Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde says he has no plans to sell midfield duo Ivan Rakitic or Andre Gomes.

Reports in Spain have suggested Barca will look to cash in on one of the midfielders to fund a concerted effort to sign Marco Verratti from Paris Saint-Germain.

It has even been claimed that the Catalans could offer Rakitic plus €65-million to persuade PSG to sell Italy star Verratti before the end of the transfer window next month.

However, Valverde insists that both players have a future at Camp Nou.

‘They are my players and I consider them in my plans,’ he told a news conference when asked about Rakitic and Gomes.

Valverde also stressed he is in no great hurry for new signings, as Barca already boast a squad of players that is difficult to improve.

‘Obviously, we’ve had discussions but to ask for ‘this player’, no. For me, the best signings are those who are in my team,’ he said.

‘If it happens, then that would be great. The club is working hard for the squad to have the best players. But my idea is always to work with the players in my squad.

‘I have almost the best squad possible anyway. It’s very difficult to make it better, because of the high standard of players that we have.

‘It’s difficult to improve what’s in the team. There are always a lot of names and the summer is long, but for me the important thing is to get the best form out of my players.

‘Coaches always want to close the squad as soon as possible but times have changed since I was a player. The transfer periods seem to drag on a lot longer.

‘We’re not closed to any options until the last day but I think that’s the same for any club.’

– This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za