Barcelona president Joan Laporta is remaining coy over their pursuit of Girona midfielder Oriol Romeu.

However, Laporta believes that Romeu, 31, can replace former captain Sergio Busquets as he was brought through t La Masia.

"Romeu is a man who was trained in Barcelona, and that is one of his strengths. He therefore also knows the system perfectly," the president told Mundo Deportivo.

"The sporting management works with these things.

"It has emerged that we are negotiating for Romeu and other players, but if I say anything, I can block the negotiations."