Rosell rejects Ramos rumours

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has refused to rule out a shock move for Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos, but says any deal is highly unlikely.

After being benched for Real’s Champions League match at home to Manchester City, Ramos’ long-term future in the Spanish capital has been called into question.

“Is Sergio Ramos unhappy at Real Madrid? Never say never, but I do not think so,” Rosell told the ESPN when asked about a potential Barca swoop.

The Catalan club have also been closely linked with Santos forward Neymar, but Rosell claimed a transfer is unlikely until after the 2014 FIFA World in the player’s native Brazil.

“Neymar is one of those special players; the type of player that our fans want,” he said.

“He is able to do that something extra compared to other players.

“However, he is contracted to Santos until 2014 and we will respect his commitment with them. Only until this time will we talk.”

In respect to the financial issues La Liga and many of its member clubs are suffering from, Rosell rejected the claim by economist Jose Maria Gay that the competition will be dead within five years.

“I do not think the league will be dead in five years,” he said.

“It is true that there are problems that need to be addressed.

“La Liga will remain alive in the coming years, but it’s true that we have to rethink everything to try to make it more competitive.

“(Barcelona) are willing to meet with the other clubs in the league to discuss the distribution of money. This has to happen soon, though. Nothing can really be done until 2014 when the existing deals come to an end. From 2014, we will start a new cycle.”

Rosell also refuted the notion a European Super League will one day take the place of domestic competitions, though he did suggest the existing Champions League format could be modified to cater for more teams.

“Domestic leagues are still interesting and they will remain that way even with less teams,” he said.

“The Champions League will become more interesting with more teams.

“I think that here in Spain, the Primera Division should be reduced to 16 teams and the Champions League should be increased from its current format of 32 teams to 64.”