European: Barcelona look set to buy

Barcelona are likely to dip into the transfer market in January to boost their injury-ravaged squad.

The Catalan giants currently top the Primera Liga but have seen their promising start overshadowed by a host of injuries to key players.

Edmilson is the latest player to be struck down, the Brazilian defender suffering a serious knee injury in the game against Numancia on Sunday which has ruled him out for the next six months.

The former Lyon star joins defensive midfielders Thiago Motta and Gabri on the sidelines leaving Barca short of players to complement the club's attacking stars such as Ronaldinho, Deco and Samuel Eto'o.

Barca sporting director Txiki Begiristain said: "I have spoken with the coach (Frank Rijkaard) so as to know about what we need bearing in mind the two injuries that we already have in the same position and we will look for solutions.

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i thought a while back barcelona where supposed to be in huge debt? but, it shows they are really ambitous this season, not sure if they would go for a player to sign for a few seasons as they have been in the transfer market a lot, maybe a loan signing? like, last season they had edgar davids so its not like you cant get good loan signings

Good shout on the loan signing, there are lots of players out of sorts with their clubs at the moment. Not sure who would suit Barca though, you need a tough tackling holding midfielder to shore the gaps the the attacking players leave.

Patrick Viera?

Man i hope someone outside of England takes him...

hmmm...not sure about partick vieria lol but yip, i can see why you are saying that

ino there has been stories about this one, edu from arsenal, if it right his contract ending in the summer, maybe he could go to them, as he aint as attacking at ronadlinho guily etc and if it true with van der vaart going to arsenal. maybe edu could go out on loan?

am sure i read somewhere though, some1 svendson playing for southmapton, a swedish international, larsson reccomended him to barcelona and they are supposed to be monitoring,

They are interested in Edu, I really rate him but don't think he would fit into the midfield easily without a serious reshuffle.

Gattusso would be the man for Barca.

there was talk a while ago about tacchnaridi from juve possibly going to barca and now capello and came out and said he aint going anywhere

Juventus coach Fabio Capello has dismissed talk that Alessio Tacchinardi could leave in January.

Tacchinardi has found himself on the fringes of the Juve team since Capello's arrival in the summer, bringing rumours of a move to Catalan giants Barcelona.

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joan laporta fears this move will not happen

"We hope to sign Tacchinardi in January, yes, because we need a similar player with his characteristics," Laporta told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But I fear it is difficult because they have told me that Fabio Capello doesn't want to allow him to leave."

If Laporta misses out on Tacchinardi, the midfielder will join a list of names that the Barca chief has failed to tempt to La Liga from Serie A.

He added: "Last summer we were close to signing David Trezeguet but we didn't find an economical agreement.

"The year before we had hoped to sign Adriano before he went back to Inter [from Parma]. Subsequent events have given us the reason for that because Adriano is the best player there is in Italy, the only one for whom I'd do something foolish."