Hleb poised to seal £14m Barca switch
Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb is set to complete his long-awaited move to Barcelona, after the two clubs reportedly agreed a fee of £14.3m.
Hleb, who has been linked with a move from the Emirates all summer, is poised to sign a four-year deal with Barcelona after rejecting the chance to join Bayern Munich.
Arsenal have accepted Barcelona’s offer of £11.9m, rising to £14.3m depending on clauses, according to reports in Spain yesterday. Bayern had already had a bid of £14.3m, without clauses, accepted. The Belarus international, 27, is now set to travel to Spain for a medical before the deal can be announced.
Hleb’s departure greatly improves Arsenal’s chances of landing Barcelona target Andrei Arshavin as a replacement. Russia playmaker Arshavin has stated his desire to leave Zenit St Petersburg with Barca his favoured destination.
But having seen a bid of £12m rejected, Barcelona appear to have effectively ended their interest by closing a deal for Hleb.
Zenit, backed by Russian gas giant Gazprom, are holding out for £24m for the star of Euro 2008. Doubts remain over whether frugal Gunners manager Arsene Wenger would be prepared to spend so much on one player, but Arshavin remains open to a move to the Premier League.
“I was linked with Chelsea and Arsenal, however I know for sure that only Barcelona applied to Zenit,” said Arshavin
“I am still willing to quit the St Petersburg club and I said that ahead of the European Championship.”
Wenger’s budget could be boosted by the sale of Emmanuel Adebayor to Barcelona or AC Milan, who yesterday confirmed they are still interested in the £30m-rated striker.