‘Barca like Nolito & Yarmolenko’

Robert Fernandez has confessed his admiration for Nolito and Andriy Yarmolenko but admits Barcelona are likelier to land the former, if given the opportunity.

The Celta Vigo forward is believed to remain La Blaugrana's first choice to replace Pedro Rodriguez, despite his club's attempts to tie him down to a new contract, while the Ukraine winger has emerged as an alternate target in recent weeks.

“It's true that we're evaluating a number of players. [Nolito] is a player that both the Coach and I know very well, but it's not an easy situation,” the sporting director told Esport3.

“He's a market opportunity, so we'll see if we can [sign him] or not.

“[On Andriy Yarmolenko], he's a good player but we haven't negotiated for him.

“I wasn't hurt by [Pedro Rodriguez's] words [regarding Robert's “unfortunate comments”] because I understood his reaction.

“[Luis Enrique and I] didn't know each other well at first, but we did after our first conversation following the Berlin final [in June].

“We were talking in the Ciutat Esportiva and I left the meeting convinced we had chemistry.

“The Coach has helped me get off to a good start. With Luis Enrique, I've talked about everything.

“I don't think the possibility of him leaving has even been raised. I see him here for many years,

“Andoni [Zubizarreta] was an honest person and worked hard for the club.

“He accepted his exit with dignity and showed himself to be a gracious person. He's a good guy.”

Tags Andriy Yarmolenko Luis Enrique Nolito Pedro Rodriguez Robert Fernandez Transfers
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