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The head coach of the Spanish champions, Dutchman Frank Rijkaard, told journalists that the return of J. Saviola, who was loaned to Monaco last season, to Barcelona is unlikely.
"He is a great player with a contract with Barca. At the moment, we are considering his situation," Rijkaard said on Wednesday.
However, when asked if Saviola would feature in his plans next year, Rijkaard replied: "Unfortunately, we have to work with a compact team, not with 40 players."
Barca has the most productive player from last season, Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o, recently acquired Argentine Maxi Lopez, and Swede Henrik Larsson.
There are rumors in the press that Barcelona is interested in Arsenal's Thierry Henry, Sevilla's star Julio Baptista, and Betis' Joaquin, making Saviola's return to Barcelona very uncertain.
According to the Spanish media, Saviola is very interested in Atletico Madrid, who are looking for a high-level partner for Spanish national team forward Fernando Torres.
Currently, Barcelona is on tour in Japan, where they played two matches. Despite Ronaldinho and Carles Puyol not traveling to the eastern country, Barca defeated Urawa Reds 3-0 on Wednesday. H. Larsson scored two goals for the Catalan team after recovering from an injury, while Xavi, who recently extended his contract, added one. In the first match on Saturday, Barcelona drew 3-3 with Japanese champions Yokohama F-Marinos. L. Giuly scored one goal, while Brazilian Thiago Motta added two.
