Barcelona have made clear their intention to accelerate the drain of talent from the Barclays Premier League to Spain by declaring their interest in signing Robinho, the Manchester City forward, in January and their confidence in luring Cesc Fàbregas, the Arsenal captain, back to Catalonia in the summer.

Having seen Real Madrid, their great rivals, sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United and Álvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso from Liverpool during the summer, Barcelona are eager to exploit the economic climate that has made La Liga more attractive to English-based players.

With high earners paying 50 per cent tax in Britain and the pound having weakened against the euro, Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has warned that the Premier League’s supremacy is under threat.

Txiki Begiristain, the Barcelona sporting director, confirmed yesterday that the club are interested in signing Robinho during the January transfer window and that he is “sure” Fàbregas will return one day to the club where he spent his formative years. Barcelona are also interested in Nemanja Vidic, the United defender, and Javier Mascherano, the Liverpool midfield player, both of whom would consider moving to Spain.

Mascherano could even come into Barcelona’s plans in January. “There are options for us to strengthen, yes,” Begiristain said. “We could look to buy a forward. He [Robinho] is a very interesting player and would be eligible to play in the Champions League.”

City are under no financial pressure to sell Robinho, but Mark Hughes, the manager, has concerns about the player’s ability to adapt to the physical demands of English football and to integrate into the squad. Hughes would sell Robinho if it enabled him to bid for a player such as Franck Ribéry, the Bayern Munich winger, who does not want a new deal with the German club. Barcelona and Real are also interested in Ribéry.

Fàbregas is a certain target for Barcelona in the summer. “He is a player who fits the Barça profile,” Begiristain said. “One day he will end up at the Nou Camp.”

Ronaldo, meanwhile, will miss Real’s two Champions League matches with AC Milan and Portugal’s final World Cup qualifier against Malta on Wednesday after being ruled out for four weeks with an ankle sprain. The winger limped out of his country’s 3-0 victory over Hungary on Saturday night.