Coloccini to sign with Newcastle

soccernet.com

Fabricio Coloccini could walk out on Deportivo La Coruna if they refuse to allow him to complete a switch to Newcastle United.

Reports suggest Coloccini has already agreed personal terms with the Premier League side who are believed to have met the Spanish club's original asking price of 12 million euros.

But Depor have now said they want €14million for the Argentina international, something which has infuriated Coloccini and his agent Marcelo Lombilla. '(Club president Augusto) Lendoiro has to face up to the music and it is that he should not have asked for two million more from anyone,' Lombilla told Spanish sports daily AS. 'One day he tells me a million will be enough, but he won't accept that, because he thinks there is a million and a half. 'For Coloccini it is a shame that he may miss out on the contract of his life.'

Depor left for a pre-season tour of Venezuela on Monday but Coloccini was not included in the travelling party as the wranglings over his future continue. And Lombilla, who has already had several meetings with Lendoiro, has threatened that the 26-year-old could invoke FIFA's Article 17 and walk out on the club, if they do not facilitate his move to St James' Park. Article 17 would allow Coloccini to buy out the remaining time on his contract. 'We don't want to, but if they are pushing us closer to the edge...' Depor coach Miguel Angel Lotina is more or less resigned to losing Coloccini, and has already started looking for a replacement. 'There are several players who are to our liking,' he said. 'But those that we like the most aren't in the Spanish league. 'We have a good idea more or less, but we will wait to see what happens for definite with Coloccini before we put the names on the table.'

Messi Update

Radio Mitre is reporting that Messi's father has spoken to the Olympic team manager Sergio Batista and told him that Messi will be going to the Olympics.

Radio Mitre is also reporting that Messi will give a press conference tomorrow morning in which he will confirm that he will indeed participate in the Olympics.

Maradona: "The national team shirt can not be betrayed"

Diego Maradona has also weighed in on the Messi controversy.

In remarks made to Madrid newspaper MARCA, Maradona said the following:

'The national team shirt can not be betrayed, you have to give your life playing for it."

"We must know how to separate the millions that Barcelona can pay and the glory that can be had by playing for the national team."

Will Messi play in the Olympics?

It's been widely reported that Barcelona has been pressuring Messi into not participating in the upcoming Olympic Games because of the teams Champions League preliminary games that will take place at the same time as the Olympics. It seemed that the issue was settled when FIFA issued a communique last week stating that all club teams must release their players that are under 23 years old that are selected by their national teams to participate in the Olympics.

But, now the new Barcelona manager was quoted as saying that there has not been a final resolution in the Messi situation and that he expects FIFA to side with Barcelona and for Messi to stay with the team instead of going to the Olympics.

The Argentina FA President said that FIFA's rules are clearly on the national team's side and that he fully expects Messi to participate in the Olympics.

Barcelona begins its pre-season training next Monday and Messi is not expected to be there. Or will Lio be there and miss out on the Olympics in order to avoid a big conflict with his club team?