Barcelona boss Xavi has confirmed that Ousmane Dembele will be in the squad for Sunday’s La Liga clash with Granada.
The France international has still not signed a new deal with the Catalan giants, meaning that he is currently free to hold talks with foreign clubs over a pre-contract.
There have been suggestions that Barcelona were planning to freeze the World Cup winner out of the squad until a decision on his future had been made.
However, the 24-year-old has been selected for Sunday’s league game against Granada, with Xavi saying that the attacker is “an important player” for the club.
“He’s part of the squad. He has played almost without training at all, and he makes a difference. We need him, he’s shown a good attitude. He’ll be an important player for us and he’s part of the squad,” Xavi told reporters.
Manchester United, Newcastle United and Liverpool are all allegedly keen to bring the Frenchman to the Premier League on a free transfer ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
Dembele has recently been absent through coronavirus but made a scoring return against Linares Deportivo in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night.
