There is a lot of news to report from the opening days of Sandro Rosell’s presidency. I’ll try to get through all of it here, but no promises since there’s a lot. Let’s start with the sporting stuff:

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El Mundo Deportivo

And so it begins. Today, Sandro Rosell became the newest president of our beloved club, FC Barcelona. He has some immense shoes to fill in those of departing president Joan Laporta, who presided over a glorious, unprecedented period of sporting and fiscal success. And Rosell has to hit the ground running, because:
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In news land, in brief:

–Pep Guardiola is going to sign on for two years after a meeting with Rosell. Our coach still prefers going year-to-year, but understands the value of the appearance of stability as regards a new president. Rosell wants an even longer deal, but Guardiola will not agree to that.

–The Yaya is headed to Citeh for around 30m, in deal that will be finalized in a day or two. There were many suitors, and it’s a nice bit of business for us, as we bought him for 7m. Like the decision or not, it’s also a great time to sell, since his wage demands will be significant, and his price will never be higher.

–Victor Sanchez has, however temporarily, returned home from his loan. No word on his future disposition, but there is no way that the versatile mid/defender gets a first-team shot, and after experiencing A-side life at Xerez (sure, giggle all you want, but he was still starting with a Liga side), it is difficult to imagine that we’ll be able to do anything for him except sell him or do another loan deal.
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The news today from Barça is that Xavi has extended his contract from 2014 until 2016, meaning he’ll almost definitely retire at FCB. He’s currently 30 and so by June 30, 2016, he’ll be 36. That’s a ripe old age for such a workhorse like Xavi. Hopefully he can pull it off, but I expect him to make his departure amicably from the club right around 2014 anyway, probably through a deal that earns the club a bit of cash and sends him somewhere fun.

If he continues at his current pace, by 2016, Xavi will have appeared in (44 games per year) 790 games in all competitions, making him both the longest-serving player (18 years) and also give him the most appearances by more than 100 (Migueli had 664). HOORAY.

We’re in for Cesc Fabregas. The club announced at the official site that we have bid on the Catalan midfielder. No numbers have been disclosed, but it’s expected that our initial bid will be somewhere in the 40m range.

Now, Arsenal is expected to laugh at that, as their valuation of Fabregas has him at 60m. Here’s the official word from Arsenal:
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Like many of you, I love the summer transfer window. Not because it offers any concrete information on players, but because it is filled with rumor-mongering, lying, and general tomfoolery on account of clubs representatives, agents, and the players themselves. While some may despise it for this very reason (ahem, fearless leader Isaiah, ahem); the level of bluster fulfills some deep-seeded desire for gossip that I just need. As such, I am tasked with providing you with all the juiciest gossip on Barça players and possible transfers. I will update this periodically, and if I miss something, I am sure you will all make it painfully obvious to me in the comments. Please remember this is all based on rumors and speculation for the most part.

Oh, you thought this was going somewhere else?