Xavi has laughed off suggestions that Ansu Fati could leave Barcelona to join bitter rivals Real Madrid.
The 20-year-old's long-term future at the Catalan giants has been scrutinised for a number of months, with Barcelona needing to balance their delicate finances through player sales while also attempting to make new signings.
90min revealed in May that Barca had told Fati he could leave the club amid previous interest from Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea, when the club were attempting to re-sign Lionel Messi from Paris Saint-Germain.
But with Messi heading to MLS instead to play for Inter Miami, things don't appear to be as cut and dry for Fati, who enjoyed a strong pre-season in terms of goalscoring form.
Fati could yet leave Barcelona if the club were to receive an offer too good to turn down, but one destination that appears to be off the table is Real Madrid, judging by the reaction of Xavi to speculation of a move to the Bernabeu.
READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP
"This is a joke, isn’t it?," Xavi told reporters in his latest appearance in front of the press. "I have already been very blunt about Ansu. Debates are being generated that make no sense. Ansu is an important player and is part of the club’s heritage, now and in the future.
"They [the media] are generating sterile debates with Ansu and I don't understand it. He is a player who belongs to Barca and we count on him. He is in good shape and we are very happy with his performance."
Xavi did acknowledge Barcelona's ongoing financial issues, however, which have seen the club unable to register new contracts and signings in recent months. A large portion of their summer business has been geared around free transfers, though Ilkay Gundogan could only be registered to play in La Liga just before the club's opening fixture against Getafe last week.
On the club's financial problems, Xavi added: "We have a difficult situation with the issue of fair-play. It comes from behind us and it is a complex situation with which we are struggling. You can already see it in the issue of registrations. In the end we will have to assess and bet on the priorities for the team and make decisions based on this."
As for Fati, he'll be looking to force his way into Barcelona's starting lineup after coming off the bench against Getafe. The young Spaniard does face fierce competition for his place though, with fellow academy graduate Lamine Yamal the latest superstar talent pushing for minutes despite being just 16 years old.
LISTEN NOW TO 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS PODCAST
On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders is joined by Graeme Bailey to discuss Liverpool signing Wataru Endo, Man Utd's difficulty selling players and West Ham's pursuit of Mohammed Kudus - and more!
If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!
This article was originally published on 90min as Xavi responds to Ansu Fati being linked with Real Madrid.