Despite Franck Ribery repeatedly declaring that he intends to stay and see out his current contract with Bayern Munich, which runs until 2011, the Frenchman's future continues to draw much speculation.

However, one of his team-mates at the Allianz Arena, Mark van Bommel, has urged the playmaker to consider joining Barcelona, believing that the Frenchman could be a real success in Catalonia if he does decide to leave the Bavarians in the future.

Ribery is an explosive, skilful and very technical player but he is also a fighter, the Dutchman told El Mundo Deportivo.

I do not know if he wants to go to Barcelona, but it would not be unusual if he does because Franck is the best.

For me, if he joins Barca, he could reach the same level as Ronaldinho.

Van Bommel, who spent a season at the Camp Nou under Frank Rijkaard, believes that Ribery would have no problems fitting into Barcelonas already star-studded line-up.

At the moment, I have not spoken to Franck about this subject, but I will, he added.

I believe that he can play at Barcelona without any problems. He would be able to adapt easily because he has a lot of qualities: hes a hard worker; he hardly stops running; and when he has the ball at his feet, he knows what to do.

He knows how to assist his team-mates and to score goals himself. He has already demonstrated that he is a big-game player.

And I think that [Barcelona head coach] Josep Guardiola would like him. I believe Barca already tried to sign him last summer.

The Catalan giants have continually kept interest in Ribery but they will have to face a number of ultra-rich rivals for his signature. Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City are also believed to be interested in the 25-year-old.