Post by Taxigirl on Jan 12, 2004 9:56:00 GMT
Dutch star Edgar Davids has joined Spanish giants Barcelona from Italian club Juventus.
The 30-year-old, who held contract talks in Barcelona on Sunday evening, will join the Catalan club until the end of the season.
Barca will then have a "preferential" option to make the move more permanent.
"We're very happy with the deal. Davids can help us in a lot of ways," said Txiki Begiristain, the director of football at Barcelona.
Barcelona said Davids will be unveiled on Monday evening, subject to his passing a medical earlier in the day.
Davids, who wears protective glasses during games after undergoing operations for glaucoma, will link up with fellow Dutchman and former Ajax team-mate Frank Rijkaard, who is the coach of Barcelona.
He will also join a large Dutch contingent of players at the Nou Camp, including Philip Cocu, Michael Reiziger, Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars.
Begiristain told reporters that Davids could play in Barcelona's King's Cup game against Levante in midweek.
"It's all down to when the transfer goes through but he could play in the Cup this week," said Begiristain.
Davids and his agent Robert Geerlings finalized the deal with Barcelona president Joan Laporta late on Sunday, shortly after the Catalan team beat Zaragoza 3-0 in the Spanish league.
The Suriname-born midfielder, who has been with Juventus since 1997, is under contract until the end of June, but was given clearance last week to discuss a move to Barcelona.
Davids, who also played for Italy's AC Milan, has won 59 caps for the Netherlands.
He also won the Champions League with Ajax in 1995 and the Dutch league three times, while with Juventus he has gained three Italian league winners' medals.
But relations with Juventus coach Marcello Lippi had soured this season and he was regularly confined to the bench.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have not won a major trophy in the last four years and hope Davids can help haul the club up from seventh place in the 20-team Spanish first division.
Davids, nicknamed "pitbull" for his combative style, was sent home during the 1996 European Championship after falling out with coach Guus Hiddink.
In 2001, he was suspended for four months for failing a doping test for the steroid nandrolone.