Barca may abandon Fabregas pursuit

The Catalans have all but given up on bringing Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas back to the Nou Camp and speculation is rife that they have now switched their attention to Liverpool winger Albert Riera.

"It is possible that no-one will come in," said Begiristain. "Who comes in has to convince us, and above all the coaches."

Former Espanyol player Riera is the latest in a long list to be linked to Barca, who have signed just Maxwell and Zlatan Ibrahimovic this summer. But Begiristain has not ruled out the possibility there will be no more new faces before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

"We have gone after who they wanted, but the players we want aren't cheap because they obviously have to be very good," added the sporting director. "The problem is the alternatives, and you have to evaluate if they improve what you have."

Begiristain's comments are not likely to please Barca coach Pep Guardiola who said recently that they are lacking players in several positions.

Samuel Eto'o, Martin Caceres and Alexander Hleb have all left the Nou Camp and assistant coach Tito Vilanova is concerned the treble winners have not replaced them.

He said: "We have always liked small squads because like that everyone can take part, but we have already said that this year, with so many games to play, we need more players.

"At the moment we are missing several players because we have not covered Hleb's departure nor that of Caceres."

On Saturday Guardiola ruled out the possibility of signing Fabregas this summer but Begiristain has not given up completely on the club's former youth player, saying only that "it is very difficult".