Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri says he is "flattered" to be linked with the manager's job at Barcelona.
Barcelona vice-president Angel Fernandez said yesterday that Ranieri, Boca Juniors' coach Carlos Bianchi and Javier Irureta of Deportivo La Coruna have all been sounded out to replace the outgoing Carles Rexach at the Nou Camp.
Ranieri has already been offered an extension to his contract at Stamford Bridge, which expires in June 2003, but has postponed talks until the end of the season, fuelling speculation of a move to Spain.
"It is very flattering when your name is mentioned in relation to a club like Barcelona," said Ranieri. "At the same time, these stories do not distract me from my objectives of giving my all to Chelsea to achieve fourth place in the Premiership and reach the FA Cup final."
Emmanuel Petit, meanwhile, also faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge after admitting he has found it hard to readjust to English football.
"Although I was away for only a year, I have found it difficult to readjust to life in England," he said. "I have no complaints about my club, everybody has been brilliant, but I sometimes have to question my judgement."
The World Cup winning midfielder moved to Chelsea from Barcelona for £7.5m last summer but has struggled to reproduce the form he showed with Arsenal between 1997 and 2000. Reports at the weekend linked him with a move to Olympique Marseille.
"Injuries have not helped the playing side so I feel I have not contributed as much as I wanted to do," he added. "I will have a meeting with the coach before I leave to go to Japan for the World Cup about my future."
