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Barcelona news LIVE: Ernesto Valverde HINTS at Ousmane Dembele future, Juventus hijack
Barcelona news and transfer gossip are coming thick and fast. Express Sport is on hand to bring you all the latest from the Nou Camp.
Edmilson: Neymar’s move from Barcelona to PSG was a mistake
Barcelona news LIVE updates: All the latest news and gossip from the Nou Camp
Sunday 25, November
- Juventus are set to battle Barcelona for TWO transfer targets
- Those are Ajax centre-back Matthijs de Ligt and PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot
- Roma have yet to make a decision on the future of winger Cengiz Under
- Ernesto Valverde has backed Ousmane Dembele to play an important role for Barcelona
Barcelona double deal
Juventus are set to battle Barcelona for TWO transfer targets.
The Catalan giants are looking to bolster their ranks with Ajax centre-back Matthijs de Ligt and PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
But things could be considerably more difficult after the emergence of Juventus.
Italian publication Rai Sport claim Juventus are on pole-position to secure de Ligt’s signature after he and his agent Mino Raiola travelled to Turin for talks last summer.
Meanwhile a report from Mundo Deportivo claiming Rabiot told Barcelona officials that he wants to join next summer could be premature.
Calciomercato claim Juventus still have a chance of landing the French star on a free transfer and will challenge Barcelona for his signature in January, when he’s eligible to discuss a move elsewhere.
Cengiz Under statement
Roma have yet to make a decision on the future of winger Cengiz Under, their director of football Monchi has revealed.
Earlier this week, it was claimed that the Gunners are preparing a £44million bid for the 21-year-old, who moved to the Eternal City in July 2017.
Roma are aware of the reported interest in the youngster but are unsure if they will offer him a new deal.
“We haven’t decided anything for Cengiz Under yet," Monchi told Sky Sports Italia before the Giallorossi’s 1-0 loss to Udinese. "He is very young, he is improving.
"But this is not the right moment to discuss a new contract and he must continue the growth process. Let’s leave him in peace to mature at his own pace. What needs to come will come in good time.”
Back in March, Monchi revealed that Spanish champions Barcelona are amongst the clubs monitoring Under’s progress.
Under is open to playing in Spain but has hinted that he wants to spend the majority of his career in the Premier League.
"Among the leagues I want to play in are La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Premier League, but I want to play in the Premier League the most,” he told Millet in 2017.
Ousmane Dembele backed
Ernesto Valverde has backed Ousmane Dembele to play an important role for Barcelona in the future.
Dembele cancelled out Diego Costa's 77th-minute header to secure a 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid yesterday.
Valverde was at least pleased to see Dembele on the scoresheet again. The Frenchman's future remains the subject of speculation as he battles to establish himself at the Nou Camp following last year's £96.8million move from Borussia Dortmund.
Valverde said: "Dembele is very good and has scored important goals. I hope he will help us a lot."
Jordi Alba contract
Defender Jordi Alba has described his contract situation at Barcelona as “strange.”
Alba, 29, has less than 18 months left on his Nou Camp contract that’s set to expire in June 2020 - but he still hasn’t been contacted by Barcelona to discuss an extension.
"I have no news,” Alba said after Barcelona’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.
"I don't know what the club think of me and it's strange because there's not much more of my contract left.
"My intentions are to finish my career here but we'll see as I don't know what their intentions are or when they think it will be convenient to call me."