Barcelona have warned Eidur Gudjohnsen he will find first-team opportunities hard to come by if he stays at the Nou Camp next season.

Gudjohnsen faces tough competition for places in an impressive Barcelona forward line, but the Icelandic striker appears set to fight for his place.

The former Chelsea player has been consistently linked with a move elsewhere and he has reportedly turned down a possible move to West Ham, but Gudjohnsen looks prepared to stay in Spain.

Barcelona boast an array of attacking talent, which includes the likes of Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi.

Youth team products Giovanni dos Santos and Bojan Krkic have also come through Catalan giants' ranks and Gudjohnsen has been warned he will not be guaranteed a starting role.

"If he stays he could find it difficult to play many minutes because there are three new forwards in the first team," Barcelona's sports director Txiki Begiristain was quoted as saying in Spanish media.

"His transfer is an option. To stay wouldn't be the best decision."

Gudjohnsen, who has missed Barcelona's pre-season tours to Scotland and Asia with a knee injury, has only managed five league goals since his £8million move from Stamford Bridge in June 2006.

Begiristain has also declared that Argentine striker Maxi Lopez, Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta and forward Santi Ezquerro are surplus to Barcelona requirements.

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