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The president of the Spanish superclub, Joan Laporta, unexpectedly announced that the club's and the Argentine national team's forward, Javier Saviola, is not for sale.
"He is not for sale," Laporta stated to "AP International." - "Javier is a player of Barcelona and will remain so as long as his performance satisfies the coach."
Laporta also confirmed that several powerful European clubs, including reportedly Manchester United and Newcastle, showed interest in the player: "Some clubs were interested in him, but it certainly doesn't surprise me."
On Wednesday, Saviola's agent, Cabrera Brizuela, told the French newspaper "La Parisien" that if the club decided to sell the player, his first choice would be to return to the team that played in the Champions League final last season.
Saviola, whose nickname is "El Conejito" ("The Little Rabbit"), joined Barcelona in 2001 from the Argentine superclub River Plate in Buenos Aires. Last season, Saviola scored 13 goals.
