Zlatan Ibrahimovic 'was on verge of punching Pep Guardiola'

Barcelona presidential candidate Josep Bartomeu, who is seeking re-election having officially stepped down at the end of the season, revealed the depth of the rift when speaking about Ibrahimovic's agent Mino Raiola.

Raiola is also the agent of Juventus midfield star Paul Pogba, who is Europe's most sought-after player this summer since it is clear that the Serie A champions are ready to cash in to the tune of €80 million or more.

And thus Bartomeu was speaking about his friendly relationship with Raiola - presumably to suggest to the FC Barcelona electorate that he is the man best-placed to bring in a French star widely seen as the long-term future of the European champions' midfield.

"I know agent Mino Raiola very well having negotiated with him before," Bartomeu said on Monday.

"I dealt with him over Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2010, for instance.

"I had many meetings with Mino. In one, he told me: 'Ibra will punch Pep one of these days.'"

Though the tone of Bartomeu's words were flippant, there is no doubt that there could be truth in what he said. Ibrahimovic has openly spoken of his hatred for Guardiola, calling him a "spineless coward" in an autobiography he wrote two years ago. "If Mourinho lights up a room, Guardiola draws the curtains," Ibrahimovic added, referring to the manager who he played for at Inter Milan after quitting Camp Nou.

After discussing Raiola, Bartomeu went on to suggest that he and the Barcelona board have already agreed a deal with Pogba, even if he didn't name the player openly.

"The board was asked to secure a specific midfielder," he continued.

"Now we have convinced him to join us, though I cannot reveal his name yet."