Abidal: Barcelona cannot let Pedro leave

Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2015 by Goal.com

The former defender is to be installed as the club's sporting director if Joan Laporta wins the election and he stressed that the winger must remain at Camp Nou

Barcelona cannot afford to let long-serving winger Pedro leave the club this summer, according to Eric Abidal.

The winger, who has been at the Barca since 2004, signed a contract extension with the club in April that ties him to the Camp Nou side until 2019. The renewal, however, brought his release clause down from €150 million to €30m and he continues to be linked to a move away from Catalunya this summer, with both Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain reportedly interested.

Abidal, who is part of Joan Laporta's presidential campaign and is to be named the club's sporting director if he wins the forthcoming election, insists that the 27-year-old is still a key part of the team and must stay where he is.

"Players such as Pedro cannot be allowed to go," he said. "I know him as a player but also as a person. He is a player who fits into the first team very well. When we won everything in 2009, the most important goals were his.

"The work was of the whole team, but sometimes you have to go into the finer details and Pedro is a player who always gives these details.

"Pedro is still an important part of this squad, but everyone knows that the player always wants to play and before he had more minutes than now. If Laporta wins, we will look at his future.”

After completing the signings of Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan, Josep Maria Bartomeu says the team at coach Luis Enrique's disposal is complete, but Abidal feels further improvements must be made, admitting that Paul Pogba is one target he would like to look at.

"What Bartomeu says is something that goes along with his project. We have ours, and I can say that for us the squad is not complete," he said. "There are players who may leave and others who may arrive.

"It’s true that Pogba is on the shortlist, like other players. If Laporta wins the election on July 18, the next day we will inform the members of what we plan to do.”

"I want to know what Luis Enrique thinks and what he thinks about the future of the squad."