Barcelona: Pedro has 'a lot of value' and should not be sold to Chelsea says Johan Cruyff

Barcelona have been urged not to allow Pedro Rodriguez to leave the club for Chelsea or any other suitor during the summer transfer window.

Former player and manager Johan Cruyff believes Barca have forgotten their success of bringing players through their La Masia academy and are too dependent on their dealings in the transfer window.

Chelsea have been linked with a £22m ($34m) move for Pedro, according to The Independent, which is on hold until the election of Barcelona's new president at the weekend.

Pedro had a limited impact last season as Barca strolled to the treble, claiming the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, with Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi preferred by Luis Enrique in attack.

But Cruyff wants Barcelona to hold on to the Spain international despite the interest from Chelsea, with the player representing one of a host of players to come through the club's academy.

"He has always been in difficult moments, but if you see the goals that he scores, he's a guy who works so hard and for that reason he has a lot of value to Barcelona," said Cruyff, according to The Express.

"In addition, he came through with Guardiola and he's home-grown. Previously, many players were promoted from La Masia and if there was a need to sign, they would sign. Now they only buy. You're either a club that creates or a club that buys."

Cruyff is not the only former Nou Camp player to advise Pedro to remain with the Catalan giants and turn down the interest from Chelsea; former defender Eric Abidal has also told the club to hold on to the forward.

"Players such as Pedro cannot be allowed to go," he told news agency EFE according to Sky Sports. "I know him as a player but also as a person. He is a player who fits into the first team very well. When we won everything in 2009, the most important goals were his.

"The work was of the whole team, but sometimes you have to go into the finer details and Pedro is a player who always gives these details.

"Pedro is still an important part of this squad, but everyone knows that the player always wants to play and before he had more minutes than now."