The Swede insists he has not yet decided on his next port of call but had previously indicated he would like a spell in Spain before returning to his homeland.

Although Barca boss Rijkaard is not short of firepower – with the likes of Patrick Kluivert and Ronaldinho to call upon – he makes no secret of the fact he is a big fan of Larsson.

He told Scotland Today: “If all the circumstances are right he would fit into the project of Barcelona.

“He is a little bit older now – but he has always had good form. For me, though, it is difficult to talk about other players because I am working with my team.

“I have three strikers who are in good shape, so let’s wait and see. But I think he is a great striker – and he has showed that in all the years and games he has played.

“He has had a wonderful career, and I think he is a great player.”

Larsson has never played in one of Europe’s big leagues, having moved to Scotland from the Dutch league in 1997.

The one question he has never attempted to answer is whether he could have been as successful in front of goal on a bigger stage.

Rijkaard said: “Barcelona is a big step to come from another country with a different culture and mentality. But Larsson has played a lot of international games, so he knows how to handle those situations.

“If you have a good player in a country like Scotland and other clubs are searching for a player like that then he has two possibilities.

“He is either going to conquer the other country and be really satisfied or he won’t manage it. That is always the question.

“If you make a step like that you have to set the goals which you want to achieve.”