Watford loanee Juanfran Moreno coy on Barcelona as he helps Deportivo la Coruña avoid drop

Watford loanee Juanfran Moreno has been coy about reports linking him with an imminent move to Barcelona after pointing out that his only focus is helping Deportivo la Coruña in their crucial game against Leganes. The former Real Madrid right-back is rumoured likely to join the Catalan side but refused to confirm his intentions as his current side is fighting relegation to the second division.

Barcelona are allowed to make an emergency acquisition before 2 March after Aleix Vidal was recently ruled out for about five months due to a serious ankle injury. But La Liga rules states that the new signing has to be from another Spanish club or a free agent.

Spanish publication AS reported last week that Juanfran and Malaga's Roberto Rosales emerged as the main candidates after Eibar turned down an offer for Ander Capa to join Barcelona on loan until the end of the season.

Mundo Deportivo earlier this week reported the Watford loanee had been Barcelona's choice to replace Vidal as the club highly values the fact he had previously played in a big club like Real Madrid.

Juanfran began his career at the Getafe academy but joined Real Madrid's second team in 2009. He was handed two different opportunities with the first-team by Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho.

The 28-year-old right-back later joined Real Betis and currently belongs to Watford - but has spent the last two seasons on loan at La Liga strugglers Deportivo.

Juanfran has been coy about the Barcelona links because the Galicians face a crucial trip to Leganes over the weekend. Nevertheless, Deportivo currently sit in the 16<sup>th position of the La Liga table, only one point ahead of Leganes and three above the relegation zone.

"The situation is not easy, I am not going to fool anyone. I am very focused on the game against Leganes. I only give importance to the Leganes match because there is a lot at stake. I have never given more importance to a personal issue than to the collective. Now more than ever we must all think about the team. There is a lot at stake to think in other things that we should not think about," Juanfran explained to La Opinion A Coruña.

Asked whether he had spoken with Deportivo manager Gaizka Garitano about the interest from Barcelona, he replied: "We have not given much importance. They are things that are coming out in the press and that we have to leave it there. I'm focused (in Deportivo) and the coach too. We have a very important target to waste time on that. If we were in another situation, maybe we could talk about it but we have a situation too worrying to think of something particular of a player."

But pressed whether he had been directly approached by Barcelona, he said: "I do not want to talk about whether there's a rumour or there's an interest. I am very focused on my work and I have my agent to deal with that. My agents have not told me anything so I'm calm. It's a week when you hear a lot of good things but it's not easy. You have to focus what makes people speak well about you, which is to perform well at Deportivo. That is the most important thing. That's why I'm focused on improving so that people can continue to talk well about me, but knowing that the most important thing is to beat Leganes."