FC Barcelona released a statement on Sunday to deny any wrongdoing in their pursuit of Adrien Rabiot, whilst also confirming that they have made contact with Paris Saint-Germain over signing the player.

Recent reports in France have suggested that Barcelona already have an agreement to sign Rabiot from PSG. However, the La Liga club claimed in a statement on their website that no such agreement exists.

Nonetheless, they go on to add that they have made contact with PSG’s sporting management over the player on two occasions:

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

Considering that Rabiot has ended contract extension talks with PSG, as confirmed by sporting director Antero Henrique, he’ll be free to leave on a free transfer this summer anyway. As a result, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before Barcelona do have an agreement to sign the player.

The French international was previously linked with a move to Arsenal, particularly with his former coach Unai Emery in charge. Over the summer, RMC reported that the Gunners and Barcelona were the two leading candidates in the race for the 23-year-old.

A defensive midfielder with a fantastic passing range and seven goals and nine assists since August 2017, Rabiot could add a lot to any team’s midfield. However, at this stage it doesn’t seem likely he’ll end up anywhere other than Barcelona.