Barcelona president Joan Laporta has rubbished reports the club have accepted an offer from Manchester United for midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
Erik ten Hag is keen to reunite with the 25-year-old, whom he managed at Ajax, and United have been pushing to bring the Netherlands international to Old Trafford.
The financial situation of Barcelona has been identified as a reason why the Catalan side may be tempted to sell, with reports stating the club have accepted an offer from the Premier League side but De Jong himself is yet to be persuaded by a move.
Such claims have been refuted by Laporta, who made it clear to ESPN that no bids for De Jong have been accepted.
"Frenkie de Jong is our player, we really like him," he said.
"We received some offers for Frenkie but we didn't accept as of now, as we want to talk with him and know exactly what he wants. We need to clarify some aspects of his situation."
Laporta's stance on De Jong was echoed by Xavi, although the Barcelona coach admitted the financial situation could affect the proceedings heading into the final month of the transfer window.
"I’m not here to send messages. I already spoke with Frenkie, I value him very much. He's a key player, but then there's economic situation and Financial Fair Play," he said following Barcelona's 1-0 pre-season win against Real Madrid.
Xavi also dropped a hint on plans to utilise De Jong's versatility next season, adding: "He can give us a lot also as a centre back."
Icing on the cake – Al Nassr celebrate Ronaldo's record-setting Portugal cap
Al Nassr celebrated Cristiano Ronaldo's record-breaking Portugal appearance in style.
Given his impeccable commitment to athleticism, Ronaldo might not have dug into the cake he was presented with on Friday.
Al Nassr were celebrating the 38-year-old becoming the most-capped men's player of all time.
Ronaldo made his 197th appearance for Portugal on March 23, scoring twice in a 4-0 defeat of Liechtenstein.
Along with marking that achievement, Al Nassr also celebrated Abdulrahman Ghareeb's 25th birthday.
"Today, we celebrate a record and birthday," the club tweeted. "The record of most capped player in international football [and] the birthday of a talented Saudi player."
Newcastle United v Manchester United: Preview and prediciton
Newcastle United are heading into a "massive month" as they bid for Champions League qualification, and their first task is EFL Cup final foes Manchester United.
Newcastle's long wait for a major trophy goes on after they were beaten 2-0 by Man United at Wembley in February.
This can still be a successful season for the Magpies, however, with a top-four finish within their hands. They could even leapfrog third-placed Man United with a win on Sunday.
Eddie Howe's side will not be short of motivation for that match at St James' Park, although it is far from the last big game they have in April.
There are another six fixtures to come before the end of the month, and Howe said: "It's a massive month. Whenever you have an intense period of games, you know those results are going to define what we do this season.
"The last two results [wins against Wolves and Nottingham Forest] put us in a really strong position and also just lifted confidence levels and morale in the squad.
"This is going to be a big week to come. It's Manchester United first, so we have to focus on that alone and learn our lessons from the cup final defeat."
The EFL Cup clash came after Erik ten Hag had described Newcastle as "annoying" in reference to their gamesmanship.
Although Howe suggested on Friday such claims had been "overblown", he confirmed Newcastle would be out to annoy their opponents.
That is certainly what Ten Hag expects as he revisited the top before this encounter, saying: "We know they delay. It's something that the referee doesn't want.
"Whey want to have tempo in the game, that is the aim of the Premier League, so they have to be consistent to let the game go."
He added: "It's a team that is really hard to beat. We are looking forward to the challenge, and the evidence is we can beat them."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Newcastle United – Alexander Isak
Isak returned injured the last time he went away on international duty in September, missing more than three months as a result. This time, the forward appears to be fit after featuring for Sweden and is coming into form, scoring six times in 10 league matches this season.
Isak has three in his last two games, with Freddie Ljungberg and Zlatan Ibrahimovic the only Swedish players to have previously netted in three in a row in the competition.
Manchester United – Marcus Rashford
Rashford, unlike Isak, did not go away on international duty, complaining of a problem ahead of linking up with England. That appeared to frustrate Gareth Southgate, but it should have him fit for this game.
It is a boost to United, with Rashford scoring more winning goals than any other player in the Premier League this season. His nine have only twice been topped by a United player in a single campaign – Cristiano Ronaldo (12 in 2007-08) and Wayne Rooney (10 in 2009-10).
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
Newcastle are winless in six against Man United in the Premier League, but their past two meetings – the only two under Howe – have both ended in draws.
It was goalless between the sides at Old Trafford. Although Newcastle have not kept clean sheets in consecutive games against Man United since May 1997, the visitors are without a goal in their past two league games.
The Magpies are more than capable of frustrating their opponents if they have a result to protect, too, with their matches this season spanning the third-longest period of time on average at 98 minutes and 58 seconds but seeing a ball-in-play low of 51 minutes and 41 seconds.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Newcastle - 34.3 per cent
Man United - 36.8 per cent
Draw - 28.9 per cent
Ten Hag confident Man Utd have enough goalscorers to back up Rashford
Manchester United have enough goalscorers alongside star man Marcus Rashford, according to manager Erik ten Hag.
Rashford has scored 27 of United's 88 goals this season in all competitions, with Bruno Fernandes their next-highest scorer with just 10.
Anthony Martial's time on the pitch has been limited by injuries, while January acquisition Wout Weghorst has failed to prove prolific, having scored just twice since arriving at Old Trafford.
Yet, the Red Devils ended their six-year trophy drought by beating Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final in February and look on course to finish in the Premier League's top four and achieve Champions League qualification for next season.
Despite Rashford's superior contribution in the goals department in relation to his team-mates, Ten Hag feels his side carry enough of a threat to support the 25-year-old, though he did not rule out bringing in more attacking talent ahead of next season.
"I think we have players like Bruno, like Jadon Sancho, like Anthony Martial, like Scott McTominay, like Antony," Ten Hag said. "We have enough players with the capabilities to score goals, definitely.
"I work in the back [behind the scenes] on next season. But we're working now on this season, so first of all make sure everyone is available and keep improving the way of play and that's the best chance of scoring more goals."
McTominay enjoyed a brilliant international break with Scotland, scoring four goals as his national team beat Cyprus 3-0 before stunning giants Spain 2-0 at Hampden Park on Tuesday.
Considering his great form in front of goal and the fact he played as a striker for United's youth teams, McTominay could be a potential option to start up front for the Red Devils with Weghorst failing to fire since joining on loan from Burnley.
But Ten Hag feels the 26-year-old is better playing as a midfielder, while he defended Weghorst's overall impact on United.
"Scott can play in many roles," Ten Hag said.
"It's clear he has scoring capabilities for Scotland but also this season for us. He's a really good finisher, but I see him as a midfielder.
"I think I'm happy with what Wout is doing because when Wout is in the team, the team is performing better."
As his team prepare to face top-four rivals Newcastle United at St James' Park on Sunday, Ten Hag looks set to be boosted by the return of Martial after his recent injury problems.
"He's training for two weeks now," Ten Hag said. "I think he can be in the squad."
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