FC Barcelona News: 13 August 2011; Barca Have to Wait for Fabregas, Messi Chasing Another Record

Barcelona made to wait over Cesc Fabregas deal - ESPN Soccernet
A Barcelona spokesman even said that the club "hope to announce (Fabregas) within hours"; although the celebrations from Barca players appear to be premature as an Arsenal statement said a "deal has yet to be agreed" and Arsene Wenger's press conference earlier on Friday maintained that no player would be leaving the club.

Outright leader | FCBarcelona.cat
Leo Messi knows all about breaking records, and is the joint highest Barça scorer in this competition despite only appearing in two editions. He scored a brace against Athletic Bilbao in 2009, and a year later scored a hat-trick against Sevilla. That means he is now tied with José Mari Bakero, and is so young that he is likely to have plenty of chances to extend that tally much further, starting with Sunday’s match at the Bernabéu.

Whole squad to Madrid | FCBarcelona.cat
The first official game of the season against Real Madrid will see the presence of the whole squad, although some are still recovering from injury. Martin Montoya, Jonathan Dos Santos, and the injured Marc Muniesa, from Barça B, have also been included. In total Guardiola is taking 23 players to Madrid.

Thiago Alcantara confident of Barcelona victory in Supercopa - ESPN Soccernet
Real only beat the Catalans once in 2010-11 - a 1-0 victory in the Copa del Rey final - and Thiago, whose influential displays at the European Under-21 Championship in June were rewarded with a senior debut for Spain earlier this week, believes Barca are favourites to beat Los Blancos again.

Three players hoping for Bernabéu debut | FCBarcelona.cat
Thiago Alcántara, Andreu Fontàs and Alexis Sánchez are the three Barça players that have yet to experience a game at the Bernabéu. The Spanish Supercup game on Sunday is especially motivating for them.

Barcelona Heats Up: Notes from the Circus - NYTimes.com
With eight members of the World Cup champions Spain in its squad, and all three finalists of the world player of the year trophy, Barcelona will defend its Spanish La Liga and European Champions League title, along with the Club World Cup.

Official: Espanyol release Milan Smiljanic - Goal.com
Espanyol have announced they have terminated the contract of midfielder Milan Smiljanic. Espanyol noted the 24-year-old asked for permission to travel to his country to negotiate a transfer with local clubs, with a return to Partizan, whom he represented last season on loan, believed to be in the offing.

Vela set for Spanish loan | Sky Sports
Arsenal starlet Carlos Vela looks poised for a loan deal to Spain with Real Sociedad and Zaragoza vying for his signature. The 22-year-old has struggled to gain a regular first-team place in Arsene Wenger's squad during his time at Emirates Stadium.

Official: Real Zaragoza sign Hoffenheim's Franco Zuculini on loan - Goal.com
Real Zaragoza have signed Hoffenheim midfielder Franco Zuculini on a season-long basis, the Spanish club have announced. The Argentine midfielder signed for Genoa last summer in a one-year loan deal, but was shipped to Racing Club halfway through the season.