David Villa glad Tito's back at Camp Nou

Barcelona and Spanish international striker, David Villa is elated by the news that manager, Tito Vilanova is making is eagerly-anticipated return to the Blaugrana bench after undergoing two months of cancer treatment in New York.

In an interview with TVE, Villa discusses the return of Vilanova and is excited to see him back at work.



“We are excited to have him back with us as soon as possible with much improved health and overcome this hurdle in his life.”



Villa then discussed his own return to form after months of uncertainty following a devastating leg break in December 2011.



“I’m didn’t lose hope and took things day by day. I knew I had to recover well from this serious injury. All of the people around, supporting me directly or indirectly know who they are.”



One of those people who supported Villa was Spanish national team manager, Vicente del Bosque, who has put Spain’s all-time leading scorer back in the fold.

“It’s an honour for me; I have a lifetime of thanks to give him for the care he’s shown towards me.”



‘El Guaje’ then spoke about the national team and their upcoming match against France on Tuesday evening at Saint-Dennis.



“We have a defined playing style that we are not going to change. The style has given us slight scares like the other day [a 1-1 draw against Finland], but it’s also given us a lot of happiness and victories.



“This group has never changed. We are all very close going into a very difficult match.”

David Villa: 'We need to beat France'

Spain striker David Villa has insisted that his side will not play for a draw when they face France in Paris on Tuesday night.

style="border-radius: 25px 25px 25px 25px; border: 5px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="320" />The world champions fell two points behind France in Group I after they could only draw with Finland, but Villa has revealed that they will not need to change their approach now that they have fallen behind their group rivals.



The 31-year-old told reporters: "This is a very bad result for us and we did not expect to spill points here.



"However, this does not change our approach for the match in Paris. Regardless of the result of Friday's game, we had set our sights on three points against France.



"It is hard to grasp that we lost two points. We all realise that we have to bounce back right away and want to react against France."



The Barcelona striker has scored 53 goals for Spain.

Barça want David Villa for life

Barcelona are reportedly considering the option of giving forward, David Villa a contract extension that would keep Spain’s highest goal-scorer at the Camp Nou for the remainder of his career.

following Villa’s incredible work ethic and ability to overcome a devastating injury and months of getting few minutes as a sub before getting the chance to shine once more, the Blaugrana are prepared to offer the Asturian a contract extension past his current deal, which expires June 2014.



The report goes on to state that the board was prompted to consider offering Villa an extension following his recent run of form, and transfer interest from abroad, with the proposed new deal will offer a high paying salary, which would be subject to goals scored, results, caps, titles, etc.



Villa’s current contract, which expires in 2014, has an automatic one-year extension if he reaches a minimum number of games played next season.



STATS:

- David Villa has the best shot conversión rate in La Liga this season (5+ goals scored).



- David Villa has made two assists for first time in La Liga since he signed

for Barcelona.

Villa: I’m glad to help Messi

Barcelona forward, David Villa put in a timeless display in his side’s 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday evening, and despite the standout personal performance, was even more satisfied that he was able to assist fellow forward, Leo Messi score.

style="border-radius: 25px 25px 25px 25px; border: 5px solid rgb(204, 204, 204);" width="320" />

In his post-match interview, Villa discussed the match and the team’s collective effort after going through a recent string of poor results.



“I like to be able to help the team with my goals. I want to keep on scoring and giving the most of myself. I’m happy that I was able to help Messi score, we understand each other well.



“We felt the fatigue due to the effort we put in on Tuesday, and it was even more noticeable tonight because Rayo are a demanding side. They wanted the ball and they forced us to press them.



“We’ve never lost sight of what we had to do, we simply picked up a couple of bad results. Football is a game in which you can win, lose or draw but we have always stood up to be counted, even if there have been a couple of important games that we haven’t been able to win.

Tuesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Arsene Wenger has ruled out signing David Beckham – and has also admitted there is no chance of David Villa moving to the Emirates this month.



- Florian Thauvin has snubbed the chance to move to Arsenal by agreeing terms with Lille.



- Chelsea could re-enter the race to sign Paulinho later this year after Inter Milan revealed it would be difficult to sign the Corinithians midfielder this month.



- Didier Drogba is relishing the chance to have another crack at the Champions League after sealing a return to Europe with Galatasaray.



- Philippe Coutinho is expected to be confirmed as Brendan Rodgers' second signing of the January transfer window inside the next 24 hours.



- Lewis Holtby could make his Tottenham debut on Wednesday just 24 hours after completing his protracted £1.5million move from German side Schalke.



- Forgotten man Xisco could be heading out of Newcastle - to Spanish second division side Cordoba.



- Newcastle United captain Fabricio Coloccini has taken to the club's official website to reassure fans that he remains 100 per cent committed to the Toon's fight for Premier League survival.



- Newcastle United could add to their French contingent once more with a last-minute bid for William Vainqueur, according to sources in Belgium.



- Urby Emanuelson will leave Milan on a six months loan deal to join English side Fulham.



- Fulham and Everton could miss out on Igor de Camargo after the Belgium ace signalled his desire to continue his career in Germany.



- Everton's move for FC Twente midfielder Leroy Fer hangs in the balance after a problem with the player's medical.



- Former England midfielder Kieron Dyer is expected to join Middlesbrough.



- QPR have made a dramatic £10million offer for Christopher Samba – the signing they believe will keep them in the Barclays Premier League.



- Anton Ferdinand has left struggling QPR to join Turkish side Bursaspor on loan until the end of the season.



- Aston Villa right-back Alan Hutton has completed his loan move to Spanish side Real Mallorca.



- USA midfielder Brek Shea is due to undergo a medical today at Stoke before joining the Potters in a £2.5million deal from MLS side FC Dallas.



- City's England Under-21 goalkeeper Declan Rudd has joined League One side Preston North End on loan until the end of the season.



- Reading and West Ham have been handed a possible transfer boost after Morgan Amalfitano revealed he could leave Marseille before the end of the week.



- West Ham United have been gazumped by a Championship club, believed to be Leeds United, in their bid to sign Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock.



- West Brom head coach Steve Clarke says the club remains determined to keep Peter Odemwingie at The Hawthorns, despite his recent Twitter tirade.



- Sam Allardyce has conceded Mohamed Diame could leave West Ham before Friday - but he is confident Carlton Cole will stay.



- Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson is set to link up with former manager Sam Allardyce at West Ham.



- Blackburn want to sign Colin Kazim-Richards permanently to stop Galatasaray trying to sell him to another Turkish club.



- Birmingham goalkeeper Jack Butland, who has been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool, has emerged as a target for Chelsea, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Stephan El Shaarawy's future will be at AC Milan after he ended speculation over a move to England by signing a new five-year contract.



- Corinthians midfielder Paulinho has rejected a proposal to move to Italian giants Inter Milan on Tuesday afternoon, according to director of football Roberto de Andrade.



- AC Milan announced on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with Manchester City to sign Italy striker Mario Balotelli from the English champions.



- Sampdoria sports director Carlo Osti claims striker Mauro Icardi is going nowhere in January, despite attracting much interest with his prolific form.



- Chievo have confirmed the capture of Italy Under 21 international Mario Sampirisi for the rest of the season.



- Pescara are close to completing the signing of Giuseppe Sculli from Lazio.



- PSG midfielder Marco Verratti is not poised to move to Roma in a swap deal with Daniele De Rossi, according to his agent.



- Lyon playmaker Yoann Gourcuff, who continues to be linked with a move to Arsenal, wants to join Atletico Madrid, according to El Mundo Deportivo.



- Hoffenheim have signed Brazilian-born Belgium striker Igor de Camargo on loan until the end of the season from German rivals Borussia Monchengladbach.



- Galatasaray striker Colin Kazim-Richards has been recalled from his loan at Blackburn Rovers and is set to move to Bursapor.



- Hearts have revealed youngsters Danny Thomson and Michael Thomson have both left the Scottish Premier League club.



- Aberdeen chief executive Duncan Fraser has confirmed goalkeeper Jason Brown has parted company with the club.



- Brighton and Hove Albion have signed Iceland Under-19 international Emil Asmundssen on a two-and-a-half-year deal.



- Sheffield Wednesday have confirmed Rodri has had his contract cancelled by mutual consent.



- Sheffield Wednesday have re-signed Jeremy Helan from Manchester City on a youth loan until the end of the season.



- Crystal Palace are eyeing a move for Dundee United forward Johnny Russell.



- Crystal Palace have agreed a deal with Peterborough for the transfer of midfielder George Boyd.



- Striker Craig Westcarr has penned a deal with Walsall until the end of the current campaign.



- Swindon striker Paul Benson has joined Cheltenham on loan until the end of the season.



- Leicester striker Jeff Schlupp has had his spell with Manchester United extended.



- Brentford have extended Tom Adeyemi's loan from Norwich for the remainder of the season.



- York City have signed Swansea City right-back Curtis Obeng on a one-month loan deal.



- Kwesi Appiah has brought an end to his trial at Yeovil by signing for them on loan until March 2.



- Red Bull Salzburg's Martin Hinteregger has turned down a proposed move to Fiorentina, revealing his dream is to play in England or Germany one day.

Arsenal told to forget Villa

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has said David Villa 'is ours and we need him' as he warns Arsenal to forget about signing the striker in the January transfer window.

Having already offloaded Marouane Chamakh, Arsenal are expected to strengthen their squad this month, with manager Arsene Wenger said to be keen on the Spain international.



Rosell, however, has said the 31-year-old, who signed for Barcelona in a £31m deal from Valencia in 2010, is strictly off-limits.



Speaking to Catalan radio station RAC, he said: "I completely rule out the transfer of Villa during the winter market.



"He is ours and we need him, there is a lot of the season left."



Other names reportedly on Wenger's hit list include Atletico Madrid frontman Adrian Lopez as well as Argentina midfielder Luca Biglia.



Wenger's men have been left to contend with a busy schedule over the next few weeks, with an FA Cup replay against Swansea as well as a rearranged Boxing Day fixture with West Ham among their regular league matches.



Defender Per Mertesacker feels the Gunners can meet their busy schedule head on.

He said: "We are in a good way but we have to keep our focus on these games [against Manchester City and Chelsea] and the knockout stages of the Champions League. We have to win those games now.



"We are always looking to win something and we can achieve something with this group. We have a lively group so our thoughts are now on the next match, that is the most important thing for us, not what's going to happen in May.



"We have a few targets in our team that are possible this year. We won't talk about it, we'll just see what happens in the next few important weeks on the pitch."