Barca rule out Van Nistelrooy swoop

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has insisted that Manchester United's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is definitely not on his club's summer shopping list.

Laporta also promised that he would not allow Barca's squad to be weakened, promising that Ronaldinho and Carles Puyol would be staying at the Nou Camp for the foreseeable future.

Laporta has been in the job for less than a year, having won club elections last summer.

And his ambitious bid to sign David Beckham soon after winning the presidency has been followed by suggestions, many of them coming from club insiders, that the likes of van Nistelrooy and Arsenal's Thierry Henry could be future targets.

The Dutchman was strongly linked with a move to Barca after his agent Rodger Linse met Laporta on Monday, while Chelsea were reported in Spain to be chasing Ronaldinho and United linked in reports to Puyol.

Of the meeting with van Nistelrooy's representative, Laporta said: "It was an absolutely informal meeting and in no sense did we start up discussions.

"We have to be thinking of the market but in this case nothing has happened.

"We are not in the market for negotiations as the player is very happy at Manchester and Manchester want to keep him."

Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho has been in superb form in his first season with the Catalan giants, while Spain international Puyol is regarded as one of the most accomplished defenders in Europe.

Their confirmed quality is precisely the reason Barca are determined to keep them at the club as Laporta continues to build a side capable of challenging consistently for major honours at home and in Europe.

"It is certain that Ronaldinho is desired by a lot of clubs. Many teams would want him in their squad, but he is not for sale," continued Laporta.

"He still has to give a lot of glory to the club and is under contract, and we are very happy with his performance and above all his human quality.

"Puyol is also not for sale."