Ronaldinho is Ferguson's top target

Man Utd looked to be in pole position to sign the PSG forward, but Graille says the Spanish giants' offer is the superior one.

Asked whether the offer from Old Trafford was insufficient compared to the sum which Barca are prepared to pay, Graille said: "Yes, completely. However nothing has been done yet."

Graille said he wants the situation resolved "as soon as possible", and the longer Barca's bid remains the preferred option for PSG the more likely they are to succeed in the mission to sign the former Gremio player.

Nothing has been planned so far but things can happen very quickly PSG president Francis Graille

French reports claimed United chief executive Peter Kenyon was to meet with PSG officials on Wednesday to complete the deal.

But Graille added: "Nothing has been planned so far but things can happen very quickly."

PSG have stopped Ronaldinho's wages while his future remains in doubt and he remains in Brazil - seven days after he was due to report back for pre-season training.

Barca vice-president Sandro Rosell's press secretary Juanho Castillo revealed how the Catalan giants are "optimistic" of having the 23-year-old in their squad shortly.

"We are still fighting to get him playing here now that we know Manchester have taken one step down in the negotiations," Castillo said.

"We are looking forward to having him here playing at the Nou Camp next season.

"His negotiators are very tough. but we are optimistic we'll have him here.

"Just two days ago we thought our chances had gone."

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had believed the Old Trafford club were within sight of an agreement for Ronaldinho, with a fee of between �19.3m and �21m being reported.

He earlier said: "We are just about there but we don't know for sure. We are very close.

"We are pursuing it very intensely. I don't want to be counting chickens - that never works.

Feature: Time for Ronaldinho to shine

"Disappointment can come very quickly in football and people can change their minds in an instant.

"The signs are OK, but we just want to get that seal on it before we can talk about it more openly."

Losing out to Barcelona would be a huge blow for Ferguson, who has made Ronaldinho his number one target since the �25m sale of David Beckham to Real Madrid.