As Robinho laughed and joked his way through training in Abu Dhabi last night, the Manchester City forward did not give the impression of a man who wants out, but behind the smiles, a bitter power struggle is developing over the Brazilian’s future at the club.

Garry Cook, the City chief executive, moved to end the speculation by categorically denying claims that Robinho would be sold or loaned to Barcelona in January, but that is unlikely to dissuade the player’s representatives from continuing to work on brokering a transfer to the Spanish and European champions.

Cook felt compelled to speak out when word came back that a representative of Robinho had contacted The National, a newspaper in Abu Dhabi, yesterday to claim that his client wanted to leave City.

With sources close to Robinho indicating that he has not settled in Manchester since his £34.2 million transfer from Real Madrid in September last year, it has been no secret that a move back to Spain appeals greatly to the player. But City believe the latest developments prove that there are forces operating beyond their control.

Txiki Begiristain, the Barcelona sporting director, admitted recently that they were interested in signing the player, but contrary to claims that the Spanish club were due to meet City officials and Robinho’s people in Abu Dhabi yesterday to thrash out a deal, Cook insisted that City have no desire to part with the Brazilian.

That is not to say their thinking would not change if Barcelona made an attractive offer. For all City’s refusal to be bullied, player power remains rife and Mark Hughes is unlikely to keep someone who is unhappy in the longer term. However, the manager is planning for the rest of the season with Robinho firmly in mind.

“There are no plans to meet Barcelona here this week to talk about Robinho,” Cook said. “I think some people are trying to make mischief when they talk about him leaving.

“I don’t know where these things are coming from. They’re not coming from us. We want to talk to him this week but only about getting him fit to play for us again. Recent reports that he may leave on loan or be sold in January are categorically untrue.”

Robinho is expected to fly to Doha today with the club doctor to have the stress fracture to his right ankle that has resulted in him missing the past 11 matches assessed by Brazil’s medical staff before their friendly against England on Saturday.

Provided that Brazil do not deem that he is fit enough to play, he will then return to Abu Dhabi, where City play a friendly match against the United Arab Emirates national team tomorrow evening as part of their visit to the oil-rich Gulf state. All 26,000 tickets for the game have been sold.

Khaldoon al-Mubarak and several associates of the City chairman turned up to watch the players train on a new pitch at their luxurious seven-star Emirates Palace Hotel base last night.

The sight of Hughes conversing on a touchline with half-a-dozen men in traditional Arabic dress is not one to which the average supporter in England will be accustomed, but there appears to be a genuine bond forming between the manager and al-Mubarak. Regardless of their differing backgrounds, they are united by a desire to turn City into one of the pre-eminent forces in European football.

If the Abu Dhabi region benefits from that, Sheikh Mansour, the City owner, will be delighted, but sources insisted last night that, while Formula One and the Fifa Club World Cup, which will be held here next month, are government-backed enterprises, the purchase and subsequent investment in City was only ever a personal venture. How long Robinho stays part of that remains to be seen, however.

City continued to forge links with the Middle East yesterday when they agreed a three-year sponsorship deal with Etisalat, the region’s leading telecommunications service provider.