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Barca eyeing expanded Champions League

Javier Faus, a vice president of the La Liga champions, told Reuters it was unlikely Barca, or their great Spanish rivals Real Madrid, would ever quit domestic competition entirely.

"What would be very interesting for us however is over the next 10 years creating smaller domestic leagues and a larger Champions League," Faus, who is responsible for economic affairs at the Catalan club, said in an interview at Nou Camp stadium.

Barca, which is owned by its members, were the second richest European club by revenue in the 2009-10 season, according to Deloitte's latest ranking published last week.

Faus said Barca would have no difficulty in complying with UEFA's new Financial Fair Play regulations, which will take effect from June 1 this year, and the club fully supported their introduction.

UEFA's new rules were unlikely to bring down the huge salaries paid to top players, Faus said.

However, he predicted some of Europe's biggest spending clubs, including Barca, Real, Manchester City and Chelsea, would likely be forced to limit spending on squad members.

The area around the stadium would also be redeveloped and the club's basketball arena enlarged.