Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has branded Palmeiras forward Gabriel Jesus "a great player".
The 19-year-old is believed to be the subject of firm interest from Barcelona, while Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Juventus have all been credited with an interest in the Brazilian.
It is understood that the Spanish champions are Gabriel's preferred destination and Bartomeu has claimed that the teenage attacker is "different from other players".
"I've seen him play for Palmeiras five times this year and he's a great player. I'm not saying if we're trying to sign him or not. If we were then announcing it could harm negotiations, and if we weren't then it may seem that we were rejecting him, but that's not the case," Bartomeu told reporters.
"If you've seen him play, you'd have seen that he's different from other players."
Gabriel, who will represent Brazil at the 2016 Olympic Games, has scored 18 goals in 29 appearances for Palmeiras this season.
Matt Law
