Barcelona Insist Paying €60m Release Clause Is Only Way for Rivals to Land Cillessen

Barcelona have no plans to sell Jasper Cillessen this summer despite interest from a number of fellow European giants. Premier League side Liverpool, Serie A

Barcelona have no plans to sell Jasper Cillessen this summer despite interest from a number of fellow European giants.

Premier League side Liverpool, Serie A title hopefuls Napoli and La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid have all been linked with poaching the Dutch international away Camp Nou.

However, a report from Mundo Deportivo has carried quotes from the Catalan side as they explained that Cillessen was 'non-transferable' and that the only way that any interested party would be able to hold talks with the goalkeeper would be if they met his €60m buy-out clause.

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A spokesperson for the club said: "Cillessen for us is non-transferable, (but) if they pay that money, we can not do anything."

Cillessen has has to play second fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen under Ernesto Valverde in Catalonia this term and had been tipped to leave for pastures new in search of first-team football in the close season.

The 29-year-old has only made 10 appearances for Barca all season long, with nine of those coming in their Copa del Rey campaign that saw La Blaugrana thrash Sevilla 5-0 in the final last Sunday.

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The shot stopper has made just 20 appearances in all competitions since he completed a £12m from Ajax in July 2016 and it had been expected that he would want to leave.

Barca megastar Lionel Messi is believed to have told the club's hierarchy that he wishes to see Cillessen remain as part of the senior setup though, and unless a would-be suitor activates the release clause fee in his contract Cillessen should now stay.

Napoli and Liverpool are on the lookout for new number one keepers with concerns of Pepe Reina and Simon Mignolet both wanting to leave Stadio San Paolo and Anfield respectively.

Meanwhile, Atleti have contingency plans in place in the even that Jan Oblak is prised away from Wanda Metropolitano, with a number of clubs across Europe keeping tabs on his situation in the Spanish capital.