SILLY SEASON IN SPAIN

Rangers wide man Andrei Kanchelskis (pictured), Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour and Real Madrid star Steve McManaman are the three latest names being bandied about in the Catalan press.

It is claimed that Kanchelskis` agent has contacted Barca, inviting them to make an offer for the Ukrainian flyer.

 The former Manchester United man`s age, 31, is expected to count against him when president Joan Gaspart and coach Llorenc Serra Ferrer consider a list of options.

Arsenal`s homegrown talent Parlour is also rumoured to be a possible target, but Arsene Wenger recently resisted pressure from Sunderland to sell the England international, and the Frenchman has firmly stated that he will not be selling any more members of his squad.

A third name being mentioned is McManaman, after the Liverpudlian was told by Serra Ferrer that he is unlikely to be a part of his first team plans next season.

An ambitious plan has reportedly been hatched, in order to confuse Real and gain revenge for their capture of Barca star Luis Figo.

This would involve `Macca` being sold to a third party, for a fee of around £8 million rather than the massive clause of around £54 million , and then off-loaded again to Barca. The intermediary would receive a bonus from the Catalan club, such as one of the transfer-listed players at Camp Nou.

The story seems particularly far-fetched and really would send the transfer crazy world of La Liga into a new stratosphere, with the only concrete information being the fact that Barca have tried to sign McManaman in the past.

What is clear is that Gaspart is aware of a need to replace Figo, and the club are scouring the continent for possible candidates.