Spanish champions Barcelona on Saturday completed the signing of Brazilian utility player Adriano Correia from rivals Sevilla on a four-year deal.Barcelona will pay Sevilla 9.5 million euros for the 25-year-old, plus another four million euros depending on results.
The champions also have an option to extend the deal by another year.
Newly recruited Barcelona utility player Adriano Correia said Monday he did not hesitate when the Spanish champions offered to sign him from La Liga rivals Sevilla."I was very excited. I didn?t think twice about it and now I?m really pleased to have the chance to defend the Barca colours. This was something I couldn?t let pass by," he said during his official presentation.
"I?m very happy. I have worked hard to achieve this," the 25-year-old Brazilian added.
Barcelona completed the signing of Adriano, who can play at full-back or as a wide midfielder, on a four-year deal on Saturday after the player passed his medical tests.
The Catalan side will pay Sevilla 9.5 million euros for the 25-year-old, plus another four million euros depending on results.
The champions also have an option to extend the deal by another year.
"I?m comfortable playing in any of the four positions out wide. This is the best team in the world and I?m going to give everything for this club," said Adriano.
Adriano had been at Sevilla since 2004, twice tasting success in both the King's Cup (2007, 2010) and the UEFA Cup (2006, 2007).
He is the first player to move to Barcelona since the arrival of new club president Sandro Rosell at the beginning of July.
Barca have already completed the signing of Spanish international striker David Villa, who arrived from Valencia for a fee close to 40 million euros.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has expressed his desire to stay at Barcelona, despite speculations linking him with a move to the Premiership.The arrival of Spanish top striker David Villa fuelled rumours 'Ibra' might leave the Camp Nou. The Swedish targetman has been strongly linked with Manchester City and Chelsea.
However, Ibrahimovic insists that he has no plans to leave Barca and remains fully committed to Josep Guardiola's side for 2010/11.
"I was a Barca player when I left (to go on holiday) and I'll be a Barca player when I go back," Ibrahimovic said at a press conference to announce his return to the Sweden national team.
He added: "I have four years left on my contract."
Ibrahimovic has also taken a swipe at those who continue to report that he is poised for an imminent exit from the Catalan side.
"I want to congratulate everybody that has used my name, because it's fun to have been at Chelsea, at Manchester City, without having been there," he added.
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FC Barcelona and Sevilla CF have reached an agreement for the transfer of Adriano Correia that will see the Brazilian move to Camp Nou for an initial fee of €9.5 million and a conditional €4 million extra.
Adriano is set to become the second signing of the summer after David Villa made the switch from Valencia before the World Cup Finals. The 25-year-old has shone during his six seasons at Sevilla as he proved that he can play in a variety of positions. 
French football star Thierry Henry has signed for New York Red Bulls on a long-term deal, the US club announced on Wednesday.The striker is expected to make his debut for the Red Bulls in a home friendly on July 22 against English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
"It is without question that Thierry Henry is one of the most successful and recognisable soccer players over the past 15 years," said Dietmar Beiersdorfer, head of Red Bull global soccer.
"We are thrilled that Thierry has decided to come to New York to help the Red Bulls compete for championships this year and for years to come. His international pedigree is second to none and he is a proven winner."
Henry, who signed the "multi-year" contract after leaving Spanish champions Barcelona, added: "This marks an exciting new chapter in my career and life. It is an honour to play for the New York Red Bulls.
"I am fully aware of the team?s history and my sole goal during my time here is to help win the club its first championship.
"Knowing Red Bull?s significant commitment to soccer locally and internationally, I am confident that my teammates and I will succeed."
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has preferred to remain silent over the Catalan club's interest in Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas.The Gunners captain, who has been the subject of intense speculation this summer over his future, has been hotly pursued by the Catalan giants.
Fabregas is currently on international duty with Spain at the World Cup in South Africa, where the midfielder has seen little action despite his status as one of the most sought-after talents in the game.
The Gunners have rejected Barcelona's bid to sign the 23-year-old despite the Spanish champions' very public interest, but Guardiola, who is in South Africa currently, refused to be drawn on the speculation when asked by the English press about the subject.
"It's not my business, it's not my job. I'm sorry," said Guardiola.
"He's a player for Arsenal, so Wenger has the say. You have to ask them.
"You know him better than me (the British media), you see him each weekend, he's a good player, that's why he is here with the Spanish team and not on his holidays."
Manchester City have finally secured the signing of Yaya Toure from Barcelona. Toure joins brother and captain Kolo Toure at the City of Manchester on a five-year contract.After intense speculation, he 28-year-old has finalized the deal and is now City's third signing of the summer after the impressive deals which brought Valencia's David Silva and Hamburger SV's Gerome Boateng to Eastlands.
City manager Roberto Mancini told the club's website, www.mcfc.co.uk: "This is another fantastic signing for Manchester City and I am very pleased Yaya has joined us, he is a very good player.
"Everyone knows Yaya is a player that we have admired for a long time and we would like to welcome him to Manchester City.
"He has played at the top level with Barcelona and I am sure his experience and ability will be very important for us."
Should Spain get to the World Cup final, in-form striker David Villa could write a new page in the tournament's history and over-take Raul as his country's all-time top scorer in one match.Whereas strike partner Fernando Torres has laboured in four scoreless appearances on his return from ankle surgery in April, Villa appears to have the Midas touch.
Virtually everything the Barcelona new boy has touched has been turning to goal, the hiccup of an early loss to Switzerland aside.
For a generation, Spanish fans have been weaned on goals from Real Madrid goalscoring machine Raul, but suddenly his 44 goals in 102 games look mundane because 'Maravilla' has already smashed 42, in 40 games less.
Despite their stellar midfield and two of the best strikers in the world, Spain have generally been finding goals hard to come by, with just five in four games.
But give Villa a half-chance and he tends to snap it up -- hence his personal haul of four goals so far, matched only by Argentina's Gonzalo Higuain and Slovakia's Robert Vittek.
With Vittek having departed the tournament, Villa and Higuain are vying for the Golden Boot for top scorer, though the likes of Brazil's Luis Fabiano and German pair Thomas Mueller and Miroslav Klose may have something to say about that.
Villa, 28, has already become the top marksman for Spain in World Cup history with seven goals to date, leaving behind legendary figures such as Emilio Butragueno, Fernando Hierro, Fernando Morientes and Raul himself, who all netted five times at the tournament.
Villa, Barcelona's 40-million-euro capture from Valencia, modestly insists that Torres's very presence and reputation gives him more space in which to operate, to devastating effect.
"The only thing you can 'reproach' (Torres) for is not to have scored yet. His desire to be with the team is truly spectacular," Villa told Spanish television.
"We know what state his knee was in a month ago and I do not agree with those people who say that Fernando Torres' performances have been below par."
In the round of 16 win over Portugal, Torres gave way to Fernando Llorente of Athletic Bilbao on the hour but Villa insisted that "Torres helped the side a lot against Portugal and Llorente continued that work".
"Torres is not in bad form. He has admirable character and we all know his World Cup moment will arrive -- hopefully against Paraguay on Saturday."
At his current rate of a goal a game in South Africa, Villa would draw level with Raul by scoring in that game, then adding another in the semi-finals against either Germany or Argentina.
It would then remain for him to consign Raul's haul to history with goal number 45 in the final -- something that would surely make up for missing Spain's Euro 2008 coronation in Vienna through injury, when it was match-winner Torres who stole all the limelight.
Barcelona are not willing to sell Bojan Krkic.Despite David Villa's arrival from Valencia, Barca are determined to keep Krkic at the Camp Nou.
El Mundo Deportivo reports Arsenal, Real Mallorca and Valencia have all asked for the 19-year-old striker since the turn of the year and have all been turned down by the Catalan side.
Getafe are also after Krkic, but Barca boss Josep Guardiola refuses to let him go.
2010 ·Barca Community by World Cup
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