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Josep Maria Bartomeu: ‘Barcelona will keep improving’

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu admits the Spanish Liga must compete with the Premier League for global market share.

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The debate regarding the best league in the world continues as a few soccer experts and fans compare the Spanish La Liga and the English Premier League.

“Last year was fantastic for us, a wonderful season, probably the best season in our history because we won everything and also with very good statistics”, he said.

In Spain, Mourinho won the league with 100 points while at Real Madrid, and the following season he lost the title with 92 points to Barcelona, the number of points that can surely win the Premier League in England.

“This is also a nice competition and we want people to watch it, not only the Premier League”.

The new television rights contract with the Premier League is something the rest of the leagues, including La Liga, have to follow.

The premier league recently got a deal worth £5.1 billion in television rights and come the 2016-17 season the clubs in the league will get the influx of cash.

“In Spain, we have a new law that obliges the clubs to sell all the TV rights jointly because we have to follow the Premier League”.

“We are going to fight this”, Bartomeu said on the eve of Barca’s friendly against United in Santa Clara.

Neither Arda or Vidal will be available to coach Luis Enrique until January, however, as Barca have been banned by Federation Internationale de Football Association from registering new signings until then after they broke rules on the transfer of foreign under-18 players.

“You have to remember that one of our best players of the past 15 years, Xavi, was brought through by Van Gaal”.

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But Bartomeu, who was elected for another term as president last week, says Pedro will only go if that clause is met. “We want to have the best players in our league”, Bartomeu told BBC Sport in California ahead of Barça’s pre-season game with Manchester United.

Barcelona won't be making any more signings for next season, reveals president