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Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's daily round-up. With the transfer window around the corner, Barcelona could be on the lookout for reinforcements in January, as they look to retain their LaLiga crown and make their presence felt in the Champions League. With Ousmane Dembele reportedly out for 10 weeks, it remains to be seen if the Blaugrana opt to draft in a temporary replacement, as they did so with Kevin-Prince Boateng last summer.
As Ernesto Valverde's took to fine-tune their squad for the business end of the season, let's look at the latest news and gossip concerning the club.
Pep Guardiola refused to rule out Barcelona return
Pep Guardiola's dad Valenti has revealed to Marca that the Spaniard could return to Barcelona at some point in the future, as he has fond memories in his time at the club. The Manchester City boss made a name for himself as one of the greatest managers of his generation with the Blaugrana, winning 9 major honours in his 4-year stint at the club.
”It could be a yes, that he returns to Barcelona, but it would be to coach. Since he left home, he has always made his own decisions. I’ve never advised him.”
Guardiola is contracted with Manchester City till the summer of 2021 and although it looked like he'd secure a move away from the club this summer, he is expected to stay put for another season at least and oversee a squad upheaval for the Cityzens.
Ivan Rakitic favours Sevilla return
Ivan Rakitic has grown frustrated with his lack of playing time with Barcelona and could reportedly seal a move away from the club as early as January. The Croatian midfielder has fallen down the pecking order after the arrival of Frenkie de Jong in a big-money move this summer and although he was subject of interest from a whole host of Italian clubs, a transfer failed to materialize which led to him staying on with the Catalan giants.
Speaking to Cadena Ser, Rakitic expressed his intention to play regular football once again and waxed lyrical about his time at Sevilla.
“Joining Sevilla? Playing in the Sánchez-Pizjuán is the most beautiful thing as a player. Would I go back? We’ll see. If it is time to speak about it then I will. Everyone already knows that I will be delighted, I always said that if I play for an old shirt again it will be the one of Sevilla, I hope it can happen one day."
Riqui Puig not planning on leaving Barcelona in January
Riqui Puig is regarded as one of the best talents to come out of the famed La Masia academy in recent seasons and despite his lack of first-team action this season, the young Spaniard is keen to stick on with the Catalan giants and continue his development. Speaking to Marca, the midfielder has heaped praise on the club and added that he was happy with his development this season.
“At all times I have said that I want to stay at Barcelona. There’s a lot of people upstairs and opportunities [in the first team] are rare. At the moment I do not plan on leaving the club and I am very happy in Barcelona. I’m going to stay here for now."
Puig has previously claimed that he could look to make a loan move to get regular game time under his belt, but the situation is believed to have changed in recent weeks.
“He [Kluivert] hasn’t spoken to me. There is also Abidal above him and I think we need to talk to him about these issues because he is the one who is in charge of Barcelona B. I want to stay, it’s very nice here. Some directors have spoken to my father, but they haven’t made it clear to us what they want to do with me.”
Barcelona interested in RB Salzburg's teenage sensation Karim Adeyemi
According to Spanish publication Sport, Barcelona have joined Arsenal and Liverpool in the race for teenage sensation Karim Adeyemi. The young striker, who is currently on loan at Austrian club FC Liefering, has impressed scouts with his goalscoring exploits and all-round gameplay, as he's tallied 11 goals and 8 assists in 17 appearances this season.
The German U-17 international, who could be available for a meagre £6.8m, is on the club's radar and it remains to be seen if they make a move for the youngster in January.
Also check out: La Liga La Liga fixtures La liga table 2019-20
