Joan Laporta: Barcelona are not interested in signing Cesc Fabregas

Barcelona have denied that they are planning to make a move for Cesc Fabregas, the Arsenal captain. In an interview with The Times, Joan Laporta, the Barcelona president, claims that he is not tempted to bring the Spain midfield player back to the club where he was a youth team player.

Laporta also plays down suggestions that he has offered Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal forward, as bait to Bayern Munich as part of a deal to take Franck Ribery to the Nou Camp.

Asked if Fabregas could be a summer signing, Laporta replied: “He is not a temptation.”

Fabregas was lured from Barca by Arsenal, who went on what Laporta referred to as a “fishing trip” to the Catalan club. “Arsenal came fishing for our young players,” he said. “One of them was Cesc. Now he is playing very well at Arsenal. I can’t say any more about this.”

Poaching of young players by big clubs is, according to Laporta, simply a matter of market forces at work. “It’s the market which fixes theses situations and it is a question of the ability the clubs have to engage the player,” he said.

“We are developing a policy for our youth players so they make the first team. It is showing results because half our first team are from the youth team, like [Victor] Valdes and [Carles] Pujol. We explain that money is not everything. We want them to love Barca.”

Wayne Rooney’s name has also been linked with a possible move to Barca but Laporta refused to be drawn on the subject. Nor would Laporta comment on reports that Barca are about to swoop for Ribery in a possible swap deal for Henry. Ribery is said to be desperate to win the Uefa Champions League – a feat he may feel he may be more likely to achieve with Barca, the current holders – but Laporta was at pains to suggest there were no plans to offload Henry.

“He has done very well from the beginning,” Laporta said. “He is a gentleman. We appreciate him for his skills as well as a human being. His future is here.”