Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reiterated
the European champions' interest in Liverpool midfielder Javier
Mascherano.
The Argentine is highly rated by the Catalan club as they
look to reinforce ahead of the defence of an unprecedented
Treble.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is desperate to hold onto the
defence-minded Mascherano, an international team-mate of Barcelona
star Lionel Messi, and insists he is not for sale at any price.
But Laporta, who handed holding midfielder Yaya Toure a new
contract on Saturday, remains a fan of the 25-year-old and could
yet consider making the Premier League Reds an offer.
He told icat FM: "Mascherano is a close friend of Leo Messi. We
will see what happens. He's a player I like very much."
Mascherano has previously confessed he is uncertain if his
long-term future lies on Merseyside to increase speculation he
could leave Anfield when his contract expires.
Real Madrid have also been linked with the ex-West Ham, River
Plate and Corinthians player as the Bernabeu giants continue their
lavish spending.
teamtalk