Barcelona Deny Breaching Rule Amid Adrien Rabiot, PSG Rumours; Refute Agreement

Barcelona have issued a statement denying they have broken any rules in their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

The France international has long been linked with a move to Catalonia, with his contract set to expire at the end of the current campaign in Paris.

The La Liga champions said in a statement on Sunday they have contacted PSG about possibly signing the player on two occasions and made it clear those approaches had been through the proper channels:

"Barcelona wish to address stories published in France regarding the signing of players from PSG, and make clear that they have not breached any rule in this regard.

The only contact made was during the month of August and one week ago. In both cases, this contact was made with PSG's sporting management to show Barcelona's interest in player Adrien Rabiot.

Barcelona have always wanted to work with the utmost transparency in their dealings with PSG and with any other club. Barcelona refute the existence of any type of agreement with PSG player Adrien Rabiot."

Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague said he's unsure as to why Barcelona felt the need to make such a statement:

Given he has not signed a contract extension at PSG, the French giants have made the decision to freeze Rabiot out of the first-team setup. Earlier this month the club's sporting director, Antero Henrique, said the midfielder was "on the substitutes' bench indefinitely."

It means an ill-tempered departure is on the cards for Rabiot, and with his contract situation and natural ability in mind, there's no surprise to see a club of the calibre of Barcelona making an approach for him.

When he's at his best, he's been excellent for PSG, offering a box-to-box presence with his surges forward and a composure on the ball when picking up possession in deeper areas.

Despite the ongoing issues surrounding his contract and long-term future, OptaJean included the 23-year-old in their best XI for the first half of the Ligue 1 season:

With Barcelona confirming they have twice made a move for Rabiot, it would be a massive shock if they didn't try to sign him again in the upcoming window.

The Blaugrana do have options in this area of the field in the form of Arthur, Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and Rafinha Alcantara. However, a player of Rabiot's quality would potentially give the team a big boost ahead of what promises to be an exciting 2019 for the La Liga leaders.