Roman Abramovich favourite Gavi has been urged not to move to Chelsea 'yet' by former Liverpool and Real Madrid player Steve McManaman.
Barcelona's Gavi, 17, was linked to making a surprise move to west London in the early parts of the summer when Barcelona were in financial difficulty.
However, Barca's agreement to sell certain big name stars - including Lionel Messi - has allowed the club some wriggle room regarding their stance on their youngster.
As per Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona have never been worried about the Russian billionaire's interest in a player who stepped up for the La Liga outfit as they restored parity in their UEFA Europa league Round of 16 tie against Napoli before the Catalan giants won the second leg in a comprehensive manner.
After the first leg, the Italian transfer guru tweeted: "Gavi was born in June 2004 (!). Important to remember. Another great performance showing his quality & leadership.
"Barcelona are not even worried with Chelsea rumours as he only wants to stay. New contract talks at final stages, €50m (£41m) release clause will be removed."
That is a stance that manager Xavi has always taken when asked about Gavi's long-term future and prospects with the Nou Camp based club amid these uncertain financial times.
“We have to renew him already, if we need we’ll get the money between us,” Xavi told SPORT ahead of Barcelona's trip to Sevilla on Tuesday night. “We can’t lose these type of players. They have to be the base of the future.
“I understand that the club are working very hard for Gavi’s renewal, that’s fundamental for the team.”
Xavi Hernandez' stance on their No. 30, who registered an assist in the recent 4-1 thumping of Valencia in La Liga, - a game in which former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted a hat-trick - has been mirrored by McManaman, who believes it's not the time for the 17-year-old to ponder a move to England just 'yet'.
"I personally think they’ll resolve it and he’ll stay at Barcelona," McManaman told horseracing.net.
"He’s only a young kid and I think Barcelona are starting to get their finances in order after a rough couple of years.
"Sponsorship deals are starting to increase, crowd numbers are starting to increase, and they’re starting to get on top of their finances, as you can see with the players they’re starting to bring in, knowing they need to get into the Champions League this year.
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"I think Gavi will stay. He’s only a young kid and I don't necessarily think he needs to move to a different country yet, and I think Barcelona will re-sign him."
This verdict, coupled with the news that Barca will most likely tie Gavi down to a new long-term deal at the Camp Nou, offers hope to many Chelsea loanees, including Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour who may otherwise have had to move further down the pecking order at the club.
