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The leaders of the Spanish championship have shown interest in Argentine defender Gonzalo Rodriguez, as reported in the Spanish press.
The twenty-year-old Argentine, who arrived at Villarreal from San Lorenzo just last summer, has been one of the leaders of the "yellow submarines" this season and has attracted the attention of several other clubs.
Barcelona recently decided to strengthen their defensive line and showed interest not only in Rodriguez, who plays in the center of defense, but also in Argentine midfielder Gabriel Milito from Zaragoza. The latter defender nearly transferred to Real a couple of years ago, but at that time the Royal club's doctors stated that the risk of his injuries was too high.
However, Milito's transfer could be complicated by the fact that, unlike Rodriguez, he does not have Spanish citizenship. Furthermore, the Spanish press claims that it would not be difficult for Barcelona to acquire Rodrigo Gonzalez, by including him in a possible transfer involving Juan Roman Riquelme.
Although Argentine Riquelme has been one of the leaders at Villarreal this season both in the Spanish championship and in the UEFA Cup, Barcelona's coach Frank Rijkaard stated that Riquelme does not feature in his future plans.
It is reported that the sports director of the Catalan club, Txiki Begiristain, has already started negotiations with Riquelme's agent regarding a possible transfer of the Argentine this summer, after the expiration of the latter's loan agreement with Villarreal.
