Samuel Eto'o has become hot property in the transfer market over the past few days as rumours of a Barcelona exit continue to escalate, and the Blaugrana could be about to present him with a new deal - one that could be taken as a slap in the face by the Cameroon star.

There have been reports that coach Pep Guardiola is willing to let his star striker go as he does not see the top scorer in the team's plans next season, while the Blaugrana are trying to include the Cameroonian in a player-plus-cash swap for either Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Karim Benzema.

But the latest news that Manchester City are closing in on the Cameroonian with a €23 million bid has prompted the Catalans to take action and the treble winners are now ready to give the 28-year-old a new contract offer.

But according to AS , it will not be a deal that will convince Eto'o to stay at the Camp Nou . Instead, it is speculated that the club will in fact offer him a downgraded contract, knowledgeable of the fact that he will reject the offer and thus cement his exit.

Barcelona president, Joan Laporta was quoted as saying, "It would be very nice for him to finish his career at Barca, but we already know how unpredictable the transfer market is in football and there will always be a few surprises.

"At the moment, he is a very coveted man and we have already received a lot of substantial offers for him."

Eto'o himself has said in the past that he is happy to remain at Barca, and the club are worried that he may be reluctant to leave until his contract expires next year, when he becomes a free agent. 

KS Leong, Goal.com