Ibrahim Afellay would relish move to Barcelona
Ibrahim Afellay, PSV Eindhoven's in-demand playmaker, has said he would be happy to joing Spanish champions Barcelona, whose style of football he admires.
Afellay, who joined PSV in 2003, has enjoyed a strong start to the current season, scoring 10 goals in 13 appearances for the team, which is currently second in the Eredivisie with 30 points.
The Dutchman caught the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs — including Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Valencia and Inter Milan — following his two goals against Sweden in the Netherlands'
Euro 2012 qualifier on 12 October.
In light of the club's financial situation, PSV may sell Afellay in the January transfer window, and the player has now said that he would relish playing for Barcelona, a club with a strong history of
Dutch players and managers.
According to Catalan daily
Sport, Afellay hailed Pep Guardiola's team before stating his current commitment to PSV.
"Barcelona are a great club and are famous all over the world. They play beautiful football and are perhaps the best club in the world. However, I haven't made a decision about my future yet. I am just
focussing on PSV for now and will continue to do my utmost for the club."
Dutch legacy at Barcelona
Dutch veterans Johan Cruyff and Frank Rijkaard have both managed the club after spending part of their careers as Barcelona players.
The team's technical and spectator-friendly style of football owes much to the Dutch national team's total football, which was developed in the 1970's.
"I'd love to play for Barcelona one day, but that's something for the future," Afellay continued. I love to play attacking football and have a lot of possession. Players such as Xavi and Andres Iniesta
are amazing players and it would be great to play alongside them. But we'll have to wait and see whether that happens."
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