Seri coy over Barcelona talk
Nice midfielder Jean-Michael Seri was staying coy on talk of a big-money move to Barcelona amid reports he has already reached agreement on the terms of a contract with the Spanish giants.
The 26-year-old Ivory Coast international played for Nice in their 2-0 defeat to Napoli on Tuesday that saw them miss out on a place in the Champions League group stage as they lost their play-off tie 4-0 on aggregate.
"No it was not my last match for Nice. I will be at Amiens on Saturday," said Seri, who sports daily L'Equipe reported had agreed a four-year deal with Barcelona over the weekend.
A transfer for up to 40 million euros ($47 million, £36.7 million) has been mooted as the Catalans desperately look to strengthen their squad with the proceeds of Neymar's world record 222 million-euro move to Paris Saint-Germain.
But Nice have reportedly been reluctant to negotiate so far and Seri added: "I don't know much about it. I said to everyone to leave me to concentrate on the Champions League and that after we would see if I stayed or went."
Seri joined Nice in 2015 from the Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira and has been outstanding in the last two seasons as the French side have finished fourth and then third in Ligue 1.
Dortmund stand their ground on Dembele
Earlier, Borussia Dortmund said they will not negotiate with Barcelona over a price for Ousmane Dembele as the clock keeps ticking in their stand-off with the want-away winger.
Dortmund suspended Dembele indefinitely on August 10 when the 20-year-old boycotted training in protest after the German club rejected an initial bid from Barcelona.
The Spanish giants want to sign Dembele and Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho to replace Neymar, who left for Paris Saint-Germain for a record 222 million euros ($261 million).
However, Dembele has a Dortmund contract until 2021 and reports claim the Germans want 130 million euros for the player they paid just 15 million euros to Rennes last year.
"We are prepared to sell him and what we want is on the table," confirmed Dortmund's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, putting the ball firmly in Barcelona's court.
"When it's not met, Dembele will stay with us.
"We will not negotiate."
Last week, no sooner had Barcelona's general manager Pep Segura said they were "close" to a deal with Dembele than Watzke fired back things "had not moved forward one millimetre".
- Back in France -
Dembele has already quit his accommodation in Dortmund and moved back to France.
However, if he fails in his bid to join Barcelona Watzke says he will have to eat significant humble pie with the Borussia squad.
Officially, Watzke says Barcelona have until August 31, when the transfer window closes, to raise their offer.
However, German daily Bild claim they have told Barcelona that they have until this Sunday to meet Dortmund's price.
The ongoing saga has seen Watzke join calls for the transfer window to close on August 1, rather than at the end of the month.
"In the summer, the fans look forward to the season and when it starts, it should be about football, not this theatre," he grumbled.
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge agrees.
"UEFA (European football's governing body) is already for it. The window should be closed when the leagues start, otherwise it's a bit strange," he said.
Dembele's attitude has been widely condemned in Germany, where there is a suspicion that the 20-year-old's behaviour has been heavily influenced by the Spanish giants.
"If Barcelona are behind it, then I have no respect for the club," Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness said scornfully.
Germany's head coach Joachim Loew says Dortmund are taking the correct stance over Dembele.
"I simply condemn it when a player who has a contract goes on strike and says that he wants to change clubs," said Germany's World Cup-winning coach.
"It is absurd when contracts are no longer worth anything.
"Dortmund's stance is absolutely right."