Barcelona pair Pedri and Ferran Torres both named the same Real Madrid player when it came to the star they would sign from their rivals.
Barca moved back ahead of Los Blancos in the La Liga title race after Real lost 2-1 to Osasuna and the Blaugrana capitalised with a 3-0 win over Levante on Sunday.
Hansi Flick's men won the most El Clasico meeting when they beat Real 3-2 in extra time of the Copa del Rey final last month, with Jules Kounde bagging the winner in a breathtaking affair which saw three red cards.
The next meeting between the pair of Spanish giants comes on 10 May and could be a title decider. But while the rivalry is strong, there is still a mutual respect between a good portion of players and both Pedri and Torres have recently been talking up Kylian Mbappe.
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Mbappe has scored 82 goals in 92 games since joining Real on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain - including a hat-trick against Barcelona last season.
The Frenchman broke a 33-year record in the 4-3 loss and in a recent appearance on El Hormiguero, both Pedri and Torres admitted he is the player they rate most highly.
Speaking on the programme, Pedri said: "If I could sign one Real Madrid player for Barcelona, who would it be? Kylian Mbappe.
Torres, who plays in the same position as the ex-Monaco man, added: "Yes, Mbappe".
Torres also showered praise on the man sat next to him on the right, happily singling out Pedri as the most important player in Barca's side.
“We miss him when he’s not there," the former Manchester City man explained.
"He gives us a lot. It shows when he’s not there. We don’t have to depend so much on Pedri,”
Barca stars reveal Flick's strictest rule
Flick is a strict disciplinarian and laid out his rules as soon as he took the Barca job. He places huge focus on timekeeping and Jules Kounde, Marcus Rashford and Inaki Pena have all felt the German's wrath when late for a team meeting.
They were dropped from the starting XI as a result but Flick is also driving those high standards by making a change to the punishment.
Commenting on the rule, Pedri explained: “Regarding punctuality, we have changed it a little. If you are late, you pay a fine".
It was then revealed that if Barca players are 10 minutes late on matchday, they must pay a €40,000 fine. Torres added: "I can’t imagine how much money 20 minutes would be. You can now send him a photo of an ibuprofen!”
While discussing a previous incident with Kounde, Flick said: "Arriving late, even by a minute, is a lack of respect for your teammates."
Topics: Pedri, Real Madrid, Barcelona, FC Barcelona
Josh Lawless