Tottenham's Gareth Bale has welcomed the interest from Barcelona after Sandro Rosell, the president, admitted this week that the Catalan club would like to sign him.

Bale said: "It's always nice being linked with clubs such as Barcelona. I'm enjoying my football at Spurs and I don't really take much notice of what is written about interest from other clubs."

The Welshman also stated that he would not play for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics if it could compromise his country's footballing status as a sovereign nation. "The most important thing for me is Wales as a country. I'm proud to play for Wales. If there was any possibility that Wales would go then I wouldn't play [at the Olympics].

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience in London, in Great Britain, playing in front of the home fans. Hopefully everything can get sorted and I can play if selected."