Barcelona striker David Villa suffered a broken shinbone in the first half of the Club World Cup semi-final against Al-Sadd in Yokohama.

The all-time leading scorer for Spain was stretchered off in the 39th minute after a collision and it has since been confirmed he has suffered a fractured left tibia.

Villa's injury comes as a latest setback for the forward in what has been a difficult season, when he has not been guaranteed a first-team place.

The 30-year-old had as a consequence been linked by Spanish newspaper Marca with a move to the Premier League and Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea were reported to be interested.

Barcelona confirmed the injury on their official website in a short statement which read: "David Villa has fractured his left tibia."