Barcelona has not yet been locked out of the 2020 F1 calendar.
This week, reports suggested that with Zandvoort set to host a race next year, the new Dutch GP could actually replace Spain.
Indeed, Barcelona’s contract runs out this year, and the negotiations with Liberty Media were believed to be fraught.
But a source told Diario Sport newspaper that the news about Zandvoort replacing Barcelona was in a publication with links to Liberty Media.
That could suggest the story is designed to put pressure on Barcelona.
"The negotiations are still going and they do not seem close to breaking down, although at this moment anything can happen," the source said.
And Circuit de Catalunya president Vicenc Aguilera commented: "We are in a process that we must not rush.
"There is competition, which worries and occupies us, but the will is to continue. The grand prix cannot disappear," he is quoted by El Mundo Deportivo.