Barca to send Afellay out on loan - 7M sport

Barca to send Afellay out on loan



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Posted Wednesday, August 29, 2012 by ESPN

Barca to send Afellay out on loan

Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are set to do battle for Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay after the Spanish club agreed to loan out the winger.

Afellay, who joined Barcelona in 2011, has failed to make much of an impact at the Camp Nou, due in no small part to a horrendous cruciate ligament injury which kept him out of the game for over nine months.

The emergence of burgeoning home-grown talent Cristian Tello has also pushed Afellay down the pecking order and the former PSV player has yet to feature in any of Barcelona's competitive games this season.

New Blaugrana manager Tito Vilanova is eager to offload Afellay on loan as he does not view the 26-year-old as part of his plans for the upcoming season and wants the Dutch international to get some regular playing time in order to improve himself.

Afellay's agent Rob Jansen has also confirmed the Dutchman's availability on loan and this has reportedly put several top Premier League clubs on high alert, with long time admirers Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool reported to be amongst those interested in the player.

Speaking to Studio Voetbal, Jansen said: "I expect Afellay to leave Barcelona on loan before the transfer window closes.

"Talks are on-going with several clubs. He has concrete interest from England.
"But it all depends on Barcelona, though. They decide where their players are going."

Arsenal appear to have the upper hand in the transfer as they can offer the prospect of Champions League football, but a potential stumbling block to this transfer is the Gunners' preference to include a buy-out clause in the loan deal, something which the Spanish giants are reluctant to agree to.

Afellay, who can operate on the wings or in the middle of the pitch, has so far only made 34 appearances for Barcelona in the two years he has been at the club.



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