Liverpool contemplating Barca swoop

Liverpool are once again looking into the possibility of signing Barcelona striker David Villa, according to The Mirror.



Kop boss Brendan Rodgers has been forced to rethink his attacking strategy after Luis Suarez was hit with a 10-match ban after a bizarre bite on Brainslav Ivanovic.



Bargain Hunt



Rodgers is hoping to land the Spaniard on a cut-price deal after they failed to secure him in a loan deal in the January transfer window.



Villa is said to be unhappy with his part-time role at the Nou Camp and could be pushed further back in the squad if the Catalan giants complete the signing of Neymar.



Although Liverpool have a transfer policy of only signing young players, Rodgers wants guaranteed talent, and 31-year-old Villa could be the answer.



Fears



As well as this, there could be the possibility that Liverpool have to sell Suarez in the summer transfer window, bringing the need for a new striker even higher up the list of priorities.



Meanwhile, Rodgers has insisted that Liverpool are still the best team on Merseyside, despite a 0-0 draw with Everton yesterday afternoon.

David Villa glad Tito's back at Camp Nou

Barcelona and Spanish international striker, David Villa is elated by the news that manager, Tito Vilanova is making is eagerly-anticipated return to the Blaugrana bench after undergoing two months of cancer treatment in New York.

In an interview with TVE, Villa discusses the return of Vilanova and is excited to see him back at work.



“We are excited to have him back with us as soon as possible with much improved health and overcome this hurdle in his life.”



Villa then discussed his own return to form after months of uncertainty following a devastating leg break in December 2011.



“I’m didn’t lose hope and took things day by day. I knew I had to recover well from this serious injury. All of the people around, supporting me directly or indirectly know who they are.”



One of those people who supported Villa was Spanish national team manager, Vicente del Bosque, who has put Spain’s all-time leading scorer back in the fold.

“It’s an honour for me; I have a lifetime of thanks to give him for the care he’s shown towards me.”



‘El Guaje’ then spoke about the national team and their upcoming match against France on Tuesday evening at Saint-Dennis.



“We have a defined playing style that we are not going to change. The style has given us slight scares like the other day [a 1-1 draw against Finland], but it’s also given us a lot of happiness and victories.



“This group has never changed. We are all very close going into a very difficult match.”

David Villa: 'We need to beat France'

Spain striker David Villa has insisted that his side will not play for a draw when they face France in Paris on Tuesday night.

style="border-radius: 25px 25px 25px 25px; border: 5px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="320" />The world champions fell two points behind France in Group I after they could only draw with Finland, but Villa has revealed that they will not need to change their approach now that they have fallen behind their group rivals.



The 31-year-old told reporters: "This is a very bad result for us and we did not expect to spill points here.



"However, this does not change our approach for the match in Paris. Regardless of the result of Friday's game, we had set our sights on three points against France.



"It is hard to grasp that we lost two points. We all realise that we have to bounce back right away and want to react against France."



The Barcelona striker has scored 53 goals for Spain.

Barça want David Villa for life

Barcelona are reportedly considering the option of giving forward, David Villa a contract extension that would keep Spain’s highest goal-scorer at the Camp Nou for the remainder of his career.

following Villa’s incredible work ethic and ability to overcome a devastating injury and months of getting few minutes as a sub before getting the chance to shine once more, the Blaugrana are prepared to offer the Asturian a contract extension past his current deal, which expires June 2014.



The report goes on to state that the board was prompted to consider offering Villa an extension following his recent run of form, and transfer interest from abroad, with the proposed new deal will offer a high paying salary, which would be subject to goals scored, results, caps, titles, etc.



Villa’s current contract, which expires in 2014, has an automatic one-year extension if he reaches a minimum number of games played next season.



STATS:

- David Villa has the best shot conversión rate in La Liga this season (5+ goals scored).



- David Villa has made two assists for first time in La Liga since he signed

for Barcelona.

Villa: I’m glad to help Messi

Barcelona forward, David Villa put in a timeless display in his side’s 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday evening, and despite the standout personal performance, was even more satisfied that he was able to assist fellow forward, Leo Messi score.

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In his post-match interview, Villa discussed the match and the team’s collective effort after going through a recent string of poor results.



“I like to be able to help the team with my goals. I want to keep on scoring and giving the most of myself. I’m happy that I was able to help Messi score, we understand each other well.



“We felt the fatigue due to the effort we put in on Tuesday, and it was even more noticeable tonight because Rayo are a demanding side. They wanted the ball and they forced us to press them.



“We’ve never lost sight of what we had to do, we simply picked up a couple of bad results. Football is a game in which you can win, lose or draw but we have always stood up to be counted, even if there have been a couple of important games that we haven’t been able to win.