Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after breaking his leg.

The 30-year-old fractured his left tibia shortly before half-time in the Fifa Club World Cup semi-final against Al Sadd in Yokohama, Japan.

“Bad news for David Villa and Barca; the striker’s left tibia is fractured,” Barcelona said on their Twitter feed.

“The player has been taken to the Yokohama Rosa hospital for further tests.”

Villa, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League in January, was carried off on a stretcher after appearing to land awkwardly 39 minutes into a game Barcelona were winning 1-0.

He has struggled to hold down a regular first team place with the Catalonians and has been heavily linked with a move to England with Liverpool and Chelsea reportedly showing interest.

That deal now looks dead in the water until Villa can comeback from this latest injury setback.

Although the Spanish club completed a 4-0 victory over the Qatari side to book their place in the final, they can expect to be without Villa for some time.

Villa’s injury may also put his participation at Euro 2012 in doubt, with Spain set to begin the defence of their crown against Italy on 10 June.

He is Spain’s all-time leading scorer with 50 goals in 81 games and played a key role in their World Cup triumph in South Africa last summer.

Adriano scored twice and Seydou Keita and Maxwell also found the net to secure Barcelona’s comfortable passage into Sunday’s Club World Cup final against Brazilian side Santos.

The competition, made up of the champion clubs from seven continental federations, is one of four Barcelona are attempting to win this year.

They sit top of La Liga on goal difference, although, with no domestic game this weekend, they could be overtaken by Real Madrid before the start of a three-week winter break.

Villa, a £34m signing from Valencia in 2010, has scored 12 goals in 26 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona this season.