Barcelona determined to beat Real Madrid for £30M Owen

Barcelona are busily preparing behind the scenes a £30 million bid for Liverpool ace Michael Owen.

After losing out to Real Madrid for David Beckham, Barca see Owen as the ideal way to strike back at their La Liga rivals.

President Joan Laporta is on record saying he wants to bring in a star striker at the end of the season, though any deal will be dependent on Frank Rijkaard's team clinching Champions League football.

Rijkaard admitted last week: "Owen fits the philosophy of Barcelona."

"He's a player who has done a great job at Liverpool - but maybe his work there is coming to an end."

"He is exactly the kind of player I like but that doesn't necessarily mean we will be able to afford him. He is a super-dangerous player in the box."

"We lost out to Real Madrid for David Beckham in the summer and if we want to challenge then we must bring in these kinds of players."

"We need to show the same determination that brought Ronaldinho to Catalonia."