer activity, followed by Real appointing a new manager next week, could see the start of some big, big moves.

We could well see the likes of Yaya Toure, Thierry Henry, Fernando Gago, Gonzalo Higuain, Karim Benzema and Zlatan I.

Add these to the rumoured moves of Hamsik, Klasnic, Vucinic, Balotelli, Courcoff, Robinho, Ozil, Torress and Gerrard, it is going to be an interesting summer.

Even though we "have the Ronaldo money and £50m from the bond issue" and we all had a slight bit of hope that we might strengthen the squad, there was always the fear that we'd end up with a few new kids, and the rest of the squad the same.

City and Chelsea will both strengthen this summer, if we want to have any chance of battling with them we need to lose the $hite and bring some new faces in.

EDIT: [url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article7130227.eceThis probably explains why he won't be strengthening.[/url

The following quote by Gill makes interesting reading:

"Our season ticket sales, renewals, for this upcoming season are on track with previous years. Our executive ticket renewals are on track."

Now, I know it isn't impossible to believe that Gill is lying, but I had heard a rumour that United were planning on extending the renewal deadline until after the WC due to a lack of sales. It'll be interesting to see if/how MUST/RKs boycott campaign is working.

Not a bad piece of business by Arsenal on Fabregas. Let Barca develop him, nick him for free then sell him back for £30mil+ profit!

If Arsenal sell Fabregas, then Gourcuff could be the one to replace him. They might have to change formation a little bit, but he's a Zidane-esque playmaker with serious skill, he'd be immense at Arsenal.

Or you could look at it the other way round. Barça let him go to Arsenal who then pay his wages for seven years and give him first team football experience in the best league in the world and the Champions League. They then buy him back, a ready made, world class central midfielder.

My understanding was that Arsenal essentially poached him as soon as he reached contract age? Obviously you will know more about this than me and I stand to be corrected.

I'm not splitting hairs mate. If I remember rightly it was Fabregas' decision to leave as he didn't want to wait in the 'B' team.

Arsenal should give Fabregas back. Barca didn't 'let' Cesc go, they would obviously rather keep him at Barcelona than have to pay £35m+ for him a few years later.

Will Cesc even count as home grown for Barca?

No worries mate. None of us will truly know what went on. Just seemed iffy that he suddenly upped sticks at the age of 16(?) to move from the club he loves. Any news in the Catalan media as to any other moves Barca might be making?

I might be wrong but Pique and Merida did something similar.

Villa and Fabregas in
Marquez out

Other than that it's all rumour at the moment.

We have no chance of competing if we don't recruit imo. A goalkeeper can wait until next summer as VDS is here for next season but we must sign another striker and another midfielder. If it's a lack of moeny I wish they would just be honest and if it's not then I would love Fergie to explain why a squad that was not good enough this year will be good enough next considering all the nearest challengers will be strengthening.

First of all, if Fergie says at the beginning of summer that he isn't interested in buying anyone, I wouldn't be surprised if at the beginning of next season Man Utd are lining up with 3 major new signings and a couple of up and coming new young players. What Fergie says right now means absolutely FA. He's not going to show his hand, especially when Citeh will be right there jacking up any price they pay.

But, on the issue of MU just being honest with the fans, I think you've just jumped in from a parallel universe where MUST/RK don't exist. In this reality there's absolutely no way that MU can say that they won't be bringing in new players because they can't afford them. And the fact is, if MU do go out and spend £100m on two of the best players in the world, MUST will just be bitching over that as well anyway.

That's a fair post tbh.

Come off it, fella. You'll be there or there abouts once again next season.