The 2012-13 season has been a turbulent one for Barcelona, what with their back to back defeats at the hands of bitter rivals Real Madrid, their humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich, and now the brewing transfer rumors of many veteran players such as David Villa, Carles Puyol, Dani Alves and Victor Valdes surfacing, the only silver lining for the Blaugrana is the La Liga title which they reclaimed from reigning champions Real Madrid. While Carles Puyol has denied all rumors which suggested he could be moving to AC Milan this summer, the same cannot be said for the others.

The news that Valdes wants a move away from the Camp Nou, despite his contract running till 2014, can come as a big blow for Barcelona. Reports have suggested that Valdes is set to join the newly promoted French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco after agreeing terms with them, where he could link up with his current teammate Dani Alves, who is also rumored to be heading to the French club. The 31 year old is the most capped goalkeeper for Barcelona with 577 appearances, and his exit would mean that Barcelona will now have to look for a potential replacement.

Twice in the last five years we have witnessed a Manchester United – Barcelona finals in the UEFA Champions League. Twice the tie has finished in favour of the Spanish champions. For a club like Manchester United defeat is always a hard pill to swallow. They know that the secret of Barca’s success has been their youth academy graduates who are all big names not only in Catalan households but worldwide now. What Manchester United wouldn’t give to get one of those starlets to Old Trafford! Turns out only 15 million pounds might be enough.

Thiago Alcantara is a player of immense talent and is a player in mould of the world’s best midfielder, Xavi. He possesses remarkable playmaking qualities and can also play that fatal final pass as well as score goals from the midfield. Alcantara also has a very shrewd agent as it turns out. The player's release clause is as high as 77 million pounds. But if he doesn’t play enough games, that release clause drops down to a paltry 15 million pounds, which for his talent is a very good price. Alcantara has also been vocally dissatisfied with his playing time under new coach Tito Vilanova. Manchester United have been tracking the player for some time now and this pieces of information may just be enough for United to simply activate his release clause and circumvent all the hassles of negotiating with the parent club.

Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are set to battle it out for the signature of a Brazilian superstar this summer, and no we’re not talking about Neymar. The Daily Mail reports that the object of their combined affections is Chelsea defender David Luiz, who the Blues are reportedly quite open to selling with incoming coach Jose Mourinho not entirely convinced with the Brazilian’s style of defending.

Chelsea bought the 26 year old from Benfica in 2011 for a fee of £21 million and Luiz has evolved quite dramatically in the two years that he has spent with the Blues. Having started out as a centre back for the first year and a half at Chelsea, Luiz was constantly criticised for his uncontrolled attacking instincts, often at the expense of his defensive duties.

The Top 4 of English football – Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal – were all believed to be in the race to sign Barcelona’s Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez. But according to reports emerging out of Italy, French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco might give the English forces tough competition in their bid to sign the 24 year old.

Italian website TuttoMercato reported on Friday that newly promoted Monaco could launch a serious challenge for the Ligue 1 title. Monaco have considered the possibility of investing a staggering €100million into strengthening their squad and Alexis is touted to be one of their prime targets.

The Top 4 of English football – Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal – were all believed to be in the race to sign Barcelona’s Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez. But according to reports emerging out of Italy, French Ligue 1 side AS Monaco might give the English forces tough competition in their bid to sign the 24 year old.

Italian website TuttoMercato reported on Friday that newly promoted Monaco could launch a serious challenge for the Ligue 1 title. Monaco have considered the possibility of investing a staggering €100million into strengthening their squad and Alexis is touted to be one of their prime targets.

F.C. Barcelona stopper Victor Valdes could be on his way out of the Nou Camp this summer with Arsenal the most likely suitors for the 31 year old Spanish international according to Spanish sports paper Marca.

After Barcelona’s humiliating 7-0 aggregate defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League Semi Finals there were suggestions that Valdes could decide to prolong his stay at Barcelona. But Valdes has reiterated his desire to leave the Catalan giants this Summer and even though he is still much loved by his boyhood club, a move looks on the cards. With his current contract set to expire in 2014, the Blaugrana would be looking cash in on the goalkeeper while they still can.

Manchester United have a history of causing massive transfer upsets, and that is exactly what the Red Devils seem to be up to now. Reports suggest that Cesc Fabregas may make a return to the Premier League and don a red shirt once again – not Arsenal’s but Manchester United’s!

According to The Evening Standard, United have lined up a bid to sign the 26 year old from Barcelona this summer. The paper also says that the deal is drafted to make a statement of United’s intent to keep chasing honours despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.