Ernesto Valverde 'open' to Barcelona January signings and unconcerned by Lionel Messi deal delays

Ernesto Valverde insists Barcelona are "open" to signing new players during the upcoming January transfer window but the Spanish boss adds that his only target at the moment is to claim a victory when the Catalans take on Juventus on Wednesday night (22 November).

The boss made four additions to his squad during the summer in the form of Paulinho, Nelson Semedo, Gerard Deulofeu and Ousmane Dembele.

Barcelona have since enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign but earlier this week club president Josep Maria Bartomeu explained the club will still try to improve the squad further ahead of the second half of the season.

Valverde admits that he would welcome those additions but insisted that he is currently only focused on the clash at Juventus with Barcelona still needing a point to secure their qualification to the last 16 as group winners.

"We do not think of anything different that securing the qualification for the last 16. Regarding the transfer window, Barça, like Juventus and like the rest of the great teams, we are always open to improve. It is an obligation. Then we will see if we go into the market or not depending on our situation and the possibilities that we have [to bolster the squad]," the Barcelona boss said.

Valverde had already said that he would be open to the possibility of bolstering certain areas after in the summer Barcelona failed in their attempts to sign a talented playmaker like Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho or Paris Saint-Germain ace Marco Verratti.

But the boss has also urged the club to be discreet in its intentions after in the summer officials made several promises to fans over new signings which they were unable to keep.

It has been said that Coutinho remains as Barcelona's top priority for January but Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and Lyon sensation Nabil Fekir have also emerged as potential alternatives in recent days amid suggestions that Liverpool will remain firm in their stance over the Brazilian ace.

Asked if he has been bothered by the latest comments made by Bartomeu, Valverde said: "[When I recently said that I don't like our transfers to be broadcast by the media] I mean about speculation, when names come out, when they [reporters] say we are going to sign certain players or that someone is leaving. Discretion is good [in the transfer window] but I do not think it's wrong for the president to say that we can strengthen ourselves."

Meanwhile, the Barcelona boss played down fans' concerns regarding Lionel Messi's long-term future of the club.

The Argentina international is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal despite the club announcing in July an agreement for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to remain at the Nou Camp until 2021.

Bartomeu has since claimed that Messi's father has already signed the documents on behalf of his son and the Catalans are now only waiting for the right time to make an official announcement.

However, other sources suggest that Messi will eventually be free to negotiate a move away from Barcelona from January with his contract set to expire at the end the season.

But Valverde is not concerned about those delays, pointing out that he is still enjoying watching Messi every week, with the Argentine scoring 16 goals in 18 appearances in the opening months four months of the season.

"I don't know how important the photo [of Messi signing the contract] is. He is with us and that's what we care about," Valverde added. "I think he travelled here [to Italy] with us and we're not going to think too much further beyond that. Sometimes we think too much about certain things when eventually nothing really happens. We're going to enjoy the moment and focused on the game [against Juventus]."