Arsenal sign another Barca teen, Spurs eye Huntelaar

Just as Transfer Talk predicted on Monday, Arsenal have scored another famous victory over Barcelona by signing 16-year-old midfield sensation Jon Miquel Toral Harper from the Spanish giants in a deal worth £300,000.

The teenager has been on Barcelona's books for four years but has chosen to return to his mother's homeland and join Arsenal.

By joining the Gunners he is following in the footsteps of Cesc Fabregas, Fran Merida and Miquel Ignasi, who made his debut for Arsenal against Orient at the weekend.

The Gunners have been able to swoop for a young prospect yet again because Spanish clubs cannot sign players on professional contracts until they turn 17 - while in Britain they can be signed up at the age of 16.

The move could certainly add spice to the two teams Champions League meeting next week.

Meanwhile Arsenal's north London rivals Spurs could finally get round to signing long-term target Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (above) in the summer.

Harry Redknapp wanted the striker last summer but no deal was reached. But now German paper Sport Bild says that the Dutch international could be looking for a new club.

The 27-year-old Huntelaar joined Schalke 04 in Germany in the summer from AC Milan in a £10m deal, and turned down the chance to move to Spurs in the process. But so far he's proved even more inept than Fernando Torres in front of goal. It's been 911 minutes since his last league goal for Schalke and Bild says they will happily sell the Dutchman providing they get a decent offer, believed to be in the region of £15m.

Spurs may face competition from Newcastle. The Magpies are also rumoured to be after the hit man and see him as a replacement for the recently departed Andy Carroll.

If Huntelaar's summer move has gone sour, spare a thought for Ibrahim Affelay - long courted by some of Europe's biggest clubs.  The former PSV winger joined Barcelona only last month but things haven't gone well for the 24-year-old midfielder and he is already being linked with a move away from the Nou Camp. And Liverpool are said to be at the front of the queue.

Spanish rag AS reckons that the Reds are on the brink of capturing Afellay. Apparently they will offer Barca around £7.5m for the player, a nice little earner for the Spanish club seeing how they took him from PSV for only £1.5m. The deal has been given the green light by the Barcelona board and, provided coach Pep Guardiola rubber stamps it, Afellay will be at Anfield next season.

Manchester City's Spanish star David Silva has denied reports he's pining for paella and insists he's happy in England. Rumours emerged at the weekend that the 25-year-old midfielder, who arrived at Eastlands from Valencia last summer, misses Spain and wants out of the Sky Blues. But Sky Sports reports that Silva has pledged his loyalty to City, saying he intends to see out his four-year contract with the club.

"I was as surprised, as anyone else here, to have read those reports," he commented. "I do the odd interview with Spanish press but I have never come out with these quotes that may or may not have been attributed to me. I am happy to be here and I find myself very much at ease with life here.

"The thing about a big city like Manchester is that people respect your space. They leave you to get on with your life. In Spain, people can get on your back and maybe live the game more. Here it's nice to go out and chill in the city."

Leaving Silva to chill in the balmy environs of Manchester in February, Transfer Talk can exclusively reveal (in a manner of speaking) that Chelsea may have trouble landing one of their top transfer targets, Ganso, this summer.

The Blues have been tracking the 21-year-old attacking midfielder – capped for the first time by Brazil last year - but his club Santos claim he's going nowhere, and certainly not to a club like Chelsea who look like finishing the season without a trophy to their name. "For at least one or two years we have no plans to negotiate with any club about selling Ganso," said Santos chairman Alvaro Luis De Oliveira Ribeiro. "This is a decision taken by the club, the player and his agent."

No matter who they do or don't bring in at the end of the season several Chelsea players could be on their way out. They include Jose Boswinga, who is a £10m target for Juventus, according to the Mail, and the same paper reports that Florent Malouda, who has actually enjoyed a decent season, is being tracked by Spanish La Liga outfit Hercules. ·