Ligue 1 club Nice insisted that they have not held talks with Barcelona over a move for their midfielder Jean Michael Seri.
According to reports, Seri is closing in on a move to Barcelona after being linked with Liverpool and Arsenal earlier this summer.
Reports suggest that the Catalan giants have agreed a €40m (£36.6m) fee with Nice for the Ivorian midfielder with his agent negotiating a deal over the weekend.
And Mundo Deportivo claims that Seri will play his final game for the French side against Napoli in the second round clash of the Champions League playoffs before his move to Barcelona is finalised.
But Nice chief Julien Fournier has revealed that there has been no talks with Barcelona – suggesting Seri will not leave this summer.
“We haven’t negotiated with Barca, nor do I know of any negotiations lined up in the next few days,” Fournier told Sport.
“It’s true that he is open to listening to offers but he’s also happy at Nice, whether we qualify for the group stages of the Champions League or not.”
“They’re just rumours, so we haven’t set a price for Seri. I think the player will stay with us this season.”
Barcelona have made a positive start to their La Liga campaign with a 2-0 victory against Real Betis but they still need to address a lot of issues.
They had identified Philippe Coutinho as their No 1 target this summer but Reds have rejected three back-to-back bids from the Catalan giants and have made it clear that they will not sell their prized asset.
The Reds have turned down Barcelona’s £118million third bid for the Brazilian playmaker on Friday and now it is understood that the Catalan club have admitted defeat in their pursuit of the Liverpool star.
There is still no clarity in a deal for Dortmund youngster Dembele, as the German club is not willing to sell the French winger, despite the youngster keen to make a switch the Nou Camp.
