Barca join Joaquin chase

Barcelona will mount a very serious bid to land the services of Joaquin in the summer.

The Spain international is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding young talents in both Spain and Europe, and has been courted by a clutch of the continent's top clubs for some time.

It is, though, Chelsea and Real Madrid who have long been acknowledged as the two clubs most likely to prise him from Betis, with The Blues seeing a transfer window move scuppered last January by Betis president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera.

However, Barca are now understood to have joined the race to land the 23-year-old, especially following his superlative display against them on Sunday when the winger scored twice in the 3-3 draw between the two teams at Camp Nou.

Catalan television station TV3 claim Barca have already made the winger a lucrative offer to join them in the summer and will use Juan Roman Riquelme - currently starring on loan at Villarreal - as part of the deal to land the Betis man.

When questioned about his club's interest in Joaquin, Barca president Joan Laporta played his cards close to his chest but refused to rule out a move for the wideman.

Speaking after Sunday's game, Laporta stated: "He demonstrated that he is a great player, but there is nothing concrete on this question."

Barca are known to be in the market for a player who can operate wide on the right with Ludovic Giuly the only genuine option currently available to the club in that position.

News of Barca's interest in Joaquin is sure to irk Real who have made little secret of their desire to land him, and will not want to lose out to their arch rivals.

Meanwhile, Barca have revealed they could appeal against the yellow card that Deco received in the draw with Betis which has ruled him out of next weekend's eagerly-anticipated showdown with Real.

The Portuguese star collected his fifth booking of the season for a foul on Edu after 50 minutes, but an appeal could be launched to try and make him available for 'El Derbi'.

One player who seemed highly unlikely to feature in the Real game was Barca defender Carles Puyol who strained ankle ligaments in Spain's game with Serbia and Montenegro last week.

It was thought the stopper would be sidelined for at least two to three weeks, but team-mate Rafael Marquez insists he expects Puyol to be fit for the game at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"I am totally convinced he will play," stated the Mexican.

"He will do everything possible to recover for this game and, if he has the slightest chance of playing, he will take it."