No disrespect to the clubs involved, but I am amused and bemused by media reports suggesting that Ronaldinho has ‘been offered’ to Premier League clubs Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

This is a player who won the World Footballer Of The Year award in 2006 and is still only 28 years old and under contract with one of the biggest teams in Europe. He has recently been linked with AC and Inter Milan and has allegedly turned down a move to Chelsea.

So why are Barcelona so keen to offload the player that bought a smile to world football, or why is the player so keen to leave the Nou Camp?

Ronaldinho has been troubled by a lack of consistent form since the World Cup in 2006 and it is no coincidence that Barcelona have struggled themselves to hit the heady heights expected of them during these last two seasons.

Injuries and a public falling out with manager Frank Rijkaard after nightclubbing incidents when on international duties have unsettled the player, and with the emergence of Messi and the arrival of Henry it is believed that Ronaldinho is an expensive luxury that the Catalan club could do without.

A couple of years ago there would have been a stampede of the top clubs in Europe ready to sign the Brazilian play maker, but maybe the price tag and salary can no longer be justified at teams where winning trophies is more important than the extravagant talent of one individual.

That said, AC Milan have supposedly met the players wage demands but cannot agree with Barcelona’s valuation, so maybe something will give.

Personally I would love to see Ronaldinho in the Premier League and would welcome him at Manchester City or Spurs and it would represent a real coup for either of those teams, but somehow it would not seem right for a player who is still in his prime to be passed over by Europe’s top clubs.