Barcelona held talks with Manchester City yesterday about the transfer of Samuel Eto’o.

On the eve of his team’s Champions League semi-final, first leg with Chelsea, Joan Laporta, the Barcelona president, met Garry Cook, the Manchester City executive chairman, in London to discuss a deal for the striker. The Spanish club have also offered Eto’o, who could command a fee of up to £15 million, to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

City remain keen on signing another superstar to play alongside Robinho after their unsuccessful attempt to buy Kaká for a world-record £103 million from AC Milan in January. Barcelona’s position has been weakened by Eto’o, 28, stalling on the offer of a new four-year contract, which means that he could leave on a free transfer when his present deal expires in 14 months.

Tottenham balked at meeting Eto’o’s wages of £100,000 a week last summer, but City’s ultra-ambitious owners demonstrated their seemingly limitless pockets by offering Kaká £500,000 a week.

Eto’o, who has scored 32 goals in 42 appearances this term, is an integral part of a three-pronged attack, with Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry, that has scored more league goals between them than the entire Chelsea squad — 66 as opposed to 56.

Barcelona’s tally of 94 goals in La Liga leaves them 13 short of Real Madrid’s record for a Spanish season, set under John Toshack in 1989-90, making Chelsea’s task in stopping their opponents scoring even more formidable this evening.

But Guus Hiddink, the Chelsea interim manager, called upon his players yesterday to have the courage to push for victory tonight. “If we just wait and get scared by the actions of their strikers and midfield players, then we lose this game,” Hiddink said. “We have to take the initiative and try, as we did in Liverpool, to score our goals. It’s important to score in Barcelona, given it’s a two-legged tie, so that we can have a big chance at home.

“I think the team must show the initiative and the guts to try to play and not wait until you get beaten. We’ve practised that, we’ve done it in a team meeting as well. We have to take the advantage and have the courage to play.”

Hiddink masterminded a stunning, 3-1 first-leg win against Liverpool at Anfield in the previous round, but conceded that Barcelona present a still greater challenge.

“No disrespect to Liverpool, who are a big team as well, but Barcelona have many, many players who can make a difference,” he said. “In Liverpool, they have Gerrard, Torres and Kuyt. But in Barcelona, you have several players who can make these decisions — the last pass or to score — so it will be even more difficult.

“We know we face maybe the best team in the world at this moment, with this very attractive style, but to get to the final we should also take the initiative. They won’t change their style so much because it’s the style Barcelona play. We’ve got to put them on hold, put the brakes on them, but we have made a big achievement to get to the semi-finals.”

Hiddink confirmed that José Bosingwa will play out of position at left back despite having managed only 58 minutes’ action in the past month because of a hamstring injury, but the Portugal defender will not be the only one charged with marking Messi because Michael Ballack and Michael Essien, the midfield players, will both sit deeper than normal.

“You can focus on Messi when he’s on the ball, and you have to defend against him well, but even better if you can prevent a lot of balls coming to him,” Hiddink said.

Don't miss your unique 16-page Champions League semi-final supplement in tomorrow's Times. Read in-depth reports and analysis from Barcelona v Chelsea plus previews of Manchester United v Arsenal. Read the opinions of Oliver Kay, Matt Dickinson and Patrick Barclay in the Nou Camp, plus don't miss Marc Aspland's photo diary.