Roberto Carlos rumour rubbished by rivals
Talk of an audacious bid by Barcelona to poach contract rebel Roberto Carlos has been dismissed out of hand by their chairman Joan Gaspart.
Talk of an audacious bid by Barcelona to poach contract rebel Roberto Carlos has been dismissed out of hand by their chairman Joan Gaspart.
Speculation of a Barca raid on their bitter enemy's star player arose when Real refused point blank to boost the Brazilian international left-back's salary to match those of the team's top earners Zinedine Zidane, Raul and Luis Figo.
Many feel that Roberto Carlos is equally as important to Real as those three and that he should be rewarded by joining the so-called 'Billionaires Club'. The situation has turned into such an issue that rumours are spreading that the defender, known for his blistering free-kicks, could leave the Bernabeu to find his fortune elsewhere.
If Barca was to be his next port of call in Spain, it would be a move that would seriously hurt the Madrilenos. However, Gaspart is not up for any dirty tricks even against adversaries Real. The charismatic chairman said on Monday evening: "Roberto Carlos is under contract at Real Madrid until 2005 and that's why we won't be making any advances for him."
"It's exactly the same rule for Barcelona players - if they are under contract, then I hope that any interested clubs would have some respect and not try to do anything under the table."
"The only time we would consider it would be if he was free to leave Real."
Gaspart refused to be drawn on the potential for revenge on Real for poaching Luis Figo from Barca last year, when newly-appointed chairman Florentino Perez paid the £37million buy-out fee to land the Portuguese ace.
Gaspart added that he understood Roberto Carlos's demands for a pay increase but said that clubs now have to be more prudent and give financial rewards in a more measured fashion. The Blaugrana chief drew a line under the issue by adding: "At the moment, we have the left-back position well covered by Sergi and Coco, who are also international players."
"We recognize that Roberto Carlos is a great professional but Barcelona won't be having any involvement in this matter."