Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has given a subtle hint that rumoured Liverpool target Ousmane Dembele could leave the club soon.
The France World Cup winner has been linked with an exit from Camp Nou all season, having fallen out of favour.
His attitude has consistently been called into question and his performances have flattered to deceive.
Dembele is a special young talent, however, as he showed by scoring a superb goal in Barca’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham on Tuesday night.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Valverde’s comments suggested the 21-year-old could leave next month.
As the match went by, he has been getting a little tired. We are happy with him.
I already said that we would try to resolve it (Dembele’s behaviour) internally, the thing is for him to give us joys while he is here.
It may be that there is ultimately nothing in Valverde’s comments, but the manager is believed to be frustrated with Dembele’s behaviour.
He turned up two hours late for training on Sunday, earning him a hefty £90,000 fine.
Liverpool and Arsenal have both been tipped to make a bid for the forward in January.
