But sources close to the player have told ESPN Soccernet that "it is not true" that Robinho no longer wants to play for Mark Hughes and has set his heart on a move to Barca.
There are strong reasons Robinho has been advised to ditch his desire to play for the European champions and to knuckle down at City.
Firstly, and perhaps most significantly, the usual behind-the-scenes preliminary negotiations between third parties have broken down. As ESPN Soccernet has already reported, Barcelona do not have the funds available at the moment and have only been seeking a loan deal, which City have ruled out without much consideration.
Secondly, Robinho has been out injured for some time and needs to prove his fitness and return to peak form to persuade Barca to resurrect their interest and make a proposal that might tempt City into opening negotiations.
So far, there has been no need for the two clubs to talk directly as they have both been made aware that nothing has been presented that would temp either club to discuss the matter formally.
With the World Cup coming up, Robinho needs to play regularly to ensure he makes the Brazil team, and there is a suspicion that if he joined Barca he would not be an automatic choice in a side with so many options in attack.
Robinho is in line for his comeback for Manchester City against Hull on Saturday, his first appearance since suffering a stress fracture of the ankle in August.
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