Deco says goodbye to Barcelona

Portugal midfielder set for move to England or Italy

Portuguese international Deco has revealed that he will be leaving Spanish club Barcelona this summer, with England and Italy his choice of destinations.

The Brazilian-born midfielder has endured a tough season at Camp Nou, having seen his stock with the Catalan club slowly decrease since his highly successful first two seasons with Los Cules, which brought two league titles and a Champions League winners’ medal.

Now, after a year disrupted by injuries, Deco was booed by his own fans during the weekend defeat to Mallorca, largely due to a belief that he intentionally acquired a booking the previous weekend in order to miss the midweek trip to champions Real Madrid.

Barca are widely thought to have tried to offload the 30-year-old last summer with no success, but Deco’s agent is now believed to have been given the club’s permission to seek a new home for his client for next season.

Real Madrid never

“I would never stay like this,” Deco said. “I want to go where I am wanted and when things end like this, it is better to go. I thank the club for being honest with me. I will go to England or Italy, I can assure you. In Spain, no, because the only club which can match Barca’s level are Real Madrid and I would never go there.

“It’s hard to play a season at the highest level with injuries, but I believe I played well in about 80 percent of the games. I hope that I have a good Euro tournament - that’s the only thing I have left this season.”

As for life without him at Barca, Deco believes that the club will find an adequate replacement, while also giving his full backing to new coach Josep Guardiola. “He is young and very ambitious, he will do a good job. It will be a great team.”

“If I go, whoever comes will do well. Gerrard, Fabregas, Lampard…it won’t be difficult for Barca to find someone to replace me.”