Rumours around Camp Nou suggest that president Joan Laporta and his technical staff are trying to bring the transfer of Boca star Rodrigo Palacio, originally scheduled for summer 2007, forward to the January transfer window. Due to the long term injuries to Barca´s attacking line (Eto’o, Messi, and Saviola out for several month) the president and his technical crew are keen to bring the planned transfers of Palacio forward to January.
Rodrigo Sebastián Palacio (born 1982-02-05 in Bahía
Blanca, Buenos Aires) is an Argentine football (soccer) Striker playing
currently for Argentine first division club Boca Juniors.
While a boy,
Palacio started playing in local Bella Vista, and then moved to Huracán de Tres
Arroyos in 2002. But he would debute professionally short after with Banfield
(by that time in first division) in mid 2003. Two seasons later he transferred
to Argentine giant Boca Juniors. In Boca he got the attention of Argentine
national coach José Pekerman, and was called for the March 2005 friendly match
against Mexico.
Rodrigo Palacio won with Boca Juniors the 2006 and 2005
Recopa Sudamericana, the 2005 Copa Sudamericana, 2005 Apertura and 2006
Clausura Argentine league.
On May 15, 2006 he was named as a definite squad
member for
the 2006 World Cup by coach José Pekerman and on June 10, 2006 he
became on as a substitute in Argentina's 2-1 win against the Ivory Coast for his
first ever appearance in a World Cup.
Originally Barca´s intention was to negotiate the transfer of Rodrigo Palacio next summer after Boca held out to an inflated asking price of € 15 mill. Due to the injury miseries, it seems that Barca is willing to speed up the transfer and give in to the high transfer fee.Boca´s Rodrigo Palacio is one of the targets added to Barca´s short list which includes former Barca striker Henrik Larsson and Newcastle´s Albert Luque.