Ronaldinho can go for €90m

Barcelona vice-president Sandro Rosell has suggested that Ronaldinho could leave this summer if a club were prepared to match his contract's buy-out clause.

The 24-year-old Brazilian, whose excellent form in his first season at the Nou Camp has made him Barcelona's major asset, has a five-year contract that carries a €90 million escape clause.

Rosell was quoted on the website of the Barcelona-based newspaper Sport as saying: "We have to fight to keep the player, but if someone comes in to pay his buy-out clause it will be a personal decision. From a business point of view, perhaps the decision would be different. Aside from the rational argument, I believe he should stay."

Rosell is hopeful Barcelona can retain the Brazilian who he believes is "the best player in the world". He said: "The club and the player have made it very clear that they must continue together. I don't believe that there is any doubt he is going to stay."

Last week the Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, also said he expected Ronaldinho to be a summer transfer target for Europe's richest clubs but insisted his club had no intention of letting the forward leave.

He said the club had received no offers for Ronaldinho so far but added that he did not rule out interest from "a Russian oil tycoon" or "an Arab sheik".

Liverpool's attempts to rebuild for next season will include a bid for the England Under-21 international Joey Barton, as the Manchester City midfielder is likely to spurn a vastly improved contract offer in favour of a move to Anfield.

Barton has only a year to run on his deal, with City desperate to tie him down for a further four years. But Gerard Houllier has identified the 21-year-old as a potential replacement for Dietmar Hamann, for whom they will listen to offers, and hope to sign him for €3 million.

Indeed, City privately suspect that preliminary talks may already have taken place behind the scenes, given that Barton's representatives, SFX, have close links with Liverpool.

Barton, a boyhood Evertonian, is believed to be keen on a return to Merseyside.