Barcelona have received encouragement in their pursuit of Sao Paulo attacking midfielder Hernanes.

Sao Paulo have already thrown out one "ridiculous" offer from Barca in the recent weeks, but Sport says the Brazilian outfit intend to cash in on the midfielder in 2009.

Barca sports chief Txiki Begiristain made his £8 million bid last month and while it was rejected by Sao Paulo, Hernanes' asking price is unlikely to shift markedly.

Investment company Traffic owns 17 per cent of Hernanes' registration and are pressing for a quick sale. There are growing fears in Brazil that the European transfer market may drop next year due to the global credit crunch.