Barcelona insist they do not want to fall out with Arsenal over their pursuit of Cesc Fabregas.
One sizeable bid for the Spain international has already been knocked back, while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made it clear that he has no intention of doing business.
That has forced Barca to relax their stance slightly, with coach Pep Guardiola revealing on Monday that he does not expect an agreement to be reached.
The Primera Liga champions are prepared to bide their time, though, in order to get their man and are confident a deal could be struck in 2011.
For now, Barca are more concerned with building bridges with Arsenal, making negotiations between the clubs more amicable than they have been.
The hope is that by going about things in the right manner, Fabregas will be returning to his roots sooner rather than later.
"Relations exist," said Barcelona's sporting vice-president Josep Maria Bartolomeu.
"But we want them to be good. We are not in a phase of negotiation, only a phase of relationship building.
"Once we have done that, we will see if there is a chance to start negotiations to sign him."
