Update on Fabregas and Villa

According to Crunch Sports, FC Barcelona is hoping to complete the deal with Arsenal to buy Cesc Fabregas some time next month (July). The article states:

As reported over the weekend, the Spanish champions are lining up a new bid for the 24-year-old after having an initial offer - believed to be worth somewhere between £27-30million - turned down by the Gunners.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Barca will now make a £31m bid for the Spain international and are hoping that they can complete the signing of Fabregas within a fortnight.

On the other hand, FC Barcelona seems to have turned down an offer for David Villa from Chelsea. A report in the Mirror states:

The Nou Camp side briefed the Catalan media that Chelsea made a formal call to Barca sporting director Andobni Zubizarreta last week putting their bid on the table.

If you want to see Barça next season after this record year make sure you buy FC Barcelona tickets in advance - that way you're sure not to miss out.

FC Barcelona Tickets: Order For The 2011-12 Season!

In this article we're going to take a look at why you should visit the beautiful Mediterranean city of Barcelona to coincide with the Spanish League season 2011-2012 and order FC Barcelona tickets in advance to see one of the best football teams in the world.

At the end of May 2011 we were treated to the spectacle of two of Europe's best teams facing each other in the Champions League final at Wembley. However, FC Barcelona completely dominated the match and although they took the first 10 minutes of the match to get into their stride they beat Manchester United 3-1.

How much longer for Barça?

However, it is uncertain how much longer Pep Guardiola will want to stay at Barça and whether a Barça squad under a new coach will be able to perform to the standard they currently display. Hence order FC Barcelona tickets this year while they reign supreme!

While on one hand Guardiola is FC Barcelona through and through - he played as part of Cruyff's "Dream Team" and prior to being first team coach he was coaching Barcelona B - but on the other he has said that he doesn't want to be in the job for 25 years like Sir Alex Ferguson, delivering results year in and year out - the pressure of doing that must be immense.

It is therefore perfectly understandable for Pep Guardiola to want to look for challenges outside the club, somewhere where he can apply his considerable managerial talents to built up a team and give them the same kind of winning streak he has done while Barça's coach. The 2011-2012 season could therefore be Pep Guardiola's last at FC Barcelona as he looks for other challenges; it could also be your last chance to see them play at such a high level as it is by no means certain that they will be able to retain their current streak of form.

For your chance to see one of the best Barça squads ever order FC Barcelona tickets in advance. While the Spanish League won't be drawn until July there are two clasicos coming up when Barça faces Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercup in August - keep an eye out for tickets.

Futbol Club Barcelona: more than 100 years of achievements

Futbol Club Barcelona is one of the best known sports clubs in Spain Though it is mainly known for its football team - if you want to see them play you can buy Barcelona tickets in advance - FC Barcelona also includes 4 other professional sports squads, competing in basketball, handball, futsal, and roller hockey. FC Barcelona, known familiarly by its fans as Barça, has been around for over one hundred years and has been consistently popular throughout.

In common with many Spanish clubs, Futbol Club Barcelona was started by a foreigner living in Spain. Hans Gamper - usually Catalanised to "Joan" Gamper - was a Swiss businessman who had made Barcelona his home. Gamper sought to start a football club and placed an ad in a paper, receiving several responses and quickly assembling a team that went on to emerge as one of the leading teams in their home region of Catalonia and the greater country of Spain. In 1902, the club won the Copa Macaya.

However, it wasn't all plain sailing; Gamper was forced to step in and save the club from bankruptcy in 1908, when he became president. After failing to win any trophies since 1905 and with many players leaving through retirement the club was in crisis. Gamper was able to get the club its own stadium, formally moving into the Carrer Industria on March 14, 1909. Gamper was also able to recruit top-notch players and managers and get the club back into the business of winning with him at the helm. As support for the club grew they needed a new stadium with greater capacity. In 1922 they moved to Les Corts, which at its peak could hold a staggering 60 thousand spectators.

Barça was just entering a new period of hardship though;  When Barça supporters protested against the dictatorship in the mid 1920s the stadium was ordered to close for three months and Gamper conceded the presidency. Gamper later committed suicide owing to financial and personal problems, which plunged him into depression.

When the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War was over, the country was in the hands of the dictator General Franco, and the use of any language other than Castilian was outlawed. Futbol Club Barcelona was forced to change its name to Club de Futbol Barcelona and the rivalry with Real Madrid began thanks to Franco's support for the latter. However, Barcelona did go on to add trophies to its name throughout the 1940s and 50s, despite the persecution.

When the 1960s arrived though it was a different matter. The club lacked cash thanks to its new stadium and was unable to buy new players; despite knocking Real Madrid out of the European Cup in 1961, the Spanish League was dominated by Real Madrid and Atletico de Madrid. However, when Johan Cruyff joined the squad he turned around the club's fortunes and won the league in 1974.

Despite frequent management clashes the club did win many trophies over the next few years. However, when Cruyff was lured back in 1988 he assembled what came to be known as the Dream Team - a group of elite players, Cruyff remains the most successful Barcelona manager to date.

After Cruyff left in 1994 the club once more went into decline and it wasn't until Joan Laporta became president in 2003 that the old guard was removed from power. One of his first moves was to bring in Frank Rijkaard who won a string of trophies. However, when his star faded Laporta brought in Pep Guardiola in 2008. Guardiola has done an unbelievable job, winning the Spanish League title in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and the Champions League in 2009 and 2011. If you're planning on visiting Barcelona then make sure to buy your FC Barcelona tickets before you travel otherwise there is a good chance you'll miss out on seeing the best team in the world.

FC Barcelona - the world's best football club?

There can be little question that FC Barcelona is among the top football clubs in the world and so any genuine football fan should pay at least one visit in their life to see them playing at home at the Nou Camp.

The club is often known simply as Barça, Spanish league matches at the Nou Camp are massively popular among tourists visiting the city for the weekend. The rise in popularity of Barcelona as a short stay destination has resulted from super-cheap flights from EasyJet and Ryanair amongst others. When Joan Laporta took over as club president Barça had been experiencing a few lean years, however the renaissance under Laporta meant that within a few seasons attendance skyrocketed.

Although Laporta had fallen out with him during his tenure as president, Sandro Rossell has successfully taken over as president and retaining Pep Guardiola as coach his first season has been nothing short of spectacular. Guardiola is an ex-Barça player and took over the position from Frank Rijkaard when he was sacked after a dismal season.

Faces often change in football, as Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o show, both of whom experienced successful careers at Barcelona before moving on. One of the big highlights of the last few years has been the growth of Lionel Messi as a player, brought up through the ranks of the youth club and now one of the best players in the world, . Other core players include goalkeeper Victor Valdes, captain Carles Puyol, Xavi, and Iniesta.

While attendance figures were at one point low, even the current economic crisis can't prevent fans from seeing the current team live, which is why you should book your FC Barcelona tickets in advance, and their passion is infectious. If the visiting team is Real Madrid then that passion is displayed at full force, venting Catalonia's longstanding feud with Madrid .

The stadium can hold just short of 100,000 spectators and when the stadium is full the roar of the crowd can deafen. Football in Spain is often treated as a family event, so you'll find people of all ages attending matches including family outings with grandparents and grandchildren.

Whether Barça win, lose or draw is always important, but if Messi is playing the final result can sometimes become secondary. The crowd loves the young player and his modest demeanour is a long way from the brashness shown by some players.

If you're unlucky enough to visit Barcelona off-season, or on a weekend when FC Barcelona is laying away, remember that the Nou Camp is worth a visit as an experience in itself. Although most football fans will want to see the stadium full of fans with the squad on the pitch the Barça museum is the most popular in Catalonia, with more visitors than the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres.

On display in the museum are the team's trophies as well as photographs and other documents relating to FC Barcelona. You can also take the stadium tour and visit the tunnel and the director's area.

So next time you're in Barcelona how can you call yourself a sports fan and not pay homage to one of the greatest football teams on Earth? Order your FC Barcelona tickets online and make sure you see them when you're there.